From: conrad@brahms.udel.edu (Jon Conrad)
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
Subject: Review -- Christa Ludwig reissue
Date: 13 Aug 92 15:54:23 GMT
Organization: University of Delaware

For us record collectors, the realities of what's available
for our enjoyment seldom seem to live up to what we imagine. 
And then, just occasionally, something comes along that we
were SURE we'd never see, and wrecks all our assumptions.

Such a one is the unexpected release of 2 LPs worth of Christa
Ludwig, on a single 75:49 CD.  These were made for the German
Ariola label in 1963 and 1964, at least one of them had a
brief life here on RCA Victrola and then they vanished into
the limbo of European deletia.  (One portion of one track has
resurfaced on one of the Met's anthology reissues, but that's
it.)  How wonderful and unexpected to have them back (only a
month ago I was thinking "That's something they'll NEVER get
around to on CD!").  Permission from BMG is acknowledged.

These document the period when Ms. Ludwig was experimenting
with soprano repertoire, with considerable success; and also
the time when she frequently performed in tandem with her then
husband, baritone Walter Berry.  Let me list the five
components of the disc, which is called simply "Christa Ludwig
-- Walter Berry."

The first of 4 Richard Strauss items, the Recognition Scene
from "Elektra."  Elektra was always one of her two "dream
roles," but she never attempted it except for this lyrical
excerpt which shows the passionate splendor of her singing.

"Der Rosenkavalier," Letter Scene.  To give Berry his moment
in the limelight, Ludwig here reverts to the mezzo -- indeed
contralto -- register as Annina in order to set up his Baron
Ochs.  This bass role later became one of his calling cards,
though I don't believe he'd sung it onstage at this early
point.  This is a nice performance, though less of a rarity
than the rest as he later recorded the role complete.

"Ariadne auf Naxos," Ein Schoenes war, Es gibt ein Reich. 
Ariadne's two big monologues find Ludwig in radiant form.  She
may not have quite the "float" on top of the born Strauss
soprano, but she has a top-to-bottom evenness that many such
would envy.  Ariadne is a role that Ludwig actually performed
from time to time, including the Salzburg Festival.  She was
scheduled to make a recording in 1968, but that was the year
she made her decision not to go whole hog into the soprano
Fach after all.  So she withdrew from this recording and from
Karajan's Siegfried production the same year.  So Gundula
Janowitz replaced her on the Kempe/Angel "Ariadne," memorably
(when is this recording, one of the most hypnotic ever made of
anything, going to be reissued?), and Helga Dernesch as
Bruennhilde, problematically.

"Die Frau ohne Schatten," first scene of Act III.  The only
commercial preservation of the Ludwig-Berry partnership in
this opera, and wonderfully sensitive work it gets from both
of them -- in some ways better than anything one will hear on
the complete recordings.

Wagner: "Goetterdaemmerung," Immolation Scene.  Mezzos have
often been able to make a fine effect in isolated scenes from
the Wagnerian dramatic-soprano roles; the middle "lie" of the
music is comfortable for them, and the occasional need to
switch into higher tessitura is relatively minor in the
context of a single excerpt.  (Then they try the whole role,
and find out the difference.)  Ludwig never sang more of
Bruennhilde than this, but I am glad to have her way with the
music documented, for it has the personal quality, the
musicality, the tonal beauty that always characterize her
singing -- still do, in fact.

Throughout, Heinrich Hollreiser conducts the Orchestra of the
Berlin Deutsche Oper.  I have a feeling that something has
been omitted from the LP that originally held Ariadne and
Immolation -- maybe it was "Una voce poco fa" or a bit of
"Carmen," but memory is hazy on this.  Surely the right
choices were made here though, and we can't complain of short
measure.

[Parenthesis: In addition to Elektra, the other role Ludwig
always longed to sing was Isolde.  Around 1970 she studied
with Zinka Milanov in New York, hoping to prepare to undertake
the role.  She sang substantial stretches of Isolde for Mme
Milanov, who listened with appreciation, told her it was
lovely, and then said thoughtfully, "Yes, you can sing Isolde. 
You could probably have a great success with the role.  But be
aware that if you do, it will probably curtail the duration of
your career -- you'll be spending your resources faster than
you otherwise might.  Maybe you would find enough joy in
singing Isolde to make the trade worthwhile for you; if so, do
it and enjoy yourself."  Ludwig -- no doubt on the basis of
more than just one piece of advice -- decided not to do it.]

There's even more good news:  the material has been well
mastered and transferred, in perfectly fine stereo and with
more thought to internal tracking than the big companies
usually give (a total of 17 tracks, allowing lots of internal
access).  And wonder of wonders (for an unknown-label
reissue), full texts and translations have been included.  AND
extensive documentation of the artist, intelligently
interspersed with the sung texts and unusually thoughtfully
written.  There is some especially insightful writing about
the changes in Ludwig's voice over the years.  I was very
impressed by this.

Amazingly, though this package is clearly a labor of love by
someone who cares and knows a great deal, the moving force /
annotator / producer behind it all remains anonymous, unless
it is Paul Zinman, the remastering engineer.  To whomever it
was, I offer gratitude.

Tessitura 049-2, "Christa Ludwig -- Walter Berry," 1 CD.  If
you have trouble finding it, I can report that RecordMasters
in Baltimore is featuring it right now on sale.  They are
happy to do mail orders over the phone if you give them a
credit card number:  800-727-DISC.  They're a good place to
know about in any case, even if you get this disc elsewhere.

Jon Alan Conrad
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical