Erich Kleiber’s 1954 Decca recording of Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier remains one of the great achievements of the post-war Viennese opera world. With the Vienna Philharmonic and a cast headed by Maria Reining, Sena Jurinac, Hilde Gueden and Ludwig Weber, Kleiber shapes Strauss’s luminous score with elegance, vitality and perfect balance — a reading steeped in Viennese style yet refreshingly unsentimental.
Tragically, Kleiber would die less than two years later in Zürich, bringing to an abrupt close one of the twentieth century’s most distinguished conducting careers. This beautifully restored edition preserves one of his final operatic masterpieces — a radiant Rosenkavalier whose warmth, humanity and grace have never faded with time.
We also celebrate the 190th birthday of Saint-Saëns with a 20% automatic discount on all his recordings at Pristine.