Gottlob Frick

This 17CD Limited Edition Set encompasses the 70-year history of one of Germany’s leading orchestras. Includes no fewer than 5 CDs of world premiere recordings by luminaries such as Kertész, Sinopoli, Blomstedt as well as definitive recordings by all the famous conductors who shaped the orchestra’s distinctive style. Apart from the label’s own repertoire, this set contains recordings licensed not only from various radio stations, but also from numerous classical labels that the orchestra has worked with over the decades (among them Warner, Sony, Tudor and Orfeo). Highlights include some rare historical recordings going back as far as 1940 when the Bamberg Symphony was still the Deutsches Philharmonisches Orchester Prague.

Deutsche Grammophon presents the second and final volume of Ferenc Fricsay’s complete recordings for the label. Vol. 2 gathers the totality of Fricsay’s œuvre with the human voice, covering all of his opera, orchestral song and choral recordings on 37 CDs.

The stars of this recording of Der Freischütz are conductor Joseph Keilberth, the Chorus of Deutschen Oper Berlin, and the Berlin Philharmonic. The chorus sings with wonderfully full, warm tone and high spirits, creating vivid characterizations of the hunters, peasants, bridesmaids, and spirits that populate the opera. The Berlin Philharmonic performs with complete assurance and stylishness, beautifully capturing the atmosphere of the opera's widely diverse scenes, and Keilberth keeps the dramatic tension high. The leads are more than adequate, but not stellar. Rudolf Schock is a bland Max, and his voice lacks the sheen and resonance to give him a real heroic presence.