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5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb, Aug 19 2003
By A Customer
I was hesistant to buy this Fidelio set at first. Naxos is a budget brand so I thought that the quality would not be so good. But then I read the rave reviews about this set. And so I thought, why not buy it since the price is great - 2 CDs for the price of one mid-priced CD? I was stunned to hear the results. This is no second class Fidelio. This Fidelio stands with the great Fidelio recordings of the past. No, it doesn't replace the classic Klemperer set with Christa Ludwig and Jon Vickers. But at times, I think that Halasz tempi are more appropriate than Klemperer's. And although Inga Nielson is a lesser known soprano and has a smaller voice than Hildegard Behrens or Gundula Janowitz, I think she is more successful than either one of them. She doesn't 'overforce' her voice like Janowitz (who sounds strained at the climaxes in the Bernstein set). She is not as careless as Behrens (in Solti's set) in negotiating the fearsome passages in Leonore's lines. Unlike Klemperer, whose Fidelio is a large scaled and monumental reading with highly dramatic voices like Jon Vickers and Christa Ludwig, this reading is a lighter reading with lighter voices. Yet it works!! This is a thrilling Fidelio. I would rank it above the Bernstein set with Deutsche, or Maazel (with Birgit Nilsson) with Decca. In my opinion, the conducting here is better than Bernstein's or Haitink's (with Jessye Norman). The advantage that Haitink has over this set is his Leonore (Jessye Norman). Halasz' conducting is more exciting than Haitink (who sounds staid at times) or Bernstein's (who sometimes go too slow and sometimes go too fast). Jessye Norman's thrillingly rich and ravishing voice outshines Inga Nielsen. I am a great admirer of Birgit Nilsson's prodigious vocalism but somehow, when she made Fidelio with Maazel, she was rather careless with the lines. Yes, her voice is more thrilling than Inga Nielsen's but Maazel doesn't quite hold the opera together as well as Halasz. (As a side comment, if you realy want to hear Birgit Nilsson in the role of Leonore, you should get the 1956 Cologne version conducted by Erich Kleiber just a few weeks before he died. It is available under Koch Schwann in wondrous super clear sound. I don't know about the sound quality in other labels. That recording was made before Nilsson became world famous. And it seems then that she phrases and characterizes her Leonore better. Or perhaps it was Kleiber's inspiration.) Kurt Moll is a wondrous Rocco, few better. His deep resonating bass has few peers. Gosta Winbergh is a winsome Florestan. He sings his lines without strain at the top unlike the Goldberg in Haitink or Peter Hoffman in Solti's set. Yes, the classic Klemperer is unsurpassed. Yes, this is a reading with lighter voices. But - IT WORKS! IT WORKS! IT WORKS! There are better Leonores than Inga Nielsen from a purely vocal viewpoint. But Inga Nielsen's smaller voice FITS in with this exciting reading. And I think the biggest star is Halasz who manages to hold everything together in a most exciting and thrilling way despite not having the advantage of "brand-name" and starry casts, and despite having to work with a tight budget. Thank you Naxos, for showing that there are still good conductors and good singers in this world who can carry the weight of Beethoven's magnificent opera. The only disadvantage is that there is no English libretto (an oversight on Naxos's part) but Beethoven's music is magnificent enough to listen to without understanding the words so I wouldn't worry about that. This is not my first choice Fidelio (the Klemperer set is). But if you want just one Fidelio, this set works, and at an incredible price too - and great recorded sound!! Let me say this - that even if this set were at full-price, I would still not hesistate to recommend it as the only Fidelio set in your operatic library. This is full-price top brand quality Fidelio at a super budget price. Such bargains are not all that common - there are plenty of substandard recordings from top labels selling at full-price - so I would advise you to grab it when you come across it.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Caveat Emptor: No English-Translation Libretto!, Jul 21 2001
Generally, I've been impressed with the budget opera sets released by Naxos. And a few of them have even earned multiple awards from various professional reviewers; namely, Wagner's The Flying Duchman (Steinburg, ORF Symphony Orchestra), Rossini's The Barber of Seville (Humburg, Failoni Chamber Orchestra), Rossini's Tancredi (Zedda, Collegium Instrumentale Brugense), Mozart's The Magic Flute (Halasz, Failoni Orchestra), Beethoven's Fidelio (Halasz, Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia), and Debussy's Pelleas Et Melisande (Casadesus, Orchestre National de Lille Region). Verdi's Requiem (Morandi, Hungarian State Opera Chorus and Orchestra), though not quite opera, but certainly operatic, also has earned multiple awards. While there are no superstar singers on these sets, nor superstar conductors, the singing and the conducting are excellent, and so is the modern recorded sound. These opera sets are many steps above those released by other budget labels, most of which contain old, decrepit recordings.Even so, I'm disappointed with the lack of english translations in the librettos. Mind you, the booklets enclosed with the Naxos sets are better than the thin leaflets enclosed in most budget sets, since the Naxos booklets have fully detailed synopsis -- in english, too! -- that are keyed to each and every track on the CD's. This greatly aids you in following along with the storyline and music. But the lyrics, which are just as important, are only given in the language that the opera was originally sung; i.e., Itallian, German, or French. (Exception: Verdi's Requiem has full english translations.) Too bad. Myself, I'd pay and extra dollar or two for these Naxos sets if they had librettos with full english translations. For the Naxos opera sets listed above, I'd give them 4 or 5 stars, based on their fabulous performances, conducting, and sound quality -- but without librettos fully translated in english, I give them only 3 stars. (All except for Verdi's Requiem, listed above, which earns a glorious 5 stars!)
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Splendid recording; Splendid Value, Jul 26 2000
Naxos operas seem to come in two varieties: good at the price and just plain good. This is one of the latter. Fidelio is certainly a unique opera, but that doesn't mean that it has to be treated monumentally as so many recordings do. Michael Halasz treats the work on a human level, well supported both by the orchestra and chorus and by the principals. Gosta Winbergh's light tenor turns out to be very suitable for Florestan and Inga Nielsen makes for a very convincing Leonore. I found that the others all did a good job. The recording is excellent and the diction clear. What more could you want? -- well the libretto is only in German, but there is an extensive synopsis in English which is keyed to the various tracks. This version may well be my favorite Fidelio, and the price cannot be beaten!
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