Die Frau Ohne Schatten

Richard Strauss's 1919 fairy tale opera—about a supernatural empress unable to bear children (symbolized by her lack of a shadow) who causes turmoil between a dyer and his wife by attempting to acquire the other woman's shadow—is a formidable work requiring massive orchestral and vocal forces, as well as elaborate stage effects. This 2011 Salzburg Festival production responds to the musical demands well, with Christian Thielemann conducting masterfully, drawing a rich, sensitive performance from the Vienna Philharmonic that fully exploits the composer's voluptuous scoring. The singing is also generally fine, although the women (Anne Schwanewilms as the empress, Evelyn Herlitzius as the dyer's wife, and Michaela Schuster as the manipulative nurse who acts as their intermediary) outclass the men, who are somewhat monochromatic. Christof Loy's controversial direction situates the action in the Vienna studio where the first recording of the opera was made in 1955, thus obviating the need for spectacular (and expensive) stagecraft. Although his concept provoked a chorus of boos during the curtain calls (heard only briefly on the disc), the staging is defensible in view of the highly allegorical intent of librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal. While a more traditional reading would be a safer choice, this one makes an interesting alternative. Presented in DTS 5.1 (DTS-HD 5.1 on the Blu-ray release) and LPCM stereo, extras include a rehearsal featurette and a cast gallery. Recommended. (F. Swietek)