Sena Jurinac & Jan Peerce - "O Namenlose Freude!" from Fidelio

[billyguns2]

Jan Peerce had one of the longest careers of any tenor of whom I can think; his voice became more nasal to my ears after the mid-fifties, but he was one heck of a singer. Jurinac has ben heard to greater effect than here, but it is the music that suffers under a completely misguided notion of how it should go by the usually wonderful Maestro Knappertsbusch; it should not be sudivided into a snail's pace. Compare this to Peerce and Bampton under Toscanini!

[1155north]

I spoke with Mr. Peerce about this recording. He never would have performed this on stage - he said so himself. His voice was in the wrong category. But I am always amazed - even with this draggy, impossible tempo, he's so incredibly musical. Comes from years as a violinist. Ms. Jurinac is always good to hear! Thanks for posting this.

[Zva26]

@VinylToVideo It's really too bad. Both Jurinac and Peerce are really excellent here, and they're really heartfelt. In Peerce's biography, he states that after having sung Florestan with Toscanini, he was shocked at the tempi KNA employed for this recording. But both he and Jurinac were pros and they had sufficient stamina to actually be able to create something memorable, which they did. KNA was a great conductor, but according to many, he never adapted to the recording studio.

[Zva26]

Both Peerce and Jurinac are excellent here no doubt, but I can't believe the slowness of the tempi. KNA was known to be a very draggy conductor in his later years, but what he does here is to bring the music to an almost complete halt. This must be the slowest "Fidelio" ever recorded!

[jhb134]

@Zva26 - Yes, this might not be Knappertsbusch's best, in terms-of tempo, but it STILL shows the extraordianary talents of Ms. Jurinac, with a worthwhile partner (Peerce), in a wonderful rendition.

[Zva26]

@jhb134 - You are absolutely right. Peerce actually sounds better here than he did on the Toscanini broadcast recording of 1944. Jurinac was a great soprano, and I had the pleasure of hearing her in her prime in Chicago. Unfortunately, this COULD have been a great "Fidelio" performance were it not for KNA's horrendously slow tempi. KNA apparently never took to the recording studio. He obviously needed the stimulus of the live opera house to summon his elecytricity.

[jhb134]

@Zva26 - Thanks, Zva! I still don't think that Knappertsbusch's tempo was, too-much an impediment, and Jurinac OUTshines Peerce, although the latter is wonderful. It's great that you, and others, could listen-to great singers in their PRIME, in various venues, also. ... Overall, I still like the Jurinac/Vickers version, but every one has his/her choice.

[ShawDAMAN]

I've never heard this taken at such a slow tempo! I think a quicker pace is more appropriate for the joyful exuberance of this duet. Not sure what Knappertsbusch was thinking ;D great singers though

[VinylToVideo]

The fact that these two were able to do it at such a snail's pace just shows how good they were. I don't mind the duet this slow but it almost sounds like a completely different duet and Peerce's prison scene is so slow I didn't enjoy it much even though his voice by then was probably better for the role than it was in 1944. I can't even believe this full recording fit on 2 CDs.

[ShawDAMAN]

Anyway, at least you can hear all the words clearly. =P

[VinylToVideo]

Yeah, that's about the only benefit.

[giulitar]

She was VERY attractive in the flesh, both vocally and physically.

[pearlmuth3]

She was quite attractive, never saw a color picture, thanks for this.