On available record, the great Austrian conductor Karl Boehm had three Enthurung recordings: the 1945 mono with Dermota/Schwarzkopf; the 1974 with Schreier/Auger/Grist, and this his last opera conducting in 1980. So you see, this was Karl Boehm's last opera conducting, and the emotional side of the whole thing WAS evident. Boehm came out at the end of curtain calls all by himself, saluting the orchestra members. It was a very moving event by istelf. Back to the performance. A special event is a special event. There is no need, absolutely no need, to prick the legend and excruciate imperfections, which there WERE, given the high tension of the event. The singers here, with the exception of Reri Grist, are all in their prime. As Konstanze, Gruberova is very capable vocally, but she did not give a perfect performance. Her duet with Belmonte at the last Act is one-sided and there was no chemistry between her and Araiza at all.
