This quasi-legendary performance presents the opera with a few cuts in each act, and with a decidedly–and very welcome–sense of comedy without slapstick. Szell’s pacing is natural and his orchestra responds very well, although we might wish that the sound were not quite as distant at one end and slightly shrill at the other. The singing is not nearly in the “legendary” category. To be sure, Maria Reining is a great Marschallin–flirtatious, fun-loving, certainly self-aware–as she proves on her studio recording under Kleiber made five years later. Here her voice is even fresher, but frankly it’s not the tone I prefer for the role–it just doesn’t seem broad enough. And she’s taxed by the high notes in the final trio.
Jarmila Novotna’s Octavian is good and intelligent, with swagger galore and a cool sense of humor in the Mariandel episodes; but again, the hue of her voice doesn’t strike me as right–it’s too light. Hilde Güden’s Sophie is well-nigh perfect, but the recording emphasizes the slightly acidic tone she had even then. Jaro Prohaska paints a good picture of Ochs, but he has no low notes and gargles his way down to the final note of Act 2 in a really unpleasant, unmusical way. The Italian tenor of Helge Roswaenge is the only one I’ve ever heard to actually sound as if he’s mocking an Italian tenor. This is brilliant showmanship, but it turns the aria ugly. The rest of the cast is wonderfully theatrical and well-prepared, but you get the point: This isn’t a Rosenkavalier I admire or like. If you want Reining and Güden, the Decca set is for you; otherwise Karajan and Schwarzkopf remain the top choice.
