Die Liebe der Danae

"The singing in this performance is generally of a very high quality, with even Jupiter's four discarded and quarrelsome queens cast from strength. The duet between Krassimira Stoyanova and Regine Hangler in the second scene is an absolute delight to hear ... Stoyanova and Konieczny are excellent both in their delivery and interaction with each other ... Those who do not know this opera, or do not know it well enough, should certainly take advantage of this recording to encounter some spectacularly good music, generally well (and sometimes exceptionally well) sung and excellently played by the Vienna Phil under the reliable Franz Welser-Möst".

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"Despite a cast in which only the soprano could be remotely called a "big" name, musically, this run of performances did considerable justice to the opera. Krassimira Stoyanova sings the long and difficult role of Danae very well. She does not, perhaps, possess the ecstatic purity of the truly great Strauss voices (Gundula Janowitz or Lisa della Casa, for example), but she is always musical in her phrasing and accurate in her intonation ... Franz Welser-Möst ... conducts admirably. There is both clarity and passion in his handling of the greatest of all Strauss orchestras, the Vienna Philharmonic ... To counterbalance the excellence of the musical side is the mediocrity of Alvis Hermanis's production ... For me, the musical side is paramount, so I am very pleased to have this issue".

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"The Deutsche Oper chorus contributes valuably to the opening scene and the orchestra revels in the score under Andrew Litton ... Even if the leading soprano and tenor are less than ideal, it's good to have this work on dvd at long last".

"As directed by Kirsten Harms, there are scenes in Act I that look a bit of a mess ... Yet the piece gains momentum as soon as Strauss begins to focus on the "love for Danae" competition ... Manuela Uhl approximates the title role well enogh, though Matthias Klink hits Midas's heroic heights with effort".

Vurdering (performance): 3/5.

Vurdering (picture & sound): 5/5.

"Szenisch ist ... Liebe der Danae allzu bunt banal geraten. Doch die Wiener Philharmoniker lassen ihren luxuriösen Klangstaub rieseln - die pure Lust am pudrigen Luxus. Franz Welser-Möst begleitet sie entdeckerfreudig ... In ihren so undankbaren und schwierigen Rollen glänzen immerhin Krassimira Stoyabove (Danae) und Tomasz Konieczny (Jupiter)".

"There's good news and bad news when it comes to the present performance. The chief glory is problaby the playing of the Vienna Philhamonic ... The bad news primarily involves Alvis Hermann's production, which is a ludicrous riot of exaggerated exotisms ... Welser-Möst's conducting, though hardly revelatory, has an admirable seriousness and keeps the action moving along efficiently and effectively. Krassimira Stoyanova rises to the challenge of Danae tirelessly, singing with luxurious, focused tone throughout".