Organization

Mezzo-soprano (+2)

Grace Bumbry

Carmen

Soprano

Mirella Freni

Michaela

Bass (+1)

Anton Diakov

Zuniga

Translator (+1)

Milen Paunov

Remendado

Conductor

Conductor (+3)

Herbert von Karajan

Stage director

Bass-baritone (+2)

Justino Díaz

Escamillo

Salzburg Festival

Set designer

Set designer (+1)

Teo Otto

Costume designer

Costume designer (+2)

Georges Wakhevitch

Tenor

Jon Vickers

Don José

Baritone (+2)

Robert Kerns

Morales

Soprano (+1)

Olivera Miljakovic

Frasquita

Mezzo-soprano (+1)

Julia Hamari

Mercedes

Tenor (+2)

Kurt Equiluz

Dancaire

Chorus

Salzburg Festival and Theater Children's Choir

Orchestra

Wiener Philharmoniker

Vienna State Opera Choir

Ballet

Mariemma Ballett de Espana

Großes Festspielhaus

If you think you know the line-up with Bumbry, Vickers, Freni and Diaz from the film (Deutsche Grammophon) and the studio tape underneath, and don't need to listen to this live recording, which is incidentally the first complete festival recording by the ORF in stereo, you've got it greatly deceived. In the second year after the premiere in 1966, Karajan had evidently given free rein to his unerring instinct for dramatic arcs, lyrical pauses and cinemascope splendor with powerful sound images. It goes without saying that Carmen was played here in the then customary through-composed version, supplemented by Ernest Guiraud. Karajan was less interested in the opéra comique aspects of the score than in showing this realistic folk opera in grand opera style spiced with veristic drasticity. According to today's ideas, this may no longer be state of the art of performance tradition, but it is overwhelming from the first to the last moment. Perhaps at the beginning of the overture and in front of Lillas Pastia's bar in the second act, Karajan let it rip in a more Teutonic manner than in a champagne-like mousse. Among other things, heavenly lyricisms, infinitely delicately spun arches in Micaëla's arias and a breathtaking conclusion in the fourth act make up for this. However, Karajan is always a master of precisely set musical highlights, a sovereign master of all the orchestra and choir masses and a singer accompanist in a class of its own. Anyone who appreciates exciting music theater recordings from this golden era of opera will not be able to avoid this publication.

The cast that Karajan had at his disposal is in top form this evening and is of the very best down to the small parts anyway. Grace Bumbry is an ideal Carmen. Her broad and unbroken mezzo was characterized by a velvety dark middle register and a bright, radiant high register. As with a noble Bordeaux, the range of colors in the voice ranges from a ruby-black depth to a brick-red to light orange-sunny top location. With purely vocal means, Bumbry is able to illuminate all the emotional contradictions and the proud stubbornness of the cigarette-smoking factory worker. Be it seduction, opportunistic striving for happiness, irrational spontaneity, irrepressible lust for life or stubbornly running into ruin, Bumbry finds the right tone for all of this, she can draw music-dramatic expression from the baroque-bulging cornucopia of her vocal possibilities.

Ein Glücksfall ist die Kombination mit dem kanadischen Heldentenor Jon Vickers als kopflos-höriger Don José.  Vickers kann seinem Rollenporträt eines sensibel verletzlichen Mannes die unheimlich lauernde Kraft und die eifersüchtige Elementarwucht eines Otello hinzufügen. Zu der für ihn typischen rauchig verhangenen Mittellage gesellt sich ein eruptiv naturgewaltiges hohes Register, das etwa seinem Tristan oder seinem Äneas solch unverwechselbares Profil gaben. Das Schlussduett, wenn Vickers nach seinem tränenerstickten geschluchzten „Carmen verlass mich nicht“ in elementaren Vernichtungsmodus kippt, gehört zu den großen eindringlichen Momenten der auf Tonträger gebannten  Operngeschichte. Als perfekter stimmlicher Kontrast zu den beiden Protagonisten ergänzen die zärtliche innige Micaëla der Mirella Freni sowie der virile Justino Diaz als Escamillo eine Besetzung, die auch mit der wunderbaren Olivera Miljakovich (Frasquita), Julia Hamari (Mercédès), Anton Diaskov (Zuniga) und Robert Kerns(Moralés) cannot be called less than brilliant.

Die Wiener Philharmoniker spielen großteils auf höchstem Niveau, wie sie es halt tun, wenn sie von einem großen Dirigenten gefordert werden. Der Hörer kann sich an einer Orgie an Orchesterfarben berauschen. Das Blech lässt es allerdings manchmal grob tuschen. 

in detail and in personal memory of the performance Gottfried Kraus in the booklet, which, as always with ORFEO, is well documented and rich in images. In terms of sound, the original tapes could be used, which is an enormous advantage over the unauthorized versions that also existed on this famous recording. Indispensable for melomaniacs!

Grianghraif