Wagner's Valhalla

Started by Greta, April 07, 2007, 08:09:57 PM

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Haffner

Quote from: knight on February 19, 2008, 08:25:16 AM
I bought the Leinsdorf recently; pretty good. I am a Vickers fan and I prefer this version of Act 1 to Karajan's; as the latter mauls some of the tempi. Also, in the later acts, I prefer Nilsson to Crespin; mind you, I prefer Foster-Jenkins to Crespin. I have never been able to 'get' her.

I still enjoy the Karajan version a lot and would never get rid of it. The Leinsdorf is, I agree, underrated.

Mike





Will be getting the Leinsdorf. I completely agree as to Nilsson. I'm excited to hear Astrid's Elektra, as I'm wondering how much better than Nilsson she could be.

PerfectWagnerite

Quote from: knight on February 19, 2008, 08:25:16 AM
Also, in the later acts, I prefer Nilsson to Crespin; mind you, I prefer Foster-Jenkins to Crespin. I have never been able to 'get' her.

Apparently neither did HVK, so he got rid of her in favor of Helga Dernesh ;)

PerfectWagnerite

I also like this one, cool trick with the fire at the end.


Haffner

Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on February 19, 2008, 09:53:10 AM
I also like this one, cool trick with the fire at the end.




Very cool, thanks PW!

PerfectWagnerite

#424
And if you want to hear what a terrible Sieglinde sounds like, try this one.

Also interesting is that Domingo's frequent Sieglinde partner Waltraud Meier has never sung the role at the MET. SHe has sung pretty much everything else there but not this role, which she has sung pretty much everywhere else.

Wendell_E

Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on February 20, 2008, 06:10:26 AM
Also interesting is that Domingo's frequent Sieglinde partner Waltraud Meier has never sung the role at the MET. SHe has sung pretty much everything else there but not this role, which she has sung pretty much everywhere else.

Or Isolde.  Meier has sung in Die Walküre at the Met, but back then she was singing Fricka.  She's scheduled to be one of the Sieglindes next season, when the Met's Otto Schenk Ring production has one last viewing before it's retired.
"Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." ― Mark Twain

PerfectWagnerite

Quote from: Wendell_E on February 20, 2008, 06:42:59 AM
Or Isolde.  Meier has sung in Die Walküre at the Met, but back then she was singing Fricka.  She's scheduled to be one of the Sieglindes next season, when the Met's Otto Schenk Ring production has one last viewing before it's retired.
Yeah, no Isolde at the MET for Frau Meier either, which probably isn't a big loss for us as she is nowhere vocally capable of tackling that role. But I would definitely get tickets to see her Sieglinde next season. Do you know what the rest of the cast is? Or where do I find out?

marvinbrown

Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on February 20, 2008, 06:48:16 AM
Yeah, no Isolde at the MET for Frau Meier either, which probably isn't a big loss for us as she is nowhere vocally capable of tackling that role.

  PW for what its worth I have this recording of Meier as Isolde and I find her performance enjoyable.  Is she a Flagstad? No.  but I kind of like her in the role of Isolde:

 

  marvin

 

PerfectWagnerite

Quote from: marvinbrown on February 20, 2008, 07:09:33 AM
  PW for what its worth I have this recording of Meier as Isolde and I find her performance enjoyable.  Is she a Flagstad? No.  but I kind of like her in the role of Isolde:

 

  marvin

 
On your DVD it's Frau Meier alright, but its Johana Meier. I am not sure whether she is related to Waltraud. It's been a while since I have watched that DVD and I don't remember much about Johana.

uffeviking

On my LVD cover it's Johanna Meier and as I remember it's not the Domingo partner Waltraut! I had a Waltraut Meier documentary on DVD and don't recall her mentioning a singing sister.  ;)

PerfectWagnerite

Quote from: uffeviking on February 20, 2008, 07:22:36 AM
On my LVD cover it's Johanna Meier and as I remember it's not the Domingo partner Waltraut! I had a Waltraut Meier documentary on DVD and don't recall her mentioning a singing sister.  ;)
You mean Waltraud ? Waltraut is Bruennhilde's sister, Waltraud is the singer ;D

Wendell_E

#431
Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on February 20, 2008, 06:48:16 AM
Yeah, no Isolde at the MET for Frau Meier either, which probably isn't a big loss for us as she is nowhere vocally capable of tackling that role. But I would definitely get tickets to see her Sieglinde next season. Do you know what the rest of the cast is? Or where do I find out?

The official Met press release on next season should come out next month.  Until then the Met Future Seasons page at www.metmaniac.com usually has pretty accurate information.  Here's what they have for next season's Ring:

Christine Brewer/Lisa Gasteen (Brünnhilde)
Christian Franz/Jon Frederic West (Siegfried)
Albert Dohmen/James Morris (Wotan)
Waltraud Meier/Adrianne Pieczonka (Sieglinde)
Johan Botha/Plácido Domingo (Siegmund)
Richard Paul Fink (Alberich)
Gerhard Siegel (Mime)
John Tomlinson (Hagen, Hunding, Fafner)
Rene Pape (Fasolt, Hunding)
Kim Begley (Loge)
Yvonne Naef (Fricka)
Jill Grove (Erda)
Iain Patterson (Met debut)(Gunther)

No conductor's mentioned.  I guess "Levine" goes without saying?

As far as I know the American Johanna Meier and the German Waltraud Meier are not related.  I saw Johanna as Isolde and Elsa in New Orleans back in the early 80's.  She sang fairly often at the Met from the mid-70s to the late 80s as Ariadne, Marguerite, Senta, Donna Anna, Verdi Requiem, Beethoven's Leonore, Wagner's Elisabeth, Ellen Orford, Isolde, Sieglinde, Chrysothemis, the Walküre Brünnhilde, Tosca, and the Empress in Die Frau ohne Schatten.  As I recall, Levine was the one that recommended her to Wolfgang Wagner for Isolde, based on her Met performances as Senta.
"Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." ― Mark Twain

PerfectWagnerite

Thanks Wendell. Looks like a complete Ring Cycle next year. That ought to be something. When they list Christine Brewer/Lisa Gasteen (Brünnhilde) does it mean the first is more likely than the second or is it still up in the air?



Wendell_E

#433
Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on February 20, 2008, 07:54:21 AM
Thanks Wendell. Looks like a complete Ring Cycle next year. That ought to be something. When they list Christine Brewer/Lisa Gasteen (Brünnhilde) does it mean the first is more likely than the second or is it still up in the air?




I'm sure it means that they'll both be singing the role, and probably "covering" each others performances.  Similarly for Christian Franz/Jon Frederic West (Siegfried), Albert Dohmen/James Morris (Wotan), etc.  Much as Pieczonka and Voigt both sang Sieglinde performances this season.

Also, in addition to the complete cycles, they usually schedule a few extra Walküres.
"Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." ― Mark Twain

PerfectWagnerite

Also noticed Tomlinson singing Fafner/Hagen/Hunding. That ought to be something seeing Morris and Tomlinson on stage together during Rheingold bellowing at one another.

Wendell_E

Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on February 20, 2008, 08:03:30 AM
Also noticed Tomlinson singing Fafner/Hagen/Hunding. That ought to be something seeing Morris and Tomlinson on stage together during Rheingold bellowing at one another.

And Morris will get to kill his competition in Walküre!   ;D
"Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." ― Mark Twain

PerfectWagnerite

Quote from: Wendell_E on February 20, 2008, 08:05:47 AM
And Morris will get to kill his competition in Walküre!   ;D
Yeah! "Geh...GEHHHHHH !!!!!".

uffeviking

Quote from: PerfectWagnerite on February 20, 2008, 07:25:21 AM
You mean Waltraud ? Waltraut is Bruennhilde's sister, Waltraud is the singer ;D

You got me! Ouch!

I know I should have lifted my derrière of the chair and look at the cover. Next time!  8)

uffeviking

Hojotoho! I am not always wrong, Dear Perfect Wagnerite!

The Walküre's name is Waltraute! You stole her last letter, she'll gonna git you!  ;D

PSmith08

Quote from: Wendell_E on February 20, 2008, 08:05:47 AM
And Morris will get to kill his competition in Walküre!   ;D

Only to have Tomlinson kill his son and last, best chance for victory in Götterdämmerung.