Dr. Klemperer going over the score with Jon Vickers, John Dobson, and, on his right, Sena Jurinac, on his left, Elsie Morison, 22 February 1961 |
The long-awaited recording from the February 24 1961 Royal Opera House, Covent Garden production is finally available in its first official release on Testament CD SBT2-1328.
| Cast |
| Leonore (Fidelio) |
Sena Jurinac (soprano) |
| Florestan |
Jon Vickers (tenor) |
| Rocco |
Gottlob Frick (bass) |
| Don Pizarro |
Hans Hotter (bass-baritone) |
| Marzelline |
Elsie Morison (soprano) |
| Jaquino |
John Dobson (tenor) |
| The Covent Garden Opera Chorus, The Covent Garden Orchestra |
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Of this production, Peter Heyworth writes:
Few events in his career gave Klemperer as much satisfaction as his Covent Garden Fidelio. He publicly expressed his appreciation of 'Sir David Webster's wise and understanding manner [that] made everything possible that . . . I could desire'. To Lotte Lehmann he wrote, 'Everything went well, thank God, and even the press has been positive. [Sena] Jurinac was very good as Fidelio . . . Do you know Hans Hotter? There's a really fine performance. He sang Pizarro.' After the final performance on 17 March Webster presented Klemperer with a laurel wreath on stage. On an accompanying card he wrote, 'You have conquered Covent Garden.' Klemperer carried the card on him for a long time afterwards.
(Otto Klemperer: His Life and Times volume 2 p.289)
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