Search - King, Berry, Ludwig :: Strauss, R. : Die Frau ohne Schatten

Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman Without a Shadow) was first heard at the Vienna State Opera on October 10, 1919. Though admired by many, it had a mixed reception, due in part to the bleak mood predominating at the end of World War I, and in part because many of its scenic demands were imperfectly realized in the production. The libretto by Strauss?s favorite collaborator Hugo von Hofmannsthal is deliberately intended as a sort of late-Romantic Magic Flute, heavy in symbolism and whimsical magic, though it is far darker and more Freudian than anything in Mozart?s opera. Strauss connoisseurs now consider it one of the composer?s finest operas, and there is little question that it contains some of his most remarkable and impressive music, fully the equal of the best passages in any of his greatest stage works. This live performance from Salzburg in 1974 preserves an inimitable performance by the "classic cast" (and conductor) of this opera: an ensemble of great singers whose identification with the work has never been equaled or surpassed. This legendary cast known as Böhm?s "Straussian family" performed Die Frau ohne Schatten all over the world to universal acclaim. One of the finest things in this recording is the peerless portrayal of the Dyer?s Wife by Christa Ludwig, which is missing from the DG recording with similar cast and same conductor. The only recording of this opera at such a low price, and with complete libretto, newly translated.