Der Freischutz Reconsidered
Posted by: Todd A on 10 May 2003
I declare Kleiber the winner. Erich Kleiber, that is. Shortly after beginning my ongoing interest in opera I discovered Rafael Kubelik’s recording of this decidedly German masterpiece and it became one of my favorites. Alas, the set was no longer available, or so I thought. Then I noticed that MDT had it as a Double Decca at the appropriately lowered price. I snapped it up. (if you can call waiting for almost two weeks for it to be shipped “snapping.”) But there was no libretto! Damn. That’s alright, the work really is not that complex, and besides I decided to spring for Carlos Kleiber’s version, too. (I picked it up for about $10 at BMG.) Time for a shoot-out!
There was no winner. Kubelik’s reading is grander, more traditionally romantic, while the younger Kleiber takes a slightly revisionist sounding approach, as if to emphasize the novelty of Weber’s orchestration. He also makes the work move along more briskly. Orchestral playing and sound for both recordings conform to the highest standards, so there is no clear winner in those areas. Both sets have strong and not so strong singers in certain roles, with Kleiber having a splendid Agathe in Gundula Jonowitz and a strong Kaspar in Theo Adam. But Rene Kollo is better as Max for Kubelik, and Rolf Boysen more impressive as Samiel. The biggest drawbacks for Kleiber are the actors used for the spoken dialogue; they do not sound like the singers in the least. Indeed, at times the obvious discontinuity is distracting. Oh well, both are great recordings of a great work.
But then I stumbled upon a close-out (!) of Koch’s 2000 reissue of Erich Kleiber’s 1955 recording with the Western German Radio Symphony of Cologne. Everything about this opera is appropriately German. Everything about this recording is nearly perfect. I’ll start with the conducting. It is more flexible than either Kubelik’s or the younger Kleiber’s. The overture is as long as Kubelik’s, yet the whole work comes in at just over two hours. A very brisk two hours! The orchestra plays wonderfully, responsive to the older Kleiber’s every command. He makes the band convincingly evoke happiness, emotional questioning, fear, everything. This is orchestral accompaniment of the highest order.
As to the singing, well, as soon as the first crowd scene began I could tell this would be something. It sounds like a crowd, rambling and speaking in perfect conversational German. Every time there is a “public” scene it is convincing. The choral contributions are to the same high standards. Then there are the soloists. Everyone sounds just about right. This is how sweet and innocent Agathe (Elizabeth Gruemmer) should sound. This is how calculating and nasty Kaspar (Max Proebstl) should sound. This is how naïve yet good Max (Hans Hopf) should sound. And this is definitely how terrifying and evil Samiel (Richard Muench) should sound. Alright, maybe Gruemmer may sound a little older and more experienced than Agathe should ideally be, but in every other way I find her perfect for the role. Hell, even the artificial sound effects are perfect. The only imperfect thing about the recording is the recording itself. The 1955 mono is more than acceptable, though the voices are at times too closely miked, but then that’s the case for many operas. This is so perfect that I almost got bored: it’s as if I was listening to the standard account of the work where everything is perfect and all other accounts are simply trying to recreate the this version’s perfection. Do I wax too hagiographic? Nah. This really is a great recording. Why it is relegated to Koch and other independent labels is beyond me.
Anyway, all three recordings are wonderful; the older Kleiber just achieves a little bit more. I know I should probably try Joseph Keilberth’s and Rudolf Kempe’s versions at some point, and Nikolaus Harnoncourt also has one out there. (I’ve heard bits of Harnoncourt’s on the radio and find it a bit mannered.) I don’t know if any can beat that most underrated of the great conductor’s though. Do consider it if you like this work.
There was no winner. Kubelik’s reading is grander, more traditionally romantic, while the younger Kleiber takes a slightly revisionist sounding approach, as if to emphasize the novelty of Weber’s orchestration. He also makes the work move along more briskly. Orchestral playing and sound for both recordings conform to the highest standards, so there is no clear winner in those areas. Both sets have strong and not so strong singers in certain roles, with Kleiber having a splendid Agathe in Gundula Jonowitz and a strong Kaspar in Theo Adam. But Rene Kollo is better as Max for Kubelik, and Rolf Boysen more impressive as Samiel. The biggest drawbacks for Kleiber are the actors used for the spoken dialogue; they do not sound like the singers in the least. Indeed, at times the obvious discontinuity is distracting. Oh well, both are great recordings of a great work.
But then I stumbled upon a close-out (!) of Koch’s 2000 reissue of Erich Kleiber’s 1955 recording with the Western German Radio Symphony of Cologne. Everything about this opera is appropriately German. Everything about this recording is nearly perfect. I’ll start with the conducting. It is more flexible than either Kubelik’s or the younger Kleiber’s. The overture is as long as Kubelik’s, yet the whole work comes in at just over two hours. A very brisk two hours! The orchestra plays wonderfully, responsive to the older Kleiber’s every command. He makes the band convincingly evoke happiness, emotional questioning, fear, everything. This is orchestral accompaniment of the highest order.
As to the singing, well, as soon as the first crowd scene began I could tell this would be something. It sounds like a crowd, rambling and speaking in perfect conversational German. Every time there is a “public” scene it is convincing. The choral contributions are to the same high standards. Then there are the soloists. Everyone sounds just about right. This is how sweet and innocent Agathe (Elizabeth Gruemmer) should sound. This is how calculating and nasty Kaspar (Max Proebstl) should sound. This is how naïve yet good Max (Hans Hopf) should sound. And this is definitely how terrifying and evil Samiel (Richard Muench) should sound. Alright, maybe Gruemmer may sound a little older and more experienced than Agathe should ideally be, but in every other way I find her perfect for the role. Hell, even the artificial sound effects are perfect. The only imperfect thing about the recording is the recording itself. The 1955 mono is more than acceptable, though the voices are at times too closely miked, but then that’s the case for many operas. This is so perfect that I almost got bored: it’s as if I was listening to the standard account of the work where everything is perfect and all other accounts are simply trying to recreate the this version’s perfection. Do I wax too hagiographic? Nah. This really is a great recording. Why it is relegated to Koch and other independent labels is beyond me.
Anyway, all three recordings are wonderful; the older Kleiber just achieves a little bit more. I know I should probably try Joseph Keilberth’s and Rudolf Kempe’s versions at some point, and Nikolaus Harnoncourt also has one out there. (I’ve heard bits of Harnoncourt’s on the radio and find it a bit mannered.) I don’t know if any can beat that most underrated of the great conductor’s though. Do consider it if you like this work.
Hey, what can I say? It's not like I have multiple sets of Der Ring. 