The complete opera on two CDs. Deutsche Grammophon. 1994.
CD Reviews
Fantastic performance! Just a few problems:
ldfr79 | Toledo, OH United States | 10/11/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is the dream cast for this opera! There is no reason why an opera this beautiful should be revived as little as it is. Even Strauss's own tyrannical wife approved of the closing scene: at the premiere, she leaned over out of her seat and gave a kiss to Bohm, the conductor (she said he only would get one because he was too sweaty).
So what are the problems? The first is the recording technology of the time. The second is the fact that this is a live recording. Why all of Vienna had to attend the performance with the flu is beyond me. Still, this recording is worthwhile for the performers and the performance!"
Marvellous performance
10/01/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Don't believe people who tell you that Strauss had nothing more to offer in opera besides Der Rosenkavalier, Elektra, Salome, Die Frau Ohne Schatten, Ariadne Auf Naxos and Arabella!!Daphne was dedicated to Bohm himself and what a performance this is!! The performance in 1964 was a sensational success, and here we have it on recording to enjoy it. The recording is in superb stereo with voices clearly recorded. It is complete nonsense to say that the whole of Vienna attended with a flu. There are a couple of coughs, quite normal in a live performance. That's all.Hilda Guden is a fabulous Daphne, her radiant voice lyrical and expressive, yet with enough power to soar over the orchestra at climaxes. She sings really beautifully. James King tackles the inordinate demands of the part of Apollo with consummate ease. It is as if the part had no difficulties for him. Wunderlich is wonderful - what else can I say. Yes, this is another of Strauss' marvellous operas - a bucolic tragedy in one act (yes, another one act tragedy). Bohm keeps the music moving along so that there isn't any part that drags at all. It is really weird that Daphne is not performed as frequently as it should. I suppose that people are so absorbed by operas like Der Rosenkavalier, Elektra, Salome that they forget that Strauss wrote many other incredible operas, all with beautiful voice parts and orchestral backdrop."
The performance of one's dreams
ldfr79 | 11/10/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Daphne was dedicated to Karl Bohm by Richard Strauss!!! This is a "live" performance conducted by the dedicatee!! It is a magnificent and sumptuous realization of the genius of Richard Strauss in the opera's score. Bohm keeps the drama moving along and you don't lose interest in the opera at all throughout. The principal singers are in magnificent form. Gueden, who was one of the Vienna State Opera's favorite singers (a member of the prestigious Vienna Ensemble) sings radiantly and lustrously as Daphne. James King's ringing high notes are magnificent. And Wunderlich is perfect. I love this Daphne!! Don't stay at home without it!!"
The Best Available
M. A COMBRINK | Cape Town, South Africa | 07/08/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"James King and Fritz Wunderlich on one disc? And Gueden? And the great straussian Boehm conducting the Wiener Symph? And the greatest of all Strauss's closing scenes between Salome and Cappriccio? ALmost too good to be true. Glorious music gloriously sung. YEs bits of the opera stretch one's patience - but the magical moments are all worth the wait. If you admire Strauss or the radiant Gueden, don't miss this set. Superb sound quality for a live recording, even the heard of sheep is clear without obilterating the orchestral textures - more than one can say from some theatrical performances, I'm sure... I do not care much for the alternative Lucia Popp version, since her voice does not have the cobination of brilliant power and pure clean legato lines that this role requires, but there is a lovely "closing scene" by Renee Fleming on her "Scenes" disc with Solti."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1