Weber: Der Freischütz ~ C. Kleiber

This set has never really been seriously challenged, and for good reasons (although Kubelik, at least, is a worthy alternative). One of them is Carlos Kleiber's attentive and loving exploration of the orchestral colors and details of the score - and his ability, and the orchestra's ability, to realize them to perfection. In short, the color and atmosphere on this recording is second to none, from the fairy-tale buoyancy of the folk scenes to eeriness and ill-foreboding and not the least the darkly urgent and powerful Wolf's glen - unrivalled in execution and alone guaranteed to make this set a must-buy for any opera lover. I have heard critics and reviewers take issue with Kleiber's tempi, and he does indeed take more liberties than most (both slower and faster). I can only conclude that Carlos Kleiber knew exactly what he was doing; any passage that comes across as slightly startling in terms of tempo choices ends up sounding utterly convincing and as if it could not have been played in another way.The set secures its success by the absolutely superb cast. Peter Schreier is absolutely astounding as Max, somewhat more reflective - wary, even - than usual, but superbly sung and so convincingly full of character I cannot imagine anyone breathing more life into him than Schreier achieves here. Gundula Janowitz scores more for here fabulous singing than for her characterization (although there is certainly nothing wrong with it). Theo Adam is a convincing Caspar and the rest of the cast acquit themselves more than well (Edith Mathis's Aennchen in particular). The sound quality is for the most part excellent, although the strings are prone to ugly distortion in tutti parts. Overall, however, this is still and outstanding achievement and a must for any music lover.

This is a wonderful work in a wonderful recording -- and at such a reasonable price! Weber was a delightful man, a prodigiously talented pianist who studied with the Abbe Vogler (whom Mozart, incidentally, despised) along with the young Giacomo Meyerbeer. He died quite young, in London, not far from where I live. Years later, Weber's remains were exhumed and reinterred in Dresden at a service presided over by Richard Wagner coming from Wagner, a most jealous partisan, this was praise indeed). While not the earliest of his operas, Der Freischütz is easily the best known, and it had a formative influence through its musical vocabulary and dramatic approach on the whole of nineteenth century music, from the French (through Berlioz, Gounod amd Massenet), the Italians (through Verdi and Boito), the Germans (through Meyerbeer, Marschner, Spohr and, of course, Wagner), to the Russians (through Glinka and Mussorgsky). Listeners will note Weber's characteristics: highly tuneful and affecting arias, a most unusual and inventive approach to orchestral sound -- unlike anyone else, really -- and an uncanny ability to infuse his music with dramatic tension. If you ever have the pleasure of seeing Der Freischütz on stage, this recording will serve as a wonderful preparation for the event and a memory long after.Next stop on the introductory tour: all the piano sonatas, then the Konzertstücke, then the symphonies, before returning to the operas, Euryanthe and Oberon. All delightful and affecting music by a great master!

This is a glorious recording of Von Weber's masterpiece. I have other recordings of Der Freischutz, but this one is simply the best in my opinion as much as I also love the Keilberth recording with Elsabeth Grummer and Rudolf Schock et. al. Either recording is extremely satisfying.

I was familiar with the Kleiber recording of Der Freischutz and wanted to purchase a copy for a retiring business associate. I found a very good price from an Amazon-affiliated seller and ordered it. It arrived promptly, unfortunately, its trip via the USPS had produced a break in the cardboard shipping sleeve, and when I opened it, I found a corresponding crack in the cd jewelbox. I sent a notice to the seller, and they promptly provided return instructions and an assurance that a replacement would be shipped immediately. The replacement arrived a few days later. I am very happy with the recording (my particular favorite for this Weber opera) and with the performance of the seller, i-Deals Store.

Back in the 1970s I owned this set on LP and played it til it was scratchy. How wonderful that we have this CD technology so I can renew my acquaintance with this fine transitional piece in opera.

Excellent item, transaction, and delivery. Thank you!!

superlative performance

Simply astounding! Der Ferischütz is simply astounding. Need I say any more?

You either love "Der Freischuetz" for its music, or you don't love it. The plot is so ridiculous that it makes "The Magic Flute" seem coherent. As luck would have it, though, Weber did take the trouble to bless his greatest work with some gorgeous music, both for the orchestra and for the voice, especially for the soprano voice.If you've never heard the voice of Gundula Janowitz, hear it now. She never sings a wrong note, or even a faintly ugly one. After Grace Bumbry's incomparable Verdi Requiem (BBC, Philharmonia, Giulini), this has to be my favourite recording of any solo voice. It stands to reason, I suppose, that no-one else on the recording matches Janowitz, but the cast is very good overall. Peter Schreier never had the most beautiful tenor tone, but he hits all the notes and fits the character excellently; Max is a hero and an anti-hero, at the same time, so Schreier's tuneful sub-Heldentenor voice suits the role well. Edith Mathis would steal the performance, in the presence of any other soprano than Janowitz. Theo Adam's tone is slightly harsh, but he makes an imposing baddie.I don't entirely subscribe to the worship of Carlos Kleiber, because there were as many misses as hits among his famously rare recordings, but this has to be one of his definite successes. Under his direction, the Dresden Staatskapelle plays with superb discipline (it was, we should recall, an era when not playing so could mean a long stay in the company of the Stasi). The recording is pre-digital by some years, but it's as good as the best from the time, well re-mastered.The reason I can't give this set five stars is that the members of the singing cast are shadowed by a speaking cast, to deliver the dialogue. I assume that this is part of the East German myth of "full employment", but it sounds ridiculous. All of the speakers over-act disastrously. Poor old Edith Mathis has an alter-ego who seems to belong in a straitjacket. This was a common characteristic of East German opera recordings with spoken dialogue. The same singers, anywhere else, tended to be able to deliver spoken lines quite happily for themselves, since it was what they did automatically in any staged production.What raises this above the other recent(-ish) recordings is the combination of orchestra, conductor and soloists, Janowitz above all. Harnoncourt is as good a conductor as Kleiber, with another fine German orchestra, but saddled himself (intentionally, it seems) with a woefully inadequate Max. It's a shame, because Luba Orgonasova is the closest recent rival to Janowitz. When released, Marek Janowski's performance received inexplicable praise for the main soprano, Sharon Sweet, but she is the poorest performer in an otherwise excellent cast. Peter Seiffert, an outstanding Parsifal in his day, sings the role of Max as beautifully as anyone. Perhaps, he lacks the vulnerability of Schreier, but it's the best recent recording of the role and worth hearing, if you can track it down.I think it's a shame that the Dresden/Kleiber recording wins, more or less, by being the last version available of this wonderfully tuneful opera. The preposterously badly executed spoken dialogue jars from the very first hearing. There is room for a new "Freischuetz". Where in heaven will they find a new Janowitz?

Cette version a mon avis trop encensée par des critiques peu objectifs vaut essentiellement par la présence inégalée de Gundula Janowitz, voix vibrante au cristal plus pur encore que celui de Murano, et à un moindre égard par celle d’Edith Mathis vibrante aussi mais moins éthérée que son illustre consœur. Elles sont la raison principale d’acquerir ce coffret où les rôles masculins sont un ton nettement en dessous à l’exception peut-être de Théo Adam. Les chœurs de la radio de Leipzig sont excellents de même que la Staatskapelle de Dresde. Faut-il s’en étonner ? Le plus 'typé’ et le plus stylé de tous les orchestres allemands nous a habitués depuis bien longtemps à cette qualité qui pour lui fait partie du quotidien tout particulièrement dans ce répertoire qu’il connaît mieux que quiconque ! Carlos Kleiber assure la cohésion et l’unité de l’ensemble . Il impose des tempos assez vifs qui sont toujours de bon aloi. Est-ce à dire que l’orchestre jouerait moins bien s’il n’était pas au pupitre ? Je ne me hasarderai pas à cette affirmation....

Magnifico -e come potrebbe essere altrimenti?- Kleiber, per il quale non bastano gli aggettivi laudativi.Ricrea le parti campagnole e quelle oscure e magiche con mano maestra. Forse il ballo dei contadini e cacciatori al prim'atto, prima dell'aria di Max è un po' troppo veloce: il carattere villereccio di Laendler ne viene attenutato in favore di un valzer vero e proprio. Il cast è discreto. Peter Schreier non è forse il Max ideale e certo non raggiunge qui le vette bachiane o mozartiane o liederistiche, però se la cava bene, musicale ed espressivo com'è.La Janowitz fa delle bellissime cose, specie nei filati. La Mathis pare vocalmente un po' appesantita ma funziona. Ottimo Theo Adam come Kaspar. Ma la ragione dell'assenza della quinta stella è soprattutto nei dialoghi, affidati ad attori le cui voci, spesso tra i denti e sibilanti, sono troppo diverse da quelle dei cantanti, specie quella di Kaspar, che dovrebbe risuonare bassa e oscura e non lo è. Sotto questo aspetto vecchie edizioni, come ad esempio quella di Jochum, inferiori sotto il profilo musicale, erano più coerenti.

I am not not in any way trained in music nor am I a proper music buff. However, I enjoy classical music, have a reasonable collection of CDs and go to the opera around 4 times a year. I have never seen Freischuetz performed.Turning to this recording: first, I like Freischuetz. For me it is something of the style of The Magic Flute - my favourite opera - because it is in German, has some passages of spoken dialogue (which can make the plot easier to follow than all arias or recitative): I suppose that technically makes it Singspiel, and has a plot involving magic. The second reason I like it is that the music is genuinely enjoyable and has some original and striking passages. Thirdly, to my ear this is an excellent performance - much better than the Harnoncourt which is my other CD version of Freischuetz. What more can I say?

Le produit est super: la qualité du son, le livret avec les paroles en allemand, anglais et français. Pat contre, j'ai trouvé le boîtier du cd cassé quand j'ai ouvert le colis. C'est dommage