Live Recording 1966
Christa Ludwig (Carmen), James King (Don José), Eberhard Waechter (Escamillo), Jeanette Pilou (Macaëla), Lucia Popp (Frasquita), Margarita Lilova (Mercédès), Oskar Czerwenka (Zuniga), Reid Bunger (Moralès), Murray Dickie (Remendado) & Erich Kunz (Dancaïre) Lorin Maazel Christa Ludwig as Carmen was neither man-eating monster nor
demonic femme fatale but a self-assured woman whose erotic
charm stemmed from her lack of scruples and refusal to
compromise. From her very first entry to the tension-laden final scene, Christa Ludwig pulled out all the
stops, turning in a performance that still radiates an undiminished power, helping her to chalk up an enormous
personal success with Viennese audiences.The conductor was the young Lorin Maazel, who in turn gave
Christa Ludwig the part of Fidelio at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin only a few months later and thence to a
musical partnership that lasted several decades. James King. a convincing, impassioned Don José diverges from
the Heldentenor roles with which he was normally associated.The Italian soprano Jeanette Pilou sang the part
of Micaëla, demonstrating that it was not just her name that made her so suited to the French repertory. It is
fascinating to note the young Lucia Popp in the small role of Frasquita, and who better to sing the part of the
predatory, Escamillo than Eberhard Waechter at the very peak of his powers… “There are too many peripheral drawbacks to make [this recording] a first-choice recommendation for the work itself: grand-manner conducting from Lorin Maazel; an irritatingly girlie Micaela from Jeanette Pilou; and an Escamillo (Eberhard Waechter) who is both past his best and hopelessly miscast. Ludwig, however, is mesmerising as Carmen, and years ahead of her time in presenting Bizet's heroine as a self-assured, assertive woman, determined to maintain her sexual integrity in a predatory male world. Her Don José is James King. His singing is big, beefy and sometimes raw - but the man's allure is there in spades. Flawed, yet absolutely unforgettable.” The Guardian, 9th May 2008 **** “The mono sound is adequate… at the centre a pair of great singers, Ludwig and King, inhabiting their roles, aided by the dynamic leadership provided by Maazel: a heady dose of nostalgia.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2008 |
