BEETHOVEN: Fidelio

Staatskapelle Berlin
Chor der deutschen Staatsoper Berlin
Daniel Barenboim, conductor

Domingo, Meier, Struckmann, Pape, Isokoski

The leadership of Daniel Barenboim, who wrings from the orchestra and chorus fabulous playing and singing; just on a symphonic level, this is worth hearing. Barenboim also paces the work sensibly – those who do not like huge, glacial performances of this opera (i.e., fans of the superb Klemperer or various Furtwängler readings) or the “new school” of Beethoven conducting that seems to prefer racing through his music will welcome the inner tension Barenboim deeply understands in the music as well as his sympathy for his singers. René Pape’s Rocco is exactly the right combination of toady and good guy and he sings gloriously, and Falk Struckmann draws Pizarro villainously and manages his way around the difficult music.

ASIN: B000031X0Z
Number of discs: 2
Release Date: January 18, 2000
Label: Teldec

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