This dud of a performance was a disappointment when it was released 30 years ago and it has aged badly. Robert Heger was never more than a decent Kapellmeister and it takes a Kleiber, a Furtwängler–or at least a Colin Davis–to make Weber’s wonderful, part folksy, part echt-classical, part echt-Romantic score come to life. Where others soar, Heger trundles, where others stomp, he tap dances. And his cast leaves much to be desired as well. This was one of Birgit Nilsson’s few tedious recordings; she’s simply wrong for the pensive Agathe and she has trouble reining in her huge voice. Erika Koth’s Annchen is annoyingly cute, Dieter Weller’s Kuno faceless, and Walter Berry’s Kaspar woefully light. Why did Berry bother to try this role? It needs an Osmin voice, not a Papageno. Even the multi-faceted Nicolai Gedda seems uncomfortable as Max. Chorus, orchestra, and sonics are good enough, but if this is your only contact with this great opera, you’ll never figure out what all the fuss was about.
