Title: Richard Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten Artist: Georg Solti Release Date: 1998 Label: Decca Duration: 194:59 Album Type(s): Special essay (music history, styles, etc.), composition (work) description, lyrics/libretto, Plot synopsis/story UPC: 028943624329 Genre: Opera Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 0 Number of Discs/SwapaCD Credits: 3

1. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 1. Licht überm See
2. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 1. Amme! Wachst du?
3. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 1. Ist mein Liebster dahin
4. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 1. Wie soll ich denn nicht weinen?
5. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 1. Amme, um alles, wo find' ich den Schatten?
6. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 1. Erdenflug
7. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 1. Dieb! Da nimm!
8. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 1. Sie aus dem Hause
9. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 1. Dritthalb Jahr bin ich dein Weib
10. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 1. Was wollt ihr hier?
11. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 1. Ach, Herrin, süße Herrin!
12. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 1. Hat es dich blutige Tränen gekostet
13. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 1. Mutter, Mutter, laß uns nach Hause!
14. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 1. Trag' ich die Ware selber zu Markt
15. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 1. Sie haben es mir gesagt

1. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 2. Komm bald wieder nach Haus, mein Gebieter
2. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 2. Was ist nun deine Rede, du Prinzessin
3. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 2. Orchesterzwischenspiel
4. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 2. Falke, Falke, du wiedergefundener
5. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 2. Stille... O weh, Falke, o weh!
6. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 2. Es gibt derer, die haben immer Zeit
7. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 2. Schlange, was hab' ich mit dir zu schaffen
8. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 2. Ein Handwerk verstehst du sicher nicht
9. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 2. Wer da?
10. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 2. Sieh - Amme - sieh
11. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 2. Zum Lebenswasser!
12. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 2. Wehe, mein Mann!
13. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 2. Es dunkelt, daß ich nicht sehe zur Arbeit
14. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 2. Es gibt derer
15. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 2. Das Weib ist irre
16. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 2. Barak, ich hab' es nciht getan!

1. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 3. Schweigt doch, ihr Stimmen!
2. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 3. Mir anvertraut
3. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 3. Auf, geh nach oben, Mann
4. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 3. Sie kommen!
5. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 3. Fort mit uns!
6. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 3. Aus unsern Taten steigt ein Gericht!
7. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 3. Was Menschen bedürfen?
8. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 3. Keikobad! Deine Deinerin
9. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
   - Act 3. Weh uns Armen!
10. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 3. Vater, bist du's?
11. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 3. Goldenen Trank
12. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 3. Ach! Weh mir! Mein Liebster starr!
13. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 3. Wenn das Herz aus Kristall...
14. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 3. Sind das die Cherubim
15. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 3. Engel sind's, die von sich saggen!
16. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 3. Trifft mich sein Lieben nicht
17. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 3. Nun will ich jubeln
18. Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow), opera, Op. 65 (TrV 234)
    - Act 3. Vater, dir drohet nichts

Certainly the most complex of all the Strauss operas, Die Frau ohne Schatten has had a checkered history both on stage and in the recording studio. It was not until the EMI recording conducted by Sawallisch was issued that the entire score was recorded; this recording is also absolutely complete. In the opera house, wholesale cutting and rearranging of scenes was standard practice and we can only hope the Karajan arrangement of the score will never be revived. The leading roles are extremely difficult, requiring power in both extremes of the voice and stamina to sustain the dramatic tension of the story. Strauss often referred to this as his favorite opera and with its complexities it is easy to see why it appealed to him.

All of the soloists are excellent musicians and bring a wealth of detail to their work. Julia Varady is an interesting Empress. Her voice has more weight than is usually encountered in this role; traditional casting would have switched the two sopranos in this recording. With the exception of a few very high phrases, Varady sings the role very well and the weight and warmth of her voice allow her to bring the humane aspects of her character to the fore. Hildegard Behrens is a very believable Dyer's wife. She is in excellent voice and brings a great deal of dramatic insight to this very complex character. She is the best exponent of this difficult role on any recording. Reinhild Runkel as the Nurse is nearly as good as Hanna Schwarz on the Sawallisch recording. Vocally, her voice is probably closer to what Strauss was hoping to hear, but she has to compromise to get through some of the more difficult passages. Plácido Domingo sings the role of the Emperor better than any of his rivals but he makes nothing of the words. His German is acceptable but there is no sense that he understands what is happening in this drama. José van Dam is a superb Barak. His soft-grained baritone helps to project the character of the loving, gentle spouse who is doing his best to keep his wife happy. Still he is able to summon the power to confront his wife and hold his own in the final ensemble. This is an opera with a very large cast and for the most part the smaller roles are very well sung. Special mention should be made of Sumi Jo as the Voice of the Falcon and Robert Gambil as the Young Man. The Vienna Philharmonic is one of the great Strauss orchestras and Georg Solti leads them with a firm yet loving hand.

Taken on its own, each section of this opera is very well done, but there is never a sense of the total arch of the work. For this I blame Solti's guiding hand; perhaps if he and the whole cast had performed the work together several times there would have been a better feel of the whole opera. Another contributing factor could be the three different sets of recording sessions from 1989 to 1991; it is hard to keep the sense of the whole for that long a period. Although this is a fine performance with several excellent individual performances, I still recommend the EMI recording conducted by Sawallisch as a first choice because the overall feel of the work is always present and the soloists are also very fine.

Name Credits Albert Dohmen Vocals Anne Steeb Liner Note Translation Barry Millington Liner Notes Bernd Muller Liner Note Translation Brigitte Pinaud Liner Note Translation Christian Steiner Photography Christiane Frobenius Liner Note Translation Christopher Raeburn Producer David Smart Art Direction Donna Robin Vocals Elfriede Hanak Photography Elisabeth Lang Vocals Elzbieta Ardam Vocals Eva Lind Vocals Francis Marchal Liner Note Translation G.M. Holland Libretto Translation Georg Solti Liner Notes, Conductor Gerhard Eder Vocals Gottfried Hornik Vocals Hans Franzen Vocals Helmuth Froschauer Choir Master Hildegard Behrens Vocals Hugo von Hofmannsthal Synopsis, Librettist Ian Watson Tape Editor J. Henry Fair Photography James Lock Liner Notes, Engineer Jeff Cottenden Cover Art Jessica Davies Design John Pellowe Engineer Jonathan Stokes Engineer José van Dam Vocals Julia Varady Vocals Karl Nebenfuhr Vocals Mag. Stephan Aichinger Choir Master Matthew Hutchinson Tape Editor Michael Kennedy Liner Notes Morten Winding Producer Nigel Gayler Tape Editor Noriko Sasaki Vocals Olimpio Cescatti Liner Note Translation Philip Siney Engineer Philip Weller Liner Note Translation Philippe Danel Liner Note Translation Plácido Domingo Vocals Rannveig Braga Vocals Reinhild Runkel Vocals Robert Gambill Vocals Rudolf Betz Photography Simon Bertram Tape Editor Stephen Trainor Producer Sumi Jo Vocals Ursula Targler Vocals Vienna Boys' Choir Choir, Chorus Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra Vienna State Opera Choir Concert Association Choir, Chorus Vivianne Purdom Photography Wilfried Gahmlich Vocals Wolfgang Schneider Vocals