Wednesday 15 May 2013

Otello Vienna 1944

Otello by Giuseppe Verdi (in German)
Conductor Karl Böhm
August 1944
Orchestra & Chorus - Wiener Staatsoper
Ralf as Otello


Otello - Torsten Ralf
Desdemona - Hilde Konetzni
Iago - Paul Schöffler
Cassio - Josef Witt
Rodrigo - Peter Klein
Lodovico - Tomislav Neralic
Montano - Viktor Madin
Emilia - Elena Nikolaidi
Un Araldo - Roland Neumann
http://rapidshare.com/files/105113546/1944Otello.zip

This radio broadcast of Otello from Vienna in the last months of the war gives us a rare chance to hear a complete opera with Viennese soprano Hilde Konetzni. Although the war severely restricted her career, she was able to appear in international houses such as Covent Garden both before and after the war. Complete recordings of her are few, but she did appear in the Moralt ring in lighter soprano parts in 1949.
Swedish tenor Torsten Ralf made his career in singing the heavier Wagnerian and Verdi roles. Despite singing in Germany and Austria during the war (unlike some other Swedish singers) he was readily accepted back into the international opera scene, opening the 1945-46 season at the Met for instance as Lohengrin.
Paul Schoffler was one of the greatest German baritones of the 1940s and 1950s. He had an international career even before the war, and was one of the most noted Hans Sachs of his generation, performing and broadcasting the role at Bayreuth, Vienna and New York.
The sound is not bad for a radio broadcast from the 1940s.

Hilde Konetzni

11 comments:

  1. dank' you very much

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  2. Tremendous!! Ralf renders Otello's part almost as a Heldentenor (with steely might and fire!), and Schöffler (a true genius!) just left me speechless! Thank you very much! That was a revelation!

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  3. Request...

    Hello, do you know if there are any broadcasts from the Met or elsewhere with the soprano Grete Stückgold? She appeared at the met between 1927 and 1939. Thank you!

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  4. I love your posts! Hope to see more. This Otello is a wonderful document, and I must add my own praise to the previous accolades - Schöffler was a fantastic Iago! Thank you!

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  5. Highly vigorous blog, I liked that much. german opera

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  6. It is a pity that this blog is deserted and all the links are busted... I would be very glad if you could revive this blog and keep on yout fine work!
    Many greetings from Emilio

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  7. Dear Emilio,

    Please let me know if you need anything. I might have some of the recordings which were once here. I'll try and locate them when I've the time.

    Your friend, Darren

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  8. Do you still have the Metropolitan Opera Il Trovatore recordings with Martinelli? I can't find them anywhere now online and I've been looking for months.

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  9. Do you still have the Metropolitan Opera Il Trovatore recordings with Martinelli? I can't find them anywhere now online and I've been looking for months.

    ReplyDelete
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