Mozart* - Pilar Lorengar, Cristina Deutekom, Stuart Burrows, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Hermann Prey, Martti Talvela, Vienna State Opera Chorus*, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra*, Georg Solti – Die Zauberflöte = The Magic Flute = La Flûte Enchantée

This is so poorly recorded compared to the earlier Bohm on DG or many other versions it is hard to recommend, despite some outstanding soloists. In particular one might prefer the more folksy lilt of Hermann Prey's baritone as Papageno or the more solid earthy tenor of Stuart Burrows as Tamino to Fischer-Dieskau and Wunderlich for Bohm. In the women's roles Bohm certainly wins with Evelyn Lear as Pamina and Roberta Peters as the Queen of the Night and his ensembles are tighter and more clearly presented. As usual Solti is irritatingly restless trying to extract the last drop of excitement from Mozart' s Singspiel without the sense of control, smooth direction and purpose exercised by Bohm with his Berlin forces.

Does this set deserve to sit as a second choice alongside the Bohm, which by most listeners is regarded as the classic recording? Probably not when there are so many interesting alternative and more modern versions available. My main issue is the sound and the playing - all of which are over blown and working too hard, voices too closely miked, strange shifts in balance and lack of clarity. This is one Decca opera project (and not the only one after his sensational Ring cycle) by Solti and his Vienna players that I feel is a flop.