Mozart: Die Zauberflote - Gruberova, Bonney, Salminen [Harnoncourt] [2 CD]

The world of opera is well aware of the unutterably superb Edita Gruberova. She is widely (almost universally) considered the greatest Königen der Nacht in the world. Her accuracy, beauty of voice, dazzling speed and absolute vocal control, as well as her extraordinary vocal range which EASILY encompasses the notorious top F, are part of what makes her so very highly esteemed. Her performance in this recording is vivid, fiendish and exciting.

Barbara Bonney as the sweet Pamina is completely delightful. Her pure lyric voice is ideal for this role, and it conveys everything necessary for the character of this unfortunately beset young maiden who's got possibly the most terrifying mother in operatic plots. The spin and beauty in Ms Bonney's voice are so wonderfully apparent in her singing here that it's easy to understand why she has reigned as one of the world's great light lyric sopranos for years.

Hans-Peter Blochwitz is one of the best Taminos around. It's a lovely tone, of course, and he handles the tessitura of the role beautifully. The voice is both very masculine and wonderfully pure - qualities very necessary for Mozartian tenors.

Matti Salminen as the authoritative Salminen, who turns out not to be the villain after all, sings the role with suitable magnificence. It's a very good voice - perhaps not the best Sarastro in the world, but then, Sarastro's been sung by the choice basses. Salminen holds his own in this star-studded cast.

And what a cast! Even the smaller roles receive the star treatment. Thomas Hampson as the Sprecher, Delores Ziegler and Marjana Lipovsek as two of the Damen, Thomas Moser as the Erster Geharnischter… the list goes on. And Papageno himself is sung delightfully by Anton Scharinger.

Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducts - as always, it is an intelligent conception. The Orchester (Orchester des Opernhauses Zürich) is splendid, and the the chorus does a wonderful job.

This is a recording to treasure. There is so much that is delightful in it. There are other good recordings, but I certainly wouldn't want to be without this one, and not only for the peerless Edita Gruberova's Queen of the Night. – Amazon customer