Post by David7GablePost by alexI, myself, am not quite such a fan of Lisa della Casa on the live (is
it Kleiber? the one with Hilde Gueden as a delightful Zerbinetta) set
I have.
It's with Karl Böhm.
Ah yes, thank you--I just double checked as well :)
Post by David7GablePost by alexAriadne has some moments low in the range and I've never been
too much of a fan of della Casa's lower register--
Believe it or not, I have yet to hear this live Ariadne, but I love Della
Casa's low notes in the studio recording of "Es gibt ein Reich." Part of the
effect of notes that low in a soprano's range is precisely that they are odd,
lacking the fullness and body of the notes in the bulk of her range. Their
timbre is distinct from the notes in the rest of her range. The sound that
comes out of Della Casa's throat in that register in the studio is positively
unearthly.
I think so, too, except I think I find them unearthly in the opposite
direction than you do. It's also a function of not being terribly
crazy about her "normal" timbre either, but as you like it, my
negatives could very well be plusses for you. It really is spot on,
intonation-wise, and all-of-a-piece phrasing-wise, which is
impressive.
Post by David7GablePost by alexI just find myself wanting more of a
scoop [in Ariadne's music] a la Gueden
Gueden and Della Casa may well be my very favorite singers, so Gueden's
presence in the cast is an added incentive for picking up this live Ariadne. I
certainly wouldn't mind hearing a Gueden Ariadne or at least an "Es gibt ein
Reich," but none exists to my knowledge.
-david gable
Gueden sounds a bit stressed on the sonics of the set I have--but I
decided last I heard it that it was instead mic placement. Despite
some smudging (not, i think because the role is outside her grasp, but
because it tests her a bit) it's an enchanting enchanting role for
her. Seefried as the Composer is also nonpareil. or nonpareille,
rather :) Yes, a Gueden Ariadne would be gorgeous (I like her much
better than I do della Casa), but I think it'll just have to be
chalked up to "what could have been."
And it's interesting, because the trend in casting Ariadne now seems
to be a very weighty weighty voice, which I don't necessarily have a
problem with, especially if it can cope with the strange floridness
that goes with it (I rather like Norman in the otherwise rather
charmless DVD), but while I think a solid tone (don't like the Karajan
aside from the engaging Streich - my favorite thing she's done) is
very desireable, I'm not entirely sure about the weight in recent
trends.
Who (besides Debbie Voigt--and I'm still not entirely sold on her
Ariadne either really) would you like to hear as Ariadne nowadays?
(ooo, my mind's ear just got a taste of what Welitsch might've been
like in this role--certainly a big difference from the traditional
take i imagine!)
-alex