Back when such things really mattered, listeners would angrily argue the merits of
Karl Böhm's two recordings of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. Was his best Zauberflöte his 1955 Decca recording -- the recording reissued here in French Decca's Rouge Opera series -- or his 1963 Deutsche Grammophon recording? There were powerful arguments either way.
Böhm's 1955 recording had the lyric
Léopold Simoneau as Tamino, while his 64 recording had the heroic
Fritz Wunderlich. His 55 recording had the sweet
Hilde Gueden as Pamina while his 1964 recording had the sexy
Evelyn Lear. His 1955 recording had the warm
Walter Berry as Papageno, while his 1964 recording had the wry
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. His 1955 recording had the burly
Kurt Böhme as Sarastro, while his 1964 recording had the bottomless
Franz Crass. And his 1955 recording had the unbelievably accurate
Wilma Lipp as the Queen of the Night, while his 1964 recording had the incredibly agile Robert Peters. Both
Böhm's orchestras were excellent: 1955's rich and lush
Vienna Philharmonic seemed more gracious, while 1964's clean and strong
Berlin Philharmonic seemed more elegant. And both interpretations plumb the depths of Mozart's final stage work in much the same way -- whether in the Austrian capital or the German capital,
Böhm performed Die Zauberflöte as a sublime work of transcendent humanity. In the end, it comes down to sound. Decca's 1955 sound is clear and evocative; DG's 1964 sound is crisp and vivid. And, back when things really mattered, contemporary listeners will agree after hearing both that, whichever recording one may prefer, the only answer is both.