Theo Adam

To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Richard Wagner’s birth, GREAT WAGNER VOICES brings together ten extremely diverse Wagnerian soloists in a collection of great Wagner arias. The recordings from the years 1963 to 1971 were drawn from the archives of Bavarian Broadcasting.

Superb sound. A legendary cast with the young Ludmilla Dvorakova and Rudolf Jedlicka, a student of Tino Pattiera, Pavel Ludikar and Fernando Carpi, is heard to great advantage. Highly recommended under the magnificent Konwitschy – first release on any format.

”Almost forgotten a generation after his death, Franz Konwitschny, director of both the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig and the Berlin State Opera from 1949 until his death in 1962, was much the finest and by far the most successful East German conductor of his time. Konwitschny didn't seek to match the glamour of Herbert von Karajan, his West German opposite; he was interested in something else entirely. Born in 1901 at the height of German romantic idealism, Konwitschny came of age in the milieu of post-War modernism, and in his maturity the one influence tempered the other so that the classic Konwitschny performances were clean and lucid but enormously concentrated and unbearably intense. For latter-day [listeners] who know best Karajan's more charismatic recordings, Konwitschny…will clear the mind, cleanse the palette and sooth the spirit.” James Leonard, allmusic.com

Recorded in 1970

Fritz Wunderlich frequently sang the tenor part in Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on Schiller’s “Ode to joy”, but he never recorded it on LP. His contribution makes this live recording of a 1962 concert at the Hessischer Rundfunk a rarity and closes a gap in the discographic legacy of the singer who died so prematurely. Wunderlich’s cantabile performance style ennobles the tenor solo in the “alla Marcia“ style, and he smoothly blends into the excellent line-up of soloists: Shige Yano (soprano), Marga Höffgen (alto) and Theo Adam (bass-baritone). The conductor is Dean Dixon, the first Afro-American to hold the post of chief conductor (1961-1974) of a German Radio Symphony Orchestra.

From fairy tale to great opera: with Die Zauberflöte Mozart made the step from simple Singspiel to a full-blown German opera, thus laying the foundations for an independent opera culture in the German language. The 1973 Electrola recording combines a truly legendary vocal ensemble, featuring first and foremost Edda Moser, whom many people still regard as the best Queen of the Night of all time, Walter Berry as a Papageno oozing Viennese charm, and Anneliese Rothenberger as an enchantingly touching Pamina.

The mid-price collection presents some of the most important and admired recordings of the EMI Classics and Virgin Classics catalogue which make EMI The Home of Opera. This performance of The Flying Dutchman was recorded in 1968 at Abbey Road Studios, London.

Each release includes a booklet with a three-language synopsis (English/French/German), full cast list and detailed track list.