Search - Margaret Price, Luciana Serra, Peter Schreier :: Die Zauberflöte: Complete Mozart Edition Volume 43

The best I've heard.

Smaug | Round Lake Beach, IL United States | 09/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my favorite piece of music, bar none. I've heard only about 5 different recordings of this opera, but this one is the best. In the Queen of Night's famous aria, Margaret Price never sounds strained when singing this demanding piece. I like the opera music itself more than the dialog, so I recommend the other Philips recording even over this one. The other recording has all the same music recorded but without the non-musical parts omitted. In general, if you like Mozart, you won't go wrong with buying anything that says Philips and/or Complete Mozart Edition on it. If you're so hardcore that you've heard multiple recordings of all of your favorite classical music, you probably know better recordings of some music, but in general, you have to be really picky not to like this line of recordings."

A Magical Recording But Not My Favorite Magic Flute

01/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sir Colin Davis had a special affinity for Mozart's The Magic Flute and scored big success with his productions at Royal Opera of Covent Garden in London. This recording features his conducting talent with the Staatskapelle Dresden Orchestra. The singers are - tenor Peter Schreier as Pamino, soprano Margaret Price as Pamina, bass Kurt Moll as Sarastro, soprano Luciana Serra as The Queen of the Night and baritone Mikael Melbye as Papageno. This recording is also on another Phillips recording with a picture of Papageno on the cover. This is an exquisite version, with a lot of beautiful singing and a sumptuous score, but its not my favorite Magic Flute. My preferred recording is the Wolfgang Sawallisch recording from 1972, starring Peter Schreier in younger voice, Anneliese Rothenberger as a radiant Pamina, Kurt Moll singing Sarastro (a role he reprises here, still in great voice despite his age), Edda Moser as a truly nasty Queen of the Night and Walter Berry as a hilarious Papageno. But this recording has its assets. The orchestra is in tune with the singers, even if ocassionally loud. Peter Schreier is the perfect Tamino, with a princely tenor voice and great characterization, but Margaret Price is too self-consciously grand and her voice is rather heavy and dramatic for the role of Pamina. It should be sung by a light, lyric voice or full lyric voice. Even if she does have the technicalities for the role, her interpretation lacks the lustre that Anneliese Rothenberger gave to the role, or for that matter Leontyne Price in 60's performances, Edith Mathis or Kathleen Battle in the 80's. Baritone Mikael Melbye is having fun as Papageno and is an overall great Papageno. Kurt Moll as Sarastro is unbeatable. His lyric bass voice is so God-like. This is a fine recording if you're a fan of these particular singers and of conductor Colin Davis."