Beet/Fidelio/Janowitz/Ber [Import]

The Rome 1970 version is a wonderful live performance. It has an electricity which is missing in most studio versions. Birgit Nilsson there is far superior to her performance for Maazel (Decca). Her voice is warm and intense here whereas she is steely and frigid in Maazel. Birgit Nilsson there is far superior to Janowitz in Bernstein's later version. Janowitz's lyrical soprano sound too anemic - it lacks power. You don't get any kick out of listening too Janowitz. Yes, her voice is pure and beautiful. She sings with commitment and feeling. The problem is that this is FIDELIO. you don't just want to hear beautiful emotions and feeling, you want a DRAMATIC SOPRANO to pin you back in your seat!!!!!! Nilsson's legendary voice has the power of a nuclear plant. She does exactly that. When she hits those top notes, you are literally blown away. Ludovic as Florestan is also superior to Rene Kollo. Ludovic sounds far more at his wits end than Kollo and Ludovic's voice has more power. There is far more intensity and emotion here. Helen Donath is wonderful as Marzelline. Lucia Popp may sing more beautifully, but I think Helen Donath sings with greater intensity and soul. You kind of feel what she is thinking. Here it's a close call between Lucia Popp and Helen Donath. Theo Adam as Don Pizarro is far superior to Hans Sotin for Bernstein(DG). Theo Adam has more venom and intensity. The other singers too sing with an intensity which is not found in Bernstein's more popular 1978 DG version. The only drawback of the other version is that the recorded sound is not too good. It is a live performance. And some details are lost in the recording. But what is lost in detail is made up for by the intensity of the singers. I give 5 stars for the 1970 performance. The recorded sound should be 3.5 stars.For this version, I give 4.5 stars for performance and 4.5 stars for recorded sound (4.5 stars because I find the revebrant recording annoying - it is as if the performers were performing in an empty hall - you don't want that feeling).

Ultimately, the best version is still Klemperer (EMI) in which Christa Ludwig intensity blows every other recorded Leonore away - the power of a dramatic soprano mixed with raw emotion and intensity. But this Bernstein is certainly an outstanding performance with the kind of soul and intensity seldom found in studio recordings. The Klemperer, of course, is the exception that proves the rule.

If you are planning on Bernstein, I think the other version would satisfy you more than this version for Deutsche Grammophon(DG). And it's far cheaper too. Yes, you sacrifice clarity, but ultimately, you want a Leonore to pin you back to your seat and you want singers with raw emotion and intensity. The other version of Bernstein's Fidelio is like being involved in an action movie, the thrill is there but in the process, some details become fuzzy. Bernstein's later DG version is like reading a book. Everything is more or less crystal clear. But you lose some of the thrill of being in the action. Finally, there are some bonus tracks in this CD set - some performance from a live recording of Fidelio by Erich Kleiber in 1956, with Birgit Nilsson again. It is interesting to see how Nilsson has developed between 1956 and 1970.

Remember: in classical music, cheaper does not imply inferior. Don't discount the Rome version. Enjoy the 1970 Rome superb performance at an incredibly low price. You may enjoy it so much that you don't see a need to buy Bernstein's 1978 DG version. Also, Remember, without a DRAMATIC SOPRANO in the central role of Leonore, you lose some kick out of Fidelio.

The other Rome version is under Label: Gala - #557. Audio CD (September 25, 2001) ASIN: B00005Q6K7

Just type <Fidelio Bernstein> do a search and you'll find it.