Wilhelm Furtwängler, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Erna Schröter, Bianca Tonjoki - Beethoven (1770-1827) Fidelio : Wilhelm Furtwangler / Vienna Philharmonic, Schluter, Della Casa, Patzak, Schock, Frantz, Edelmann, Etc (1948 Monaural)(2Cd) - Import 2 CD

Credits:

Wilhelm Furtwängler, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Erna Schröter, Bianca Tonjoki

Description:

Furtwängler will celebrate the 70th anniversary of his death in 2024. Beethoven's "Fidelio" (1948), a masterpiece never released in Japan by Tara, is finally back after 25 years! Leonore No. 3" is a devilishly powerful work! A masterful performance full of dramatic tension! There are 4 different recordings of Furtwängler's "Fidelio" - (1)Salzburg live on August 3, 1948 (2)Salzburg live on August 5, 1950 (3)Vienna live on October 12, 1953 (DISCOS/SEVENSEAS) (4) HMV/EMI recording in Vienna, October 13-17, 1953. This is (1) a live performance made in 1948, the year after the maestro returned to the Salzburg Festival after the war. This is the first official release on CD by Thala from the ORF in 1999. The reason why it has never been released in Japan until now is that it lacks the 5th to 8th tracks of the first act. However, even after listening to it again, this performance is still amazing. The master's spirit is different. The passion and tension that pervade the entire piece! The overture No. 3 to "Leonore" is the best performance of this piece in terms of its white-hot intensity and power! From the heavy and slow beginning, to the furious accelerando in the coda, to the explosion of joy at freedom... I can understand why Furtwängler loved this opera with its theme of "resistance against oppression" and established the style of performing the Overture No. 3 to "Leonore" after the "prison scene" of Act 2. I can see why. The German Wagnerian soprano Erna Schlüter (1904-1969), who substituted for Flagstadt when he had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict, was a fine substitute for Florestan, and Franz as Patsak and Pizarro was especially brilliant. Two performance programs from the original Tarra CD (FURT-1047/8) (1) March 23, 1915 in Lübeck, where Furtwängler conducted "Fidelio" for the first time, and (2) January 16, 1942 at the Vienna State Opera House, where he conducted "Fidelio" for the first time) are reproduced here. (The performance in which Furtwängler conducted "Fidelio" for the first time) is reprinted here.Some sound sources are missing (Act 1, tracks 5-8), but the sound quality is very good for a broadcast recording of this period! There is almost no noise. The sound quality is as clear as the previous overseas recordings, and has been further enhanced by the latest remastering at King Sekiguchidai Studio! Please enjoy the best performance of Furtwängler's "Fidelio" in Salzburg in 1948, with the highest sense of tension and drama. King International