Beethoven: Fidelio, Op. 72
Christa Ludwig (Leonore), Jon Vickers (Florestan), Walter Berry (Don Pizarro), Gottlob Frick (Rocco), Ingeborg Hallstein (Marzelline), Gerhard Unger (Jaquino), Franz Crass (Don Fernando), Kurt Wehofschitz (First Prisoner), Raymond Wolansky (Second Prisoner)
Philharmonia Chorus & Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
“One of the glories of recording history,” was how this Fidelio was hailed on its initial release in 1962. The intervening years have repeatedly affirmed its towering status. Otto Klemperer’s readings of Beethoven are proverbial for their grandeur and humanity, while the Leonore of Christa Ludwig and Florestan of Jon Vickers remain unsurpassed.