Oper auf Deutsch - Historic Opera Recordings (15CD)

This collection is a veritable treasure trove for opera lovers and tells the amazing story of an era when all the many municipal opera houses in the German-speaking world performed the standard repertoire from Bizet to Verdi only in the local language. Artists like Fritz Wunderlich had to relearn their roles on the international stage. Later, Karajan broke with tradition and insisted that operas in his productions in Vienna, Salzburg and Milan be performed in their original language. Sung in German, these operatic highlights all emerged from the major studio productions of the 1960s. The casts are extraordinary and, from today's perspective, not to be underestimated: Featuring the greatest voices of the time, even in supporting roles, they capture an impressive level of vocal artistry: Fritz Wunderlich, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Brigitte Fassbaender, Ernst Häfliger, Irmgard Seefried Rita Streich, Sándor Kónya, Ingeborg Hallstein, Hans Hotter, Franz Crass, Gisela Vivarelli, Martti Talvela and many more. Includes the first CD release of Carmen with Gisela Litz, Ernst Kozub, Franz Crass, the Badische Staatskapelle and Marcel Couraud. The collection appears with an insightful essay by Jürgen Kesting that provides a wealth of contextual information and artistic background.