...forthcoming from Orfeo:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9600529--franz-schmidt-fredigundis
This is good news. It's the 1979 recording that has done the unofficial rounds for years, so it will be nice to have a cleaned up copy. It may be a flawed work, but it's got some of Schmidt's loveliest music in it.
I'm glad to report that the singers of 1979 are no barrier to enjoyment of this remarkable work. In fact, I'd wager that no comparable cast could be readily assembled today. This is a must-buy for all lovers of late-romantic opera. Its idiom is much more to my taste than, for example Schreker, with rather more grateful material for the singers.
My copy is on order but not arrived yet. Does it have the libretto with it (preferably with translation!)?
Yes - a libretto with English translation.
That's good. Thanks Alan