Wilhelmina von Chezy's play Rosamunde is well known to be a hopeless farrago of nonsense. No trace of it remains and the play collapsed after only two performances in Vienna. The music, however, was a great success with the public; and no wonder, for its tunes are lovely and its charm considerable; and though it is now infrequently given in the concert hall in its entirety, the whole thing is ideal for a gramophone record, where we can happily forget the play and enjoy the music. There have been a good many recorded performances, among which this latest one under Kurt Masur holds its own very acceptably. Edward Greenfield and I both agreed that the Kuhn version on CfP, despite its budget price, was a non-starter. We both wrote about the favourite Entr'acte in B flat, choosing that because everyone would know what we were talking about, and EG referred to its stodgy rhythms and slow speed; which explained my view that the whole performance was depressingly boring.
(The triplet accompaniment in the second interlude illustrates the stodgy rhythm, while the time taken over this short piece shows the matter of slow speeds. Masur takes 8'06'' and Munchinger, 8'13''. Kuhn takes 9'30''!)
Masur's performance is a very different story from Kuhn's, starting with a lively performance of the Rosamunde Overture (Die Zauberharfe) and continuing with very good playing throughout. The chorus is lively and sings its two short pieces well. One cannot hear a word; but since they are shepherdesses and huntsmen, their words are no doubt as conventional as the characters. The one solo song ''Der Vollmond strahlt'', is variously sung by a soprano (Kuhn and Masur) and a contralto (Munchinger) but so long as it is warmly sung, as it is by Elly Ameling, I don't suppose that matters either.
I still have a sneaking preference for the Munchinger which continues to sound well; but this latest version certainly comes into competition and is very commendable.'