Cheap Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (Music) (Richard Wagner, Pinchas Steinberg, Jorg Hering, Erich Knodt, Alfred Muff, Ingrid Haubold, Marga Schiml, Peter Seiffert) Price

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Customer Reviews of Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer

Caveat Emptor: No English-Translation Libretto!
Generally, I've been impressed with the budget opera sets released by Naxos. And a few of them have even earned multiple awards from various professional reviewers; namely, Wagner's The Flying Duchman (Steinburg, ORF Symphony Orchestra), Rossini's The Barber of Seville (Humburg, Failoni Chamber Orchestra), Rossini's Tancredi (Zedda, Collegium Instrumentale Brugense), Mozart's The Magic Flute (Halasz, Failoni Orchestra), Beethoven's Fidelio (Halasz, Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia), and Debussy's Pelleas Et Melisande (Casadesus, Orchestre National de Lille Region). Verdi's Requiem (Morandi, Hungarian State Opera Chorus and Orchestra), though not quite opera, but certainly operatic, also has earned multiple awards. While there are no superstar singers on these sets, nor superstar conductors, the singing and the conducting are excellent, and so is the modern recorded sound. These opera sets are many steps above those released by other budget labels, most of which contain old, decrepit recordings.

Even so, I'm disappointed with the lack of english translations in the librettos. Mind you, the booklets enclosed with the Naxos sets are better than the thin leaflets enclosed in most budget sets, since the Naxos booklets have fully detailed synopsis -- in english, too! -- that are keyed to each and every track on the CD's. This greatly aids you in following along with the storyline and music. But the lyrics, which are just as important, are only given in the language that the opera was originally sung; i.e., Itallian, German, or French. (Exception: Verdi's Requiem has full english translations.)

Too bad. Myself, I'd pay and extra dollar or two for these Naxos sets if they had librettos with full english translations.

For the Naxos opera sets listed above, I'd give them 4 or 5 stars, based on their fabulous performances, conducting, and sound quality -- but without librettos fully translated in english, I give them only 3 stars. (All except for Verdi's Requiem, listed above, which earns a glorious 5 stars!)

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Solid Performance - fantastic bargain
This is a straightforward rendering of Wagner's Opera. Though none of the singers is very well known, with one exception all do very well. (The exception is Erich Knodt, singing the rather unsympathetic part of Daland, who is at times a bit muddy.) Some of the singing is indeed very distinguished, especially the tenor Peter Seiffert in the role of Erik, the well-meaning and unexciting (boring) individual who loses the girl to a romantic obsession. That role is sung by Ingrid Haubold with just enough of an edge to convince one that she is genuinely unbalanced - as the heroine of this piece really has to be.

Major in this opera - as in much of Wagner - is the orchestra and the chorus. Both are fine, with the orchestra having just the right amount of bite to highlight the mood swings that dominate the opera and the always-present dangers of an angry ocean. Pinchas Steinberg leads a straightforward, taut reading of the work. He keeps things moving nicely and well defined, only losing the coherent approach slightly at the end of the second act.

The "studio" recording is fine, though at times the voices seem a bit remote. The only weakness of the whole is the booklet that includes the libretto in German, but without translation. This is balanced by an unusually complete synopsis well keyed to the track index, but for Wagner especially there are always times when one wants to know exactly what the words mean, and for that one would have to look elsewhere.

Overall this is a very good recording, which would merit consideration even at full price. At Naxos's bargain rates, it is well worth getting-as the first set if you are not much of a Wagner fan, and as an additional one if you are addicted to Wagner.