MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Die Zauberflote [The Magic Flute] (Complete opera recorded in 1990 with libretto)

"This is a strong, clear, forthright account of Die Zaubeilleite, beautifully played and on the whole finely sung, which I think will win many friends. The tone is quickly set: the Overture begins with a warm-toned, pensive account of the introduction and continues with a fugue that is firm and weighty but not specially dramatic. The orchestral sound is full and traditional, a medium-size band, I would guess, with the wind well forward but the central emphasis on the string line. With the C minor music on the rise of the curtain, a tone of urgency enters, and when Tamino sings one particular feature of the recorded sound becomes evident: the voices seem to be more forward, I imagine more closely miked, than is usual these days. The result is that Francisco Araiza sounds rather strident in this opening music, and so too does Olaf Bar in "Der Vogelianger bin ich ja". Bar sings throughout with very much artistry, insofar as Papageno's role permits it, and with happily little in the way of facetious humour."
(Gramophone)

Note: small manufacturing fault on the label side of CD 1. This will not affect the playing side.