By common assent, the great postwar Arabella was Swiss soprano Lisa della Casa. She was everything an Arabella should be: steely willed but also lyrical, golden-toned but also dramatic, passionate but also compassionate. Although she went on to record the role twice for major labels, first with Georg Solti on Decca in 1957 and then with Karl Böhm on DG in 1963, there are many alternative della Casa Arabellas available. Only her third appearance in the role, this 1953 performance is not quite as refined her 1957 recording ...
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By common assent, the great postwar Arabella was Swiss soprano Lisa della Casa. She was everything an Arabella should be: steely willed but also lyrical, golden-toned but also dramatic, passionate but also compassionate. Although she went on to record the role twice for major labels, first with Georg Solti on Decca in 1957 and then with Karl Böhm on DG in 1963, there are many alternative della Casa Arabellas available. Only her third appearance in the role, this 1953 performance is not quite as refined her 1957 recording nor as comfortable as her 1963 recording, but it is as passionate and more polished than her first 1947 recording. Of course, as in all della Casa's Arabellas, her voice is endlessly lovely and her interpretation is infinitely moving. If you're only going to hear one della Casa, it should probably be the 1963 recording. It has the unsurpassed Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau playing opposite her and the masterful Strauss conductor Böhm directing the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra. If, however,...
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