Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: Ouvert�re
2. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 1 Arie: "Hier soll ich dich denn sehen"
3. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: Dialog: "Wer ist denn dieser Alte...?"/No. 2 Lied und
4. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: Dialog: "Vielleicht la�' ich mir noch so ein Schurken
5. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 3 Arie: "Solche hergelaufne Laffen"
6. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: Dialog: "Geh nur, verw�nschter Aufpasser!"
7. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 4 Rezitativ und Arie: "Konstanze, dich wiederzuse
8. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: Dialog: "Verseckt euch, Herr!"/No. 5 Chor der Janitch
9. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: Dialog: "Immer noch traurig, geliebte Konstanze?"
10. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 6 Aria: "Ach ich liebte, war so gl�cklich"
11. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: Dialog: "Ihr Schmerz, ihre Standhaftigkeit"
12. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 7 Terzett: "Marsch! Trolit euch fort!"
13. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 8 Arie: "Durch Z�rtlichkeit und Schmeicheln"
14. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: Dialog: "Ach, seht doch mal"
15. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 9 Duett: "Ich gehe, doch rate ich dir"
16. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 10 Rezitativ und Arie: "Welcher Kummer herrscht i
17. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: Dialog: "Nun, Konstanze, der Tag ist bald verstrichen
18. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 11 Arie: "Martern aller Arten"

Disc 2:

1. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: Dialog: "Kein Bassa, keine Konstanze mehr da?"
2. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 12 Arie: "Welche Wonne, welche Lust"
3. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 13 Arie: "Frisch zum Kampfe! Frisch zum Streite!"
4. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: Dialog: "Hm, geht's hier so lustig zu?"
5. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 14 Duett: "Vivat Bacchus! Bacchus lebe!"
6. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: Dialog: "Hm, das ist ein Wein"
7. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 15 Arie: "Wenn der Freude Tr�nen flie�en"
8. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 16 Quartett: "Ach! Belmonte! Ach, mein Leben!"
9. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: Dialog: "So, nun aber schnell, Blondchen!"
10. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 17 Arie: "Ich baue ganz auf deine St�rke"
11. Exsultate, jubilate, motet for soprano & orchestra, K. 165 (K. 158a): Exsultate, jubilate
12. Exsultate, jubilate, motet for soprano & orchestra, K. 165 (K. 158a): Recit.: Fulget amica dies
13. Exsultate, jubilate, motet for soprano & orchestra, K. 165 (K. 158a): Tu virginum corona
14. Exsultate, jubilate, motet for soprano & orchestra, K. 165 (K. 158a): Alleluja, alleluja
15. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: Dialog: "Steht auf! Der Bassa kommt!"
16. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 21a Vaudeville: "Nie werd' ich deine Huld verkenn
17. Die Entf�hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), opera, K. 384: No. 21b Chor der Janitscharen: "Bassa Selim lebe lang

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #125092 in Music
• Released on: 1998-04-14
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .43 pounds

Customer Reviews

Sweet. Stunning.
This is my favorite recording of Entfuhrung. Fricsay's conducting trips lightly along, without the artificial weight or dragging which one hears too often, and without going overboard in the fast sections. Maria Stader is thoughtful but not heavy and her coloratura gleams and shines. Ernst Haeflinger's voice is not as brilliant as, say, Fritz Wunderlich's, but his acting is sincere naive, and utterly charming.

Josef Greindl's snarling heavyweight bass demonstrates dexterous coluratura singing across the whole range, including a vibrant full low D ("... hab' ich vor euch RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHE!") He sings consistantly, without the grunting, barking, or shouts which characterize too many Osmin interpreters. It's also a pleasure to hear him in the spoken bits. His buffo tantrums make me think of Jackie Gleason in "the Honeymooners", --huge, abrupt, menacing, but also funny. You can almost hear his eyes popping out of his head in his rage.

Fricsay understands that in Mozart, there's no such thing as an uncomplicated love. The second part of the quartet in the second act--where the tenors question whether their girlfriends have been faithful during their forced separation, and the girls respond with indignation--demonstrates the risk of pain, without violating the pervasive frolicsome ambiance.

The recording maintains a spontaneous, "live" feeling throughout. My only complaint about it is that the spoken parts of Belmonte, Pedrillo, and Constanze are read by separate actors; only Rita Streich and Josef Greindl speak their parts as well as singing. Their scene together (which culminates in the high-low quarrel duet "Ich gehe, doch rate ich dir ..." is a real speaking-singing-acting clinic; I wish we could have heard something similar from the other singers in this fantastic recording.

A sumptuous "Entfuhrung" that belies its age.
This marvelous Mozart opera, with possibly only one "dud" number in it and a vaudeville finale, seems to have been in production in many recording studios in the 1950s. In Vienna a recording was in charge of Josef Krips, in London Beecham was preparing his inimitable version, and in Berlin Ferenc Fricsay was the conductor in this DGG recording. Each recording has been reissued and remastered, and of them all I have come to prefer this one.

While Fricsay's direction has many strengths and almost no weaknesses, and while the cast has no weaknesses at all, it is principally the quality of the recording and the remastering that wins me over. The clarity and glow on the sound spectrum is outstanding for a recording of 1954 vintage. I admit that the voices are given undue prominence and the upper ends of the ladies' voices are given additional undue prominence, but the balance and engineering, whether manufactured or lopsided, give a wonderfully vivid aural image. A vivid aural image is necessary in an opera such as this, where lengthy arias and minimal action sometimes militate against success in the opera house itself.

Another admission, and one that worries me not at all, is that all the singers, apart from Rita Streich and Josef Greindl, have actors to provide their spoken dialogue. Attending to the "lion's share" of the tenor's music as Belmonte is the Swiss tenor Ernst Hafliger who, at this stage of his career, sings with sweet and supple voice. The Konstanze is Maria Stader, strong and reliable enough in technique and vocal resources for meeting the demands especially of her eight-minute aria "Marten aller Arten". Martin Vantin is a lively Pedrillo who makes the most of the little romanze "Im Mohrenland". Rita Streich, who regarded this as one of her best opera recordings, is the Blonde, and Josef Greindl, aided a little by sound engineering, displays the full range of the bass voice and not too much buffoonery as Osmin.

As a bonus, filling the second CD, is included a recording from earlier in 1954 of Mozart's "Exsultate, jubilate" sung with great assurance if not hectic joyfulness by Maria Stader.

Una grabación suntuosa
Esta grabación del Rapto del Serrallo es mítica y muy bien conocida por todos los amantes de la opera y los mozartianos en especial. La dirección de Fricsay es absolutamente fantástica. Lo que se escucha en esta grabación, desde el punto de vista orquestal, es una absoluta delicia de comienzo a fin. El control férreo y perfecto del ritmo, el sorpendente control del rubato y el refinamiento son de absoluta antología. Las grabaciones de las opera de Mozart, por lo demás, son muy famosas, siendo consideradas por muchos especialistas, como un verdadero monumento musical. El cast es excelente también, Maria Stader puede considerarse una de las mejores interpretes de este rol. Su coloratura es incisiva, penetrante, dramática y llena de significado. La densidad tímbrica y lirismo, es dificil de encontrar en otras intérpretes. Ernest Häfliger, fue el tenor favorito de Fricsay y está presente en todas sus grabaciones. Es cierto que Fritz Wunderlich, Leopold Simoneau y Anton Dermota tenian voces mas llamativas, y sus interpretaciones son quizas mas famosas, pero la interpretación de Háfliger es una delicia también. Su estilo es muy espiritual, musical y delicado (hay que recordar que fue alumno del gran Julius Patzak), lo cual es de agradecer en una opera de Mozart. Josef Greindl es el bajo perfecto para el rol de Osmin. Voz potente e impetuosa, de color oscuro y tenebrosa, fraseo inteligente e incisivo. Su Osmin muestra el justo balance entre canto serio y bufo de forma admirable. Rita Streich es una verdadera maravilla como Blonde. Su voz cristalina, penetrante y su estilo de gran naturalidad y musicalidad la hacen imbatible en este rol. Sus arias están cantadas de manera ideal, tanto por voz como por estilo interpretativo. Como consecuencia de todo lo dicho, puede decirse que es una versión plenamente recomendable y probablemente una de las mejores de la discografía de esta obra. De todos modos, habría que conocer también las grabaciones de Beecham, Krips, Jochum y Bóhm, que son igualmente magníficas.