Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-08-31
NEWS OF MUSIC
SoIzburg Festival
Revomps 'FideIio'

IOCHlO
tone made Marzelline's role
more important than usual.
and added much to the
beauty Of the quartet. Schof-
fer In bizarre makeup was
an imposing and vocally
fresh Pizarro. Otto Edel-
mann's Rocco benign. Bel
canto issued from the throat
Of Giuseppe zampieri in the
dungeon.
For once the stage was dark
enough to justify Florestan's
cry. The darkness persisted,
broken only by the side
lighting Of barred grills over
the Observation-Disclosures triple
row Of arches. until the final
scene. Then there was a sud-
den blaze Of white light on
white costumes, which scared
the eyeballs. but further en-
phasized the transition from
slavery in dramatic terms,
creating a memorable stage
picture. 1t was clear that con-
ductor Karajan had added
one more to his list of accom-
plishments.
Della Casa Triumph
Strauss score for ARA
bella" is one of his most
melodiouS, and not entirely
initiative of, Rosenkavalier,"
as its detractors would have
US believe. The plot, how
ever, is sheer nonsense, and
as time passes, the debts and
resulting plight of the Wald-
ner family seem less and
less interesting, and Hof-
mannsthal's taste in allow
ing this tribe to grapple with
their most intimate problems
in a hotel lobby more dubious.
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, as
Mandryka, and Miss Della
Casa, as Arabella, lifted
themselves, and their audi
ence, far above the foolish
story into a realm of en-
chantment. The magic began
with Arabella's first act aria,
from which so much of the
music develops, and lasted
happily to the end. The roles
fitted perfectly. Miss Della
Casa. whose Ariadne was SO
admired in Washington last
February, again proved her
mastery of the Strauss idiom,
floating the long, suspended
lines with inexhaustible
beauty of tone. Her looks
were dazzling. Fischer
Dieskau made a wholly cred
ible country squire, stiff,
awkward and fiery. His noble
voice. smooth and even
grained throughout it's range.
has gained new strength and
richness at its top.
The excellent supporting
cast had Otto Edelmann (the
Metropolitan'S Ochs) as
Count Waldner, Ina Malu-
niuk and his wife, Annaliese
Rothenburger as the hapless
Zdenka. The sets expressed
19th-century hotel life, and
the ball scene was staged
Win Spontanelty. But the
evening belonged to Fischer
Dieskau and Della Casa.
Theirs was the finest singing
Of the festival.
"FigarO" and "COsi"
Mozart's Figaro" one of
the Stoutest pillars of Salz-
burg for many years, had
Schwarzkopf's bittersweet
Countess, Christa Ludwig's
bouncing Cherubino, and the
historic Figaro-Susanna team
of Kunz and Seefried to in
sure its success. To be sure,
Fischer-Dieskau was missing
from the part of the Count
at the performance we saw,
but handsome Eberhard
Wachter made an ingratiat-
ing substitute. The ensem-
bles, especially the second
and fourth act finales, shone
brightly enough to indicate
vigorous polishing by the
conductor, Karl Bohm. Gum
ther Rennert'S lively staging
compensated for the uneven
quality of the sets; the whole
added up to a thoroughly
capable production, without
excitement. .
The current "Cosi fan
lutte" consists of a highly
distinguished cast, and a
schizophrenic notion about
where to perform. The court
yard of the Residenz was
ready, the stars were thick
in the sky, when a report
OF rain in Bavaria drove the
whole thing indoors into the
narrow, airless Rittersaal,
where a slightly smaller
stage was ready. Lack of
oxygen caused us a certain
drowsiness, but it can be
reported that Elizabeth
Schwarzkopf sang her arias
with expected brilliance, and
joined in the general merri-
ment with great good heart.
Christa Ludwig's Dorabella
was excellent. She has the