Whatever you think you know about
Karl Böhm, you don't know anything about
Karl Böhm until you've heard this Fidelio. No matter how impressive his earlier recordings of Beethoven's only opera were -- and the live one from Vienna during the war was stunning -- this 1969 performance from Dresden is staggering. Sure, the singing is terrific. With the expressive
James King as Florestan, the massive
Martti Talvela as Don Fernando, the malevolent
Theo Adam as Don Pizarro, and especially the glorious and gorgeous Gwyneth Jones as Leonore, all the leads are superlative, and with the hilarious
Franz Crass as Rocco, the sweet
Edith Mathis as Marzelline, and particularly the sensitive
Peter Schreier as Jaquino, all the lesser roles are superbly characterized. And, sure, with the strong, subtle, and colorful
Staatskapelle Dresden in the pit and Leipziger Rundfunkchor and the Chor der Staatoper Dresden on-stage with the soloists in the tremendous Act II Finale, the orchestra and chorus are magnificent. But the hero of this Fidelio is
Böhm, who knows the composer and the work so thoroughly that he can allow the work's elevated emotionalism and passionate idealism pour through the music into the hearts and souls of the listeners. Indeed, not only is this
Böhm's most compelling Fidelio, it surely ranks with the exalted
Furtwängler and the invincible
Klemperer as one of the most compelling ever recorded. DG's stereo sound is overwhelmingly vivid and almost unbearably present.