Search - Marschner, Oeggl, Synek :: Der Vampyr

Marschner, often seen as a bridge between Weber and Wagner, is an under-rated, entertaining composer. Der Vampyr is good fun, filled with creepy situations and melodrama, and it's nicely orchestrated, to boot. This 1951 recording is not the one you want. It offers a narration in German instead of the dialog (and no booklet with translations, no libretto), a couple of numbers are cut entirely (40 minutes of the opera are missing), both sopranos are terrible, the tenor Aubry is weak, and the sound is bad. There is a good recording from Munich in 1974 led by Fritz Reiger on Opera d'Oro with a fine cast, including Anna Tomowa-Sintow and Arleen Auger, with a nicely sneering Roland Hermann as the Vampire Ruthven. And it's cheaper, too. --Robert Levine