This muddy-sounding air check from September 19, 1958 is being touted as a rare opportunity to hear the fine Dutch soprano Gré Brouwenstijn as Fidelio, said to be her best role (her picture graces the CD cover). But if it is to be recommended at all–and that’s a big “if”–I would do so for Thomas Beecham’s conducting: it is electrifying, including a Leonore Overture No. 3 that just about stops the show. I normally hate its inclusion–it’s very long and it absolutely halts the drama before the final scene; but it manages here to break through the mediocre sound and make the listener entirely forget Hans Hopf’s weird singing of “O namenlose Freude”.
Elsewhere, Brouwenstijn is indeed impressive, singing with solid lyrico-dramatic tone, utter involvement, and, if not quite ease in “Abscheulicher”, then at least great proficiency and passion. But she does not erase memories of, say, Christa Ludwig or Leonie Rysanek. Hopf is marginally less awful than he has been known to be, but he is also marginally worse than he is at his best: there is still a persistent whine to his tone; he never ingratiates. He works the text well and does get through his opening aria with a certain amount of pride intact, but his Florestan is leagues below Vickers, Heppner, King, et al.
Paul Schöffler’s Pizarro is thrilling–biting and nasty. Arnold van Mill is good enough as Rocco, but the early portions of the opera do not seem to interest Beecham as much as the later ones, and so Rocco’s aria goes for little. The always reliable Murray Dickie’s Jaquino is impressive; Olga Chevaline’s Marzelline less so.
Only an obsession with Brouwenstijn or a desire to hear the Leonore No. 3 spectacularly played in mediocre sound should drive Fidelio fans to this performance. Stick with Klemperer/Ludwig/Vickers on EMI.
