Wagner's Valhalla

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

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Haffner

Quote from: Expresso on March 29, 2008, 11:46:48 AM


Karajan's Die Meistersinger from '51.

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/9575668?rk=classic&rsk=hitlist

Is this a live recording? The sample clips sound very good.


I sampled over half of it, and was impressed. But the older Solti recording was better, and not very expensive either.

knight66

That Meistersingers is live. There is a fair bit of stage noise, but lots of compensations.
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

Haffner

Quote from: knight on March 29, 2008, 11:54:51 AM
That Meistersingers is live. There is a fair bit of stage noise, but lots of compensations.


I agree.

knight66

Lots of clodhopping.....funny in a way. I can imagine what it looked like. Schwarzkopf is especially terrific.

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

Sergeant Rock

#504
Quote from: Expresso on March 28, 2008, 02:10:39 PM
Are there any good budget recordings of the Ring operas? Not necessarily from the same conductor.
Maybe Furtwangler or Kempe?

Either of these is a "good" Ring at a super budget price:

LEVINE $35 (€22)

or

NEUHOLD €14 ($22)


Neuhold is a decent provincial production in very good sound (and it's a steal, literally, at that price). Levine has its pros and cons concerning the cast, and some think his tempos too sluggish but the Götterdämmerung is a serious contender for best ever....and the Met orchestra is phenomenal.

Moralt's is a truly great Ring from the golden age but the physical production and presentation (no pauses between acts and scenes, no booklet, no notes, no libretto, not even a cast list) are horrid; a Ring not for the Ring neophyte. Furtwängler must be heard at some point but I don't think either of his Rings is a good beginner's Ring. Kempe is unknown to me. Depending on how much you want to spend, Krauss is excellent but the sound quality isn't nearly as good as Neuhold or Levine. Better cast though.


Sarge

the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

PerfectWagnerite

Quote from: Haffner on March 29, 2008, 06:03:08 AM



It went immediately on my wish list before I even went on youtube, thank you so much!
You may have found it already but here are a few more clips:

This one where Wotan first encounters the giants:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4jSLtUvHxgQ&feature=related
(notice how HVK got singers that LOOK the part too - the beautiful Brigitte Fassbaender and Jeannine Altmeyer)

The transition to Nibelheim:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cCXxr44gh0U&feature=related

And this one where Wotan first encounters Alberich:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Exw_gaLsRQQ&feature=related

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on March 30, 2008, 05:18:50 AM
Levine has its pros and cons concerning the cast, and some think his tempos too sluggish but the Götterdämmerung is a serious contender for best ever....and the Met orchestra is phenomenal.

As good as the MET Orchestra sounds in that recording, it must be heard live to appreciate how fabulous this group is under Levine (you can probably say that about a lot of orchestras). The cellos and viola sections are intoxicatingly beautiful, while the trumpets and trombones can maintain quite a refined sound and are capable of the greatest dynamic contrasts. Also with this group you always get absolute rhythmic clarity. The rest of the winds are just as good. The flutes especially are bright and clear, none of the breathy flute sound you get with some American orchestras.


Anne

Is the Levine still available from amazon.ca?  I think it only cost $40 in honor of the fact that Canada was presenting its first Ring last year.

Harry

Following Sarge's advice in the purchase of the Ring from Wagner, I also add a few things of my own, about 60 Wagner cd's, to start with. ;D
13 Ring cd's.
44 cd's of all of Wagners operas.... :o ;D

See here the contents

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/2309181?rk=classic&rsk=hitlist&page=3

But no libretti though, so suggestions where to download them would be fine in the thread about libretti......

Harry

And this one, just for the fun of it....

Sergeant Rock

Quote from: Anne on March 31, 2008, 03:08:15 PM
Is the Levine still available from amazon.ca?

Not directly but there is one seller offering it new for the cheap price.

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Haffner

Quote from: Harry on April 04, 2008, 04:36:29 AM
Following Sarge's advice in the purchase of the Ring from Wagner, I also add a few things of my own, about 60 Wagner cd's, to start with. ;D
13 Ring cd's.
44 cd's of all of Wagners operas.... :o ;D

See here the contents

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/2309181?rk=classic&rsk=hitlist&page=3

But no libretti though, so suggestions where to download them would be fine in the thread about libretti......



Harry this is a very good site, with all kinds of libretti di Wagner:

http://www.rwagner.net/opere/e-t-ring.html


When I first started listening to Wagner (the excellent Toscanini compilation, back in 2000), I was immensely intimidated. I didn't want to admit to myself that the works were over my head; that they required alot of patience and study. When I went back to Wagner last Spring 2007, I was again heavily intimidated.

What changed me was my driving passion for music. To really reap the seemingly endless benefits of more complex works, I have to always remember to open myself up as thoroughly as possible; that is, to focus (which can take effort).

I probably don't have to tell you, Harry, that the benefits from such an opening-up are literally off the scale. You get far more than what you put into Wagner's work. Or into great, involved music in general.

You know,

Our Music.

J.Z. Herrenberg

Quote from: Harry on April 04, 2008, 04:36:29 AM
Following Sarge's advice in the purchase of the Ring from Wagner, I also add a few things of my own, about 60 Wagner cd's, to start with.
13 Ring cd's.
44 cd's of all of Wagners operas....

:P ;D :)

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. -- Plato

Haffner

Wait 'till you start getting into the libretto and music of sacred Parsifal!!!

Harry

Quote from: Haffner on April 04, 2008, 05:39:11 AM


Harry this is a very good site, with all kinds of libretti di Wagner:

http://www.rwagner.net/opere/e-t-ring.html


When I first started listening to Wagner (the excellent Toscanini compilation, back in 2000), I was immensely intimidated. I didn't want to admit to myself that the works were over my head; that they required alot of patience and study. When I went back to Wagner last Spring 2007, I was again heavily intimidated.

What changed me was my driving passion for music. To really reap the seemingly endless benefits of more complex works, I have to always remember to open myself up as thoroughly as possible; that is, to focus (which can take effort).

I probably don't have to tell you, Harry, that the benefits from such an opening-up are literally off the scale. You get far more than what you put into Wagner's work. Or into great, involved music in general.

You know,

Our Music.

Thanks Andy for the libretti link, that's cool, I will print them right away.
And of course when I start with Wagner, I will be off line for a long time, and when I will be back again, well god knows.....
But your comments are appreciated, afterall, you are a experienced Wagner adept. :)

Harry

Quote from: Jezetha on April 04, 2008, 05:43:57 AM
:P ;D :)



The first Smiley I understood Johan, but could you explain the two others? ;D

Harry

Quote from: Haffner on April 04, 2008, 05:45:29 AM
Wait 'till you start getting into the libretto and music of sacred Parsifal!!!

Well the printer is doing its job right now, and before I start listening, I will absorb the libretti first and foremost, and read my way through his life...

J.Z. Herrenberg

Quote from: Harry on April 04, 2008, 05:49:33 AM
The first Smiley I understood Johan, but could you explain the two others? ;D

Well,  ;D means 'You'll laugh your head off, Wagner is soooo funny!' and  :) means 'I am very glad for you'.
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. -- Plato

Harry

Quote from: Jezetha on April 04, 2008, 05:54:27 AM
Well,  ;D means 'You'll laugh your head off, Wagner is soooo funny!' and  :) means 'I am very glad for you'.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ::) :)

Haffner

Quote from: Harry on April 04, 2008, 06:03:54 AM
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ::) :)



I believe he meant that operas like Siegfried and Die Meistersinger are often very funny. The latter in particular is just generally good-hearted and Affirming.

J.Z. Herrenberg

Quote from: Haffner on April 04, 2008, 07:11:49 AM


I believe he meant that operas like Siegfried and Die Meistersinger are often very funny. The latter in particular is just generally good-hearted and Affirming.

I was joking a bit. I don't think Wagner is the laugh-out-loud humourist among opera composers, BUT - I think Das Rheingold is Wagner's best play, and Loge Wagner's wittiest character; and some scenes in Meistersinger (the serenading Beckmesser interrrupted by Sachs, and Beckmesser, again, caught in the act (of theft) by Sachs) are funny. I don't find, on the other hand, the Wanderer in Siegfried a scream in his dealings with Mime, nor is Hagen a hoot (though he does hoot  ;) ) when he summons Gibich's men in Götterdämmerung...

Wagner, mostly, is serious business.
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. -- Plato