The Classical Christmas Collection No 1: Opera
Tuesday, 13 December 2005
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Two opera reissue series both offer a creditable version of Puccini's La bohème. Sony/BMG's is one of their Masterworks operas (82876 70784 2, two discs 
), featuring two glorious voices in prime condition with the LPO under the dramatic baton of Sir Georg Solti. Montserrat Caballé and Placido Domingo sing their hearts out for an exuberant account, though Solti's handling of tender moments borders on sentimentality.
How utterly different is a Deutsche Grammophon Opera House reissue (left), with the forces of Florence's Maggio Musicale conducted by Antonino Votto with Renata Scotto and Gianni Poggi (DG 477 5618, two discs ), quietly confiding where Solti is healthily extrovert; more intimate, with delicately pointed playing under Votto. I prefer it, though there's little doubt that Solti provides the more overtly theatrical interpretation.
Interesting that two versions of Richard Strauss's effusively lyrical Arabella have appeared simultaneously, both recorded live by members of the Bavarian State Opera and featuring Lisa Della Casa in the title role. The earlier was taken down from a performance at the Royal Opera House in 1953 under Rudolf Kempe - the first British visit, in fact, by a German opera company since the war's end (Testament SBT2 1367, two discs ). Della Casa was in radiant voice, her Mandryka for the occasion a sonorous and imposing Hermann Uhde.
Ten years later, Della Casa was singing the same role on stage in Munich, the voice still recognisable though showing signs of age, and with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau a more agile Mandryka (DG477 5625, two discs 
). Josef Keilberth wields a lighter baton than the more impassioned Kempe and DG's stereo sound is more lifelike than Testament's mono, but the older performance has a degree of warmth I find hard to resist.
No reservations at all about an early Eighties recording of Stravinsky's neo-classical The Rake's Progress (Decca 475 7005, two discs 
), where Philip Langridge sings Tom Rakewell and Safford Dean is unforgettable as Trulove. Riccardo Chailly made some sensational Stravinsky records with the London Sinfonietta, and the Rake is among the best.
Also from Decca, a nine-disc celebration of Sir Charles Mackerras conducting Janacek (476 6872 ), and what in their day were revelatory recordings of Jenufa, The Cunning Little Vixen, From the House of the Dead, The Makropulos Case and Katya Kabanova. Given the superlative sound and the classy playing of the Vienna Philharmonic, one couldn't hope for a worthier Janacek starter-pack. We also get the purely orchestral Cunning Little Vixen suite (arr Talich), Taras Bulba and the Sinfonietta.
Soderstrom also makes a compelling Witch on CBS's 1979 set of Humperdinck's Hansel und Gretel with Frederica von Stade and Ileana Cotrubas in the title roles, Christa Ludwig as the mother and Kiri Te Kanawa as the Sandman (Sony Classical S2K 96455, two discs ). It's a classy cast, solidly supported by the Gürzenich Orchestra under John Pritchard. As with Sony/BMG's Bohème there's a "CD Extra" with libretto and translations. Testament offers an Arabella libretto on its website; Decca's Stravinsky has a full libretto; all the other sets feature well-planned synopses.
