Strauss complete operas on DG

[P]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00G4PV0H2

Price tag somewhat hefty, but at 33 CDs including Solti's Rosenkavalier, I am extremely tempted. Can get it from third party sellers for $114 including shipping.

Full contents:
2014 is Strauss Year. Born in 1864, the 150th anniversary of his birth falls on 11th June 2014. A whole series of celebratory releases is planned, and the chief product to spearhead the campaign is a superb 33-CD set of the fifteen complete operas by Richard Strauss, from Guntram (1893) to Capriccio (1941).
In collaboration with five other partners (Decca, EMI, Sony, Deutschland Radio and the Salzburg Festival), Deutsche Grammophon has brought together a set to remember. Brimming with some of the greatest and most critically-acclaimed Strauss recordings of the last 50 years, the set also includes striking rarities. With the exception of the historical label Orfeo, no other label can offer such an enticing prospect.
The collection contains highly researched documentation including a Strauss Operas timeline and a new essay by Nigel Simeone. It is presented in luxurious, eye-catching packaging which depicts various scenes from Salome by an unidentified artist ( Kailich ) from 1927.

PACKAGING
Lid-off box
Colour-coded CD sleeves for each opera;
168-page booklet with full synopses of each opera in English, German and French of each
Strauss Operas timeline
New introduction to the operas by musicologist and writer Nigel Simeone.

REPERTOIRE HIGHLIGHTS
The Keilberth Arabella with Lisa della Casa and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
The Solti Elektra with Birgit Nilsson
Three of the classic Karl Böhm recordings: Capriccio, Daphne and Die schweigsame Frau
The Sawallisch Intermezzo with Lucia Popp
The Solti Rosenkavalier with Régine Crespin, Yvonne Minton and Helen Donath
The Sinopoli Salome with Cheryl Studer and Bryn Terfel
Bonus CD: Jessye Norman s outstanding disc of the Four Last Songs and Orchestrated Songs with Kurt Masur and the Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig.

REPERTOIRE RARITIES
Strauss s second opera Feuersnot (with Gundula Janowitz and John Shirley-Quirk under Erich Leinsdorf, from Berlin 1978), a first time release;
Die Liebe der Danäe, also a first-ever release, from the first run of the original Salzburg Festival production in 1952, conducted by Strauss s friend Clemens Krauss;
Giuseppe Sinopoli s recording of Friedenstag, freshly restored to the catalogue.

Tracklisting
Arabella (Della Casa/Fischer-Dieskau/Rothenberger/Malaniuk/Paskuda/Kohn/Bayerischer Staatsopernchor/Bayerisches Staatsoper/Keilberth)

Ariadne auf Naxos (Voigt von Otter / Dessay Heppner / Staatskapelle Dresden / Sinopoli)

Capriccio (Janowitz/Troyanos/Auger/Schreier/de Ridder/Fischer-Dieskau/Prey/Ridderbusch/SOBR/Böhm)

Daphne (Güden/Wunderlich/King/Schöffler/WS/Böhm)

Elektra
(Nilsson/Collier/Stolze/Krause/Resnik/WP/Solti)

Feuersnot (FIRST RELEASE
Janowitz / Shirley-Quirk / Berlin Radio Orchestra / Leinsdorf)

Die Frau ohne Schatten (Varady/Behrens/Runkel/Domingo/van Dam/Sumi Jo/WP/Solti)

Die schweigsame Frau (Hotter/Güden/Prey/Wunderlich/Alarie/Vienna State Opera Chorus and Orchestra/Böhm)

Der Friedenstag (Voigt/Dohmen/Botha/Villars/Staatsopernchor Dresden/Staatskapelle Dresden/Sinopoli)

Guntram (Tokody/Goldberg/Sólyom-Nagy/Gati/Bandi/Chor der Ungarischen Armee/Ungarisches Staatsorchester/Queler)

Die ägyptische Helena (Jones/Katsu/Hendricks/Bryant/Kenneth Jewell Chorus/Detroit SO/Dorati)

Intermezzo (Popp / Fischer-Dieskau / Dallapozza / Sawallisch)

Die Liebe der Danäe FIRST RELEASE (Kupper/Schöffler/Traxel/Szemere/Wiener Staatsopernchor/WP/Krauss)

Der Rosenkavalier (Crespin/Jungwirth/Minton/Donath/WP/Solti)

Salome (Studer/Rysanek/Terfel/Hiestermann/Bieber/Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin/Sinopoli)

Last Songs / Songs with Orchestra (Norman / Gewandhausorche)

Anyone who owns any of these recordings care to comment on quality?

-P

[jrsnfld]

On Tuesday, May 13, 2014 9:25:13 PM UTC-7, P wrote:

> Price tag somewhat hefty, but at 33 CDs including Solti's Rosenkavalier, I am extremely tempted. Can get it from third party sellers for $114 including shipping.

Considering what it's cost to procure such recordings individually over the years, in what way is the price hefty even at twice that?

> Anyone who owns any of these recordings care to comment on quality?

The quality of the recordings is top-notch. If you're interested and you don't have these, then this set is one to buy now.

--Jeff

[Christopher Webber]

On 14/05/2014 05:25, P wrote:
> The collection contains highly researched documentation including a Strauss Operas timeline and a new essay by Nigel Simeone. It is presented in luxurious, eye-catching packaging which depicts various scenes from Salome by an unidentified artist ( Kailich ) from 1927.

Presumably no libretti, not even online? "Luxurious and eye-catching
packaging" would hardly make up for failing to provide the basic tools
for listening.

[Oscar]

On Wednesday, May 14, 2014 12:52:41 AM, Christopher Webber wrote:
>
> Presumably no libretti, not even online? "Luxurious and eye-catching
> packaging" would hardly make up for failing to provide the basic tools
> for listening.

I would presume that this set, like 2013's Wagner Complete Operas box on DG, has a password-protected site for downloadable PDF libretti with an attractive design.

[P]

>> Price tag somewhat hefty, but at 33 CDs including Solti's Rosenkavalier, I am extremely tempted. Can get it from third party sellers for $114 including shipping.

>Considering what it's cost to procure such recordings individually over the years, in what way is the price hefty even at twice that?

Given that assumption, this is a ridiculous bargain, but the reality is that I probably wouldn't procure all of these individually; I would get Der Rosenkavalier and maybe eventually one or two others. Since they're boxed together, I wanted to make sure the other recordings were of equal quality if I'm paying $115 for all of them instead of $60 for a few.

That said, considering the general opinion on this set (yours and Amazon's reviewers'), and how much I have been enjoying the Zinman Strauss recordings (I'm just discovering Strauss), it sounds like this would be money well spent. Done.

[Willem Orange]

Agreed - the only change I think I would have made is the studio Solti Arabella for the later Keilberth - better cast and conducted.

[wkasimer]

On Wednesday, May 14, 2014 12:25:13 AM UTC-4, P wrote:

> Anyone who owns any of these recordings care to comment on quality?

The Solti Rosenkavalier is excellent, and one of the few uncut recordings. Personally, I prefer the old Kleiber, but the sonics are problematic. Be thankful that they didn't use the Boehm, which is uncut and a pretty good performance, but the sonics could peel paint.

Solti's Die Frau ohne Schatten is also excellent, one of the two reference recordings of the opera.

The Boehm Capriccio is wonderful, Janowitz a nice antidote for Schwarzkopf (on the otherwise recommendable Sawallisch recording on EMI).

The Sinopoli Ariadne is a mixed bag, as I recall. Heppner is probably the best Bacchus on records; ASvO, Voigt and Dessay are OK but not really competitive with singers on other recordings.

The Sinopoli Salome is a great choice - Studer sings the part about as well as anyone; this was before her vocal trouble started. This was among Terfel's first recordings, and I don't think that he ever sounded better than this.

I haven't heard Boehm's Daphne in ages, but I remember it being very good.

I loathe the Norman/Masur orchestral songs.

Bill

[Terry]

In article <63ac4b77-706e-4b01...@googlegroups.com>,

> Three of the classic Karl B锟絟m recordings: Capriccio, Daphne and Die

> schweigsame Frau
> The Sawallisch Intermezzo with Lucia Popp

> The Solti Rosenkavalier with R锟絞ine Crespin, Yvonne Minton and Helen Donath

> The Sinopoli Salome with Cheryl Studer and Bryn Terfel
> Bonus CD: Jessye Norman s outstanding disc of the Four Last Songs and
> Orchestrated Songs with Kurt Masur and the Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig.
>
> REPERTOIRE RARITIES
> Strauss s second opera Feuersnot (with Gundula Janowitz and John
> Shirley-Quirk under Erich Leinsdorf, from Berlin 1978), a first time release;

> Die Liebe der Dan锟絜, also a first-ever release, from the first run of the

> original Salzburg Festival production in 1952, conducted by Strauss s friend
> Clemens Krauss;
> Giuseppe Sinopoli s recording of Friedenstag, freshly restored to the
> catalogue.
>
> Tracklisting
> Arabella (Della
> Casa/Fischer-Dieskau/Rothenberger/Malaniuk/Paskuda/Kohn/Bayerischer
> Staatsopernchor/Bayerisches Staatsoper/Keilberth)
>
> Ariadne auf Naxos (Voigt von Otter / Dessay Heppner / Staatskapelle Dresden /
> Sinopoli)
>
> Capriccio (Janowitz/Troyanos/Auger/Schreier/de

> Ridder/Fischer-Dieskau/Prey/Ridderbusch/SOBR/B锟絟m)
>
> Daphne (G锟絛en/Wunderlich/King/Sch锟絝fler/WS/B锟絟m)

>
> Elektra
> (Nilsson/Collier/Stolze/Krause/Resnik/WP/Solti)
>
> Feuersnot (FIRST RELEASE
> Janowitz / Shirley-Quirk / Berlin Radio Orchestra / Leinsdorf)
>
> Die Frau ohne Schatten (Varady/Behrens/Runkel/Domingo/van Dam/Sumi
> Jo/WP/Solti)
>

> Die schweigsame Frau (Hotter/G锟絛en/Prey/Wunderlich/Alarie/Vienna State Opera
> Chorus and Orchestra/B锟絟m)

>
> Der Friedenstag (Voigt/Dohmen/Botha/Villars/Staatsopernchor
> Dresden/Staatskapelle Dresden/Sinopoli)
>

> Guntram (Tokody/Goldberg/S锟絣yom-Nagy/Gati/Bandi/Chor der Ungarischen
> Armee/Ungarisches Staatsorchester/Queler)
>
> Die 锟絞yptische Helena (Jones/Katsu/Hendricks/Bryant/Kenneth Jewell

> Chorus/Detroit SO/Dorati)
>
> Intermezzo (Popp / Fischer-Dieskau / Dallapozza / Sawallisch)
>

> Die Liebe der Dan锟絜 FIRST RELEASE (Kupper/Sch锟絝fler/Traxel/Szemere/Wiener

> Staatsopernchor/WP/Krauss)
>
> Der Rosenkavalier (Crespin/Jungwirth/Minton/Donath/WP/Solti)
>
> Salome (Studer/Rysanek/Terfel/Hiestermann/Bieber/Orchester der Deutschen Oper
> Berlin/Sinopoli)
>
> Last Songs / Songs with Orchestra (Norman / Gewandhausorche)
>
> Anyone who owns any of these recordings care to comment on quality?
>
> -P

My inclination would be to head for the old EMI (now Warner) box. A
smaller number of CDs, but some pretty distinguished recordings.

[jrsnfld]

On Wednesday, May 14, 2014 7:19:51 AM UTC-7, Terry wrote:

> > Price tag somewhat hefty, but at 33 CDs including Solti's Rosenkavalier, I am
> > extremely tempted. Can get it from third party sellers for $114 including
> > shipping.

> My inclination would be to head for the old EMI (now Warner) box. A
> smaller number of CDs, but some pretty distinguished recordings.

Now that we know the original poster is basically a Strauss newbie, one might ultimately suggest starting instead with the Solti box, because it's hard to beat his Salome, Elektra, and Arabella, plus he's very good with Rosenkavalier and Frau Ohne Schatten. That's a great, basic Strauss opera collection.

These big boxes aren't for people dipping their toes into Strauss for the first time. Nonetheless, if one is really interested in jumping into the deep end like that, the DG is the deeper set with more lasting value.

One can justify either buying the EMI or DG boxes--or both, actually. They're both so cheap given what they offer and even in cases where the offerings are "first" choice, whatever that is, they're really strong, interesting selections. There's reason to have each and every disc offered.

If I ignore the smaller Solti set, I'd lean toward heavily to the DG box. I'm not particularly fond of Sawallisch as a Straussian--he's ok, but I'd much rather have Solti's electricity in Elektra and Frau. Plus, Sinopoli's Salome is wickedly good--extremely beautifully recorded and played to the hilt, and the cast is darn good. Then, for the other less popular operas, the DG set offers a bunch of other interesting items that may have escaped collectors the first time around.

So, even though a first-time Strauss buyer might not care too much overall which set they had, the DG set looks to me to have more lasting value, and then you'd still want to pick up Solti/Nilsson in Salome, some other Karajan recordings, and Haitink's Daphne. The alternative is to buy both the EMI and the Solti sets, for about the same price as the DG set, but that would be less effective.

--Jeff

[Willem Orange]

According to the Jed Distler review - no libretti are included. Preposterous.

[Willem Orange]

I'ld go for Roswaenge as the "best Bacchus on records" - a real jugendliche Heldentenor quality

[dab...@nytimes.com]

On Wednesday, May 14, 2014 12:25:13 AM UTC-4, P wrote:

I have to admit that I've never heard 'Feuersnot' --- but any addition to the catalog by the great Gundula J. gets my immediate attention. Is this a 'first time release' on CD or did it once appear on LP?

[jrsnfld]

This looks like the very same Feuersnot with Janowitz/Leinsdorf that was released on CD earlier by the Ponto label.

The only Feuersnot on LP I ever bought was Kempe's 1958 performance...apparently Discocorp had a performance conducted by Peter Maag, which I've never seen.

--Jeff

[Terry]

In article <7d9f2cb5-6e7d-4e4d...@googlegroups.com>,

<dab...@nytimes.com> wrote:

> On Wednesday, May 14, 2014 12:25:13 AM UTC-4, P wrote:
> > http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00G4PV0H2
> >

<snip>

> >
> >
> > -P
>
> <<<Strauss s second opera Feuersnot (with Gundula Janowitz and John
> Shirley-Quirk under Erich Leinsdorf, from Berlin 1978), a first time release; >>>
>
> I have to admit that I've never heard 'Feuersnot' --- but any addition to the catalog
> by the great Gundula J. gets my immediate attention. Is this a 'first time release' on
> CD or did it once appear on LP?

I resist listening to amything with snot in it.

[jrsnfld]

On Saturday, May 17, 2014 10:35:52 PM UTC-7, Terry wrote:

> > <<<Strauss s second opera Feuersnot (with Gundula Janowitz and John
> > Shirley-Quirk under Erich Leinsdorf, from Berlin 1978), a first time release; >>>

> > I have to admit that I've never heard 'Feuersnot' --- but any addition to the catalog
> > by the great Gundula J. gets my immediate attention. Is this a 'first time release' on
> > CD or did it once appear on LP?

> I resist listening to amything with snot in it.

Then you're in luck, because they don't manufacture LPs with horse snot anymore.

--Jeff

[Edward A. Cowan]

The title of Strauss' opera _Feuersnot_ does not contain "snot". The "s" forms the genitive of "Feuer" ("fire") and connects it to "Not" ("need") -- the o is long, btw. -- and so an anglophone impression of the title is undone. --E.A.C. (retired professor of German)

On Sunday, May 18, 2014 12:35:52 AM UTC-5, Terry wrote:

>
> I resist listening to anything with snot in it.

[P]

> I resist listening to amything with snot in it.

Any opera is going to have some snot in it. It just so happens this one has Fewer Snot than most.

(Our friend Herr Doktor Professor of German is going to reiterate his note about German pronunciation to me in the foyer. I look forward to his "foyer's note")

-P

[Terry]

In article <4d392cea-fabb-4d57...@googlegroups.com>,

Gosh, I'm really glad to have that explained!

[Terry]

In article <5ec5ad87-4fe6-49be...@googlegroups.com>,

I refuse to go to concerts in Scunthorpe for a similar reason.

[O]

In article <5ec5ad87-4fe6-49be...@googlegroups.com>,
<aaro...@gmail.com> wrote:

> > I resist listening to amything with snot in it.
>
> Any opera is going to have some snot in it. It just so happens this one has
> Fewer Snot than most.

You think it's spit, but it's not.

-Owen

[Matthew B. Tepper]

P <aaro...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following letters to be
typed in news:63ac4b77-706e-4b01...@googlegroups.com:

> http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00G4PV0H2
>
> Price tag somewhat hefty, but at 33 CDs including Solti's Rosenkavalier,
> I am extremely tempted. Can get it from third party sellers for $114
> including shipping.
>
> Full contents:

[snipparooney]
> REPERTOIRE RARITIES
> Die Liebe der Dan�e, also a first-ever release

I don't think so, Tim.

--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!!
Read about "Proty" here: http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/proty.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of my employers.

[Matthew B. Tepper]

Willem Orange <ivanm...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following

letters to be typed in

news:2dca1fd4-1347-41a9...@googlegroups.com:

> According to the Jed Distler review - no libretti are included.
> Preposterous.

As I used to say years ago: "BLAM!" (That's the sound of a record company
shooting itself in the foot.)

[Matthew B. Tepper]

Oscar <oscaredwar...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the

following letters to be typed in

news:51293ebd-fd32-4ddc...@googlegroups.com:

That would be nice, but has it been shown to be the case?

[Matthew B. Tepper]

jrsnfld <jrs...@aol.com> appears to have caused the following letters to
be typed in news:2a957e56-96e9-42c0...@googlegroups.com:

I'm reminded of those old, old, old Melodiya LP boxes (which Znanie Books
in San Francisco used to import back in the '70s), smelling to high heaven
of a vile glue, possibly made of Triple Crown losers or their ilk.

[gggg...@gmail.com]

Concerning Kupper singing Strauss, her "Ich komme, grünende Brüder" (Daphne) was recently uploaded on Youtube.

[Juan I. Cahis]

Dear friends:

>> her Staatsopernchor/Bayerisches Staatsoper/Keilberth)
>>
>> Ariadne auf Naxos (Voigt von Otter / Dessay Heppner / Staatskapelle Dresden / Sinopoli)
>>
>> Capriccio (Janowitz/Troyanos/Auger/Schreier/de
>> Ridder/Fischer-Dieskau/Prey/Ridderbusch/SOBR/Böhm)
>>
>> Daphne (Güden/Wunderlich/King/Schöffler/WS/Böhm)
>>
>> Elektra
>> (Nilsson/Collier/Stolze/Krause/Resnik/WP/Solti)
>>
>> Feuersnot (FIRST RELEASE
>> Janowitz / Shirley-Quirk / Berlin Radio Orchestra / Leinsdorf)
>>
>> Die Frau ohne Schatten (Varady/Behrens/Runkel/Domingo/van Dam/Sumi Jo/WP/Solti)
>>
>> Die schweigsame Frau (Hotter/Güden/Prey/Wunderlich/Alarie/Vienna State
>> Opera Chorus and Orchestra/Böhm)
>>
>> Der Friedenstag (Voigt/Dohmen/Botha/Villars/Staatsopernchor
>> Dresden/Staatskapelle Dresden/Sinopoli)
>>
>> Guntram (Tokody/Goldberg/Sólyom-Nagy/Gati/Bandi/Chor der Ungarischen
>> Armee/Ungarisches Staatsorchester/Queler)
>>
>> Die ägyptische Helena (Jones/Katsu/Hendricks/Bryant/Kenneth Jewell
>> Chorus/Detroit SO/Dorati)
>>
>> Intermezzo (Popp / Fischer-Dieskau / Dallapozza / Sawallisch)
>>
>> Die Liebe der Danäe FIRST RELEASE (Kupper/Schöffler/Traxel/Szemere/Wiener
>> Staatsopernchor/WP/Krauss)
>
> Concerning Kupper singing Strauss, her "Ich komme, grünende Brüder"
> (Daphne) was recently uploaded on Youtube.

Feuersnot as a "first release"? I have the Acanta recording of it for more
than 20 years!!!

"Die liebe der Danae" a first-ever release? The CPO and Telarc sets of this
Opera are about 10 years old!!!

--
Enviado desde mi iPad usando NewsTap, Juan I. Cahis, Santiago de Chile.

[Alan Dawes]

In article
<1893667042443915521.180407ji...@news-central.giganews.com>,

Juan I. Cahis <jiclbchS...@attglobal.net> wrote:
> Feuersnot as a "first release"? I have the Acanta recording of it for
> more than 20 years!!!

According to:
http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk/CLSTFEUE.HTM
there are 7 recordings of Feuersnot. However the implication is that this
is the "first release" of Leinsdorf's recording. You have to understand PR
speak and assume it is triple spaced so that "you can read between the
lines"

However even that isn't true as it has been available on a 2 CD set Ponto
PO 1034 since 2005 although that that may be an off air recording eg from
German radio or the BBC Radio3 broadcast in May 1978
See
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2005/Sep05/Strauss_Spontini_PO1034.htm
for a review.

Alan

--
alan....@argonet.co.uk
alan....@riscos.org
Using an Acorn RiscPC