refreshingly authentic

From hardly an opera there are so many shots as Carmen. Most of them have unfortunately leading ladies who have come to the role, especially because of their appearance or their popularity, without really knowing or vocally to dominate.

Regina Resnik, however, was a Carmen with great stage experience, which you can hear here in every note. How do they articulate and phrasing here is of unsurpassed elegance and accuracy, yet eerily expressive.

However, it is of the pure voice quality is no longer in absolute top form: The singer had her international career started in 1944 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York as a soprano, among others sung Sieglinde at the Bayreuth Festival in 1953. In 1955 she moved to the mezzo and show their later recordings, that this is not entirely voluntary happened: Her voice has a certain roughness, which matches the Carmen in principle. However, the higher tones flicker fairly, and the tab fall sharply apart, similar to late Callas recordings.

Nonetheless, the American is one of the few authentically "French" Carmen actresses and convinced me overall very.

Joan Sutherland fits seamlessly into the long line of absolute luxury appointments of a Micaela (Freni, te Kanawa, Gheorghiu ...), Tom Krause is a powerful, expressive Escamillo, and also the supporting roles leave nothing to be desired.

This still remains the Don José of Mario del Monaco, who pleasantly surprised me: In the face of the recording date (1963) his voice sounds very fresh and healthy. He tries as much as he completely unfamiliar quieter sounds and egged on by Resnik to a rather sensitive interpretation. Only his strong vocal discoloration ("La Fläär Quae tie m'avais jätäääe") disturb anything - still one of his more persuasive recordings.

The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande accompanies precise and alive, the American conductor Thomas Schippers selects very fresh tempos and a slender tone, thus avoiding Spain clichés. Together with Resnik and the largely Francophone ensemble he shows that Carmen is just no Spanish, but French opera at all.

Overall, therefore, this Carmen is one of the good, of the absolute top - Angeles, Solti Beecham with the wonderful de los with the overwhelm Troyanos - lacks something most vocal splendor at the Carmen - and Nicolai Gedda or Placido Domingo as even better José.