MOZART, R. STRAUSS: SONGS AND ARIAS. Beverly...

MOZART, R. STRAUSS: SONGS AND ARIAS. Beverly Sills, soprano; London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Aldo Ceccato. Angel CDC-7 47523 2 (compact disc). Sills’ instrument had lost little of its agility or incisive attack when ABC issued this recital in 1974. Her fiery approach to “Marten aller Arten” makes one regret she never recorded all of “Entfuehrung” in the studio. “Ruhe sanft” and “Vorrei spiegarvi” yield also to her stylish approach. But the Strauss excerpts, including the final monologue and transformation from “Daphne,” ideally demand a voice of stronger support and more varied coloristic resources--Daphne is not a woodsy Zerbinetta. Angel has worked little wonders in remastering the analog originals, but Ceccato’s fuzzy conducting has not improved with the passage of time.