The Sawallisch recording of Die Zauberflote, made in the early 1970s, has not been generally available here before. Slightly surprisingly, EMI have elected to bring it out alongside their much newer Haitink version. It has the advantage, of course, of being on only two discs; and the cast is very acceptable, much what one might have expected to hear in a leading central European opera house a decade or so ago, or indeed even more recently than that. It has some admirable performances; Kurt Moll, a resonant, warm-toned Sarastro, and Edda Moser as a Queen of Night both accurate and electrifying, are outstanding. I always relish the line and control of Peter Schreier's intensely musical singing, but less here than usual because of the quality of the sound, which is a shade nasal (as he is apt to be) and suggests little of youth or ardour. Anneliese Rothenberger's Pamina too seems wrong for the character, essentially a rather light voice here pressed somewhat and made taut and tremulous. Walter Berry makes a ripely comic Papageno; Willi Brokmeier is an excellent Monostatos, sharply characterized and neatly sung. I do not find many revelations in Sawallisch's direction, but there is no want of vitality or drama—indeed it is much as one would expect from an opera house conductor of solid experience. The Bavarian opera orchestra play smoothly and surely.
The one curiosity about the set lies in its inclusion of an extra number: a duet for Tamino and Papageno in Act 2, ''Pamina, wo bist du?'', when they are left in the darkness by the priests, just before the Three Ladies enter. This number was, I understand, produced by Schikaneder more than ten years after Mozart's death, claimed as given to him by his friend Mozart, the music is at best very inferior Mozart, making would-be dramatic pauses where none is called for, and as unimaginative in line and texture as the rather feeble words invite. And I cannot think why Schikaneder would have waited ten years to produce a piece by Mozart if it were genuine. In short, this is an intriguing little bonus for the set but of very doubtful value and authenticity.
The Haitink version also comes from Munich; there is nothing to choose between the city's two excellent and polished orchestras, but Haitink has the advantage of a more recent digital recording.
Much more of the dialogue is included here, permitted by the three-disc format (which the four existing CD sets also use). Haitink's tempos are mostly rather slower than Sawallisch's, and I do find this version somewhat low in vitality and sparkle, even a shade staid. As far as the cast is concerned, Haitink has the edge as regards the lovers: Lucia Popp is, as always, a joy, light-toned yet intense in feeling where that is needed; and Siegfried Jerusalem sounds young and heroic even if something of natural lyricism is wanting. Wolfgang Brendel provides a sound, musical though not specially interesing Papageno, Edita Gruberova an impassioned and generally accurate Queen of Night, Roland Bracht a fairly ordinary Sarastro.
Two very enjoyable sets, then, taken all round; and the Sawallisch certainly offers good value. But there is nothing here, I think, that impels me to depart from my recommendation of three months ago when, reviewing the Bohm CD reissue on DG, I expressed a marginal preference for the Davis/ Philips set: but the ideally cast Zauberflote has yet to be enshrined on disc.'