Though there are good reasons for hearing other recordings of
Der Rosenkavalier
-- the endlessly attractive 1954
Decca
recording with
Reining
,
Jurinac
Gueden
, and
Weber
with
Erich Kleiber
leading the
Vienna Philharmonic
or the luminously appealing 1994
DG
Lott
von Otter
Bonney
Moll
Carlos Kleiber
Erich
's son, leading the
Wiener Philharmoniker
-- when you come right down to it, the one
Rosenkavalier
to have is this 1957
EMI
Schwarzkopf
Ludwig
Stich-Randall
Edelmann
Herbert von Karajan
Philharmonia Orchestra
. Why? Because as Ochs,
is funny without being a buffoon; as Sophie,
is scrumptious without being silly; as Octavian,
is impetuous without being ridiculous; and as the Feldmarchallin,
is simply unmatched for tonal beauty and depth of understanding. Plus, they and the rest of the first-class staff sing not as a individuals in a constellation of stars but together as parts of a single ensemble wholly dedicated to the music and the drama of the work. On top of that,
Karajan
supports the singers and the drama with consummate style and class without once grandstanding, and the
Philharmonia
plays like what it was -- the finest classical studio orchestra of all time with a refinement and opulence matched only by the
VPO
or the
BPO
at their best. Captured in superlative stereo sound by
Walter Legge
-- it's the ideal combination of too live for a studio recording and too studio for a live recording sound -- this
should be heard by anyone who loves the work, loves
Strauss
, loves fin de siècle music, loves life, and loves love. ~ James Leonard