If you’ve never heard Schubert’s complete Rosamunde music, this is a great place to start. Karl Münchinger leads a fresh, vital performance from the bracing overture onwards. The B minor Entr’acte, recently claimed to be the Unfinished Symphony’s missing finale, sounds fittingly dramatic in this context. Throughout all the numbers Münchinger employs a lithe and dramatic touch while maintaining the music’s momentum. The Vienna Philharmonic follows his lead and plays with plenty of color and sparkle: powerful brass in the Overture and gorgeous strings and winds in the No. 9 Ballet. The famed Vienna State Opera Chorus lives up to its reputation, with the men sounding especially Tannahäuser-like in the “Chorus of Spirits”. Contralto Rohanzig Yachmi offers a tender yet noble rendition of the Act 3 Romanze. In fact, all participants make excellent contributions to this wonderful performance. The recording is another one of those Sofiensaal success stories from the 1970s, where the sound is bright, clear, and full. Irresistible.
