The popularity of Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel set the composer on a path of trying to reproduce its success with a series of fairytale operas, and while he continued to create music of considerable charm and grace, he was never able to recapture the depth, humanity, and wit of his first opera. Dornröschen, his third opera, seems misbegotten from its initial conception; Humperdinck left the dialogue as spoken text interspersed by music numbers, so the whole has the effect of an operetta, but with music appropriate for a very weighty opera. The problem is exacerbated in this live recording, which lacks an overall sense of drama, and comes across more as a pageant with music than as a real opera. The dialogue is spoken artfully, but lacks momentum and seems more like a radio play than a stage work. The performance features
Brigitte Fassbaender in the speaking role of Dämonia, the evil fairy who curses the Sleeping Beauty, and her involvement elevates the proceedings considerably. Humperdinck wrote the part in a kind of proto-Sprechstimme, and
Fassbaender tears into the role with relish. The minimal singing is beautifully executed, and soprano Kristiane Kaiser is especially effective in the title role. The composer's structuring of the opera is unfortunate because the music is very attractive, especially his orchestral writing; there is much material that would probably most profitably be heard in an orchestral suite. Münchner Rundfunkorchester and
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, led by
Ulf Schirmer, play and sing with passion and spirit. The sound is adequate but one-dimensional, and there is an awful lot of audible page turning.