Wagner's Valhalla

[Lisztianwagner]

Bayreuth and its Swastikas

Dutchman Overboard

http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2012/07/bayreuth-and-its-swastikas.html

[Lisztianwagner]

Fourth day of the Bayreuth Festival; today: Tannhäuser.

For everyone who wants to have a listen to the performance:
http://www.br.de/radio/br-klassik/programmkalender/sendung348722.html

[Lilas Pastia]

Bayreuth and its Swastikas

Dutchman Overboard

http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2012/07/bayreuth-and-its-swastikas.html

And? That's all ? A 'no comment' post ? 

[Sergeant Rock]

And? That's all ? A 'no comment' post ? 

I don't understand your post, André. Did you follow the links? There's more than a mere comment from Jens. There is an entire article on the controversy.

Sarge

[rw1883]

Since I only have Solti's Ring and Meistersinger, this set looks very good for $100 or so...

http://www.mdt.co.uk/wagner-the-operas-georg-solti-decca-36cds.html

[Lisztianwagner]

Since I only have Solti's Ring and Meistersinger, this set looks very good for $100 or so...

http://www.mdt.co.uk/wagner-the-operas-georg-solti-decca-36cds.html

About Solti's Wagner's operas, Der Ring des Nibelungen, Tannhäuser and Parsifal are certainly fine choices, they're very powerful and hauntingly beautiful, and have a marvelous sound. I think there are better versions for Der fliegende Holländer, the Karajan first of all.

[Scarpia]

I think the best Ring recording ever has never been heard.   

I have this DVD

[asin]B000YD7S12[/asin]

Karajan's film of Das Rheingold.  The film is a bit peculiar, although I like it.  But the soundtrack is actually from a live performance of Rheingold at the Salzburg festival from the early 1970's (not the DG studio recording from the 60's).  I'd say it is the best Rheingold I have heard.  Karajan was planning to do a series of film for the entire Ring, so I assume that he had the audio from live performances in the can for Walkure, Sigfried and Gotterdamerung.  But financing for the remaining films fell through and they were never made.  Where is that audio?

[Lilas Pastia]

I think the best Ring recording ever has never been heard.   

I have this DVD

[asin]B000YD7S12[/asin]

Karajan's film of Das Rheingold.  The film is a bit peculiar, although I like it.  But the soundtrack is actually from a live performance of Rheingold at the Salzburg festival from the early 1970's (not the DG studio recording from the 60's).  I'd say it is the best Rheingold I have heard.  Karajan was planning to do a series of film for the entire Ring, so I assume that he had the audio from live performances in the can for Walkure, Sigfried and Gotterdamerung.  But financing for the remaining films fell through and they were never made.  Where is that audio?

Interesting question, and interesting topic. In the case of the Karajan Ring I don't think it matters a lot. Karajan belonged to the brand of control freak conductors (OK, that's about 2/3 of them) who were also unimpeachably narcissistic. IOW the difference between a studio or live performance is usually very slight. But I may be quite wrong. Usually in Karajan's case the differences stem from the singing/verbal expression from a different soloist. He did allow his soloists a lot of freedom.

Are these vids from a later date than the commercial audio only releases?

[Scarpia]

Interesting question, and interesting topic. In the case of the Karajan Ring I don't think it matters a lot. Karajan belonged to the brand of control freak conductors (OK, that's about 2/3 of them) who were also unimpeachably narcissistic. IOW the difference between a studio or live performance is usually very slight. But I may be quite wrong. Usually in Karajan's case the differences stem from the singing/verbal expression from a different soloist. He did allow his soloists a lot of freedom.

Are these vids from a later date than the commercial audio only releases?

There are some cases where Karajan records the piece 30 years later and it sounds identical, and others where he records the piece 5 years later and it is totally different.  In this case, it is a comparison between a live performance and a studio performance, and my limited experience is that Karajan is very different live than in the studio.  I found the live Rhinegold more enjoyable than the studio version, I don't know what the rest of it sounds like.

[Lilas Pastia]

Thanks Scarpia. I have a few Rings, but never got to listen to the whole Karajan offering. I'll try to see if I can get it for a good price. For a 4th Ring, price becomes a factor... . BUT: it definitely is my next one. Not being equipped technically and mentally for a dvd experience, I'll settle for the audio version.

[Scarpia]

Thanks Scarpia. I have a few Rings, but never got to listen to the whole Karajan offering. I'll try to see if I can get it for a good price. For a 4th Ring, price becomes a factor... . BUT: it definitely is my next one. Not being equipped technically and mentally for a dvd experience, I'll settle for the audio version.

If you don't have a DVD, you might consider the Levine/Met set (the old one) which follows Wagner's stage directions as literally as possible.  All those bits of orchestral music between scenes finally made sense to me after seeing what was supposed to be happening on stage at the time.

[eyeresist]

If you don't have a DVD, you might consider the Levine/Met set (the old one) which follows Wagner's stage directions as literally as possible.  All those bits of orchestral music between scenes finally made sense to me after seeing what was supposed to be happening on stage at the time.

A shame the video is outdated. A lavish traditional staging in high-def widescreen with surround sound would be ... awesome.

[bigshot]

I didn't care at all for Levine's conducting. He tends toward just treading water for long stretches.

[Coopmv]

I didn't care at all for Levine's conducting. He tends toward just treading water for long stretches.

You are not the only one.  I don't care for him as a conductor ...

[rw1883]

Speaking of Levine (and Luisi)...

http://www.crotchet.co.uk/734770.html?id=PMv3zaBG

[Scarpia]

Speaking of Levine (and Luisi)...

http://www.crotchet.co.uk/734770.html?id=PMv3zaBG

The "background" information they give is amusing.

The most famous, the most performed, the most thrilling, and the most recorded opera cycle in music history...

Is there another opera cycle?

[DavidRoss]

A shame the video is outdated. A lavish traditional staging in high-def widescreen with surround sound would be ... awesome.

CGI to the rescue! (Perhaps Peter Jackson & the LOTR crew could do the trick ... that is, if you don't mind them leaving out most of Götterdämmerung's Third Act!)

[AndyD.]

I'll be spinning this later today, wondering how it will stand up to the Stein/Jerusalem dvd.


Seeing Matti Salminen as Gurnemanz makes my checking this out a veritable no-brainer.

[Papy Oli]

so this is the place then.... 

bit of a quandry here... I only have 3 operas CDs (one Norma I received by error from amazon, one Mozart overtures, a selection of Tristan & Isolde on a Carlos Kleiber CD) and yet I am getting a bit twitchy about this Solti boxset, which is at € 79.00 only at JPC.

Lohengrin (Hans Sotin, Placido Domingo, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau,
Jessye Norman, Wien PO/1986)
+Parsifal (Rene Kollo, Gottlob Frick, Christa Ludwig, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Wien PO/1972)
+Der Fliegende Holländer (Janis Martin, Rene Kollo, Martti Talvela, Werner Krenn,
Chicago SO/1976)
+Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Norman Bailey, Rene Kollo, Kurt Moll, Hannelore Bode, Wien PO/1975)
+Tannhäuser (Hans Sotin, Helga Dernesch, Kurt Equiluz, Wien PO/1970)
+Tristan & Isolde (Birgit Nilsson, Fritz Uhl, Tom Krause, Regina Resnik, Wien PO/1960)
+Der Ring des Nibelungen (Rheingold / Walküre / Siegfried / Götterdämmerung)
(Kirsten Flagstad, Regine Crespin, Helga Dernesch, Birgit Nilsson, Brigitte Fassbaender, Christa Ludwig, Helen Watts, James King, Hans Hotter, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Lucia Popp, Wolfgang Windgassen, Claire Watson, Wien PO/1959-1963)

I have listened to some samples on JPC and it is very much a case of yes-yes-no-yes-no-yes-yes-yes-no so I have no idea  .... i thought about buying just one full opera only, but is it really giving Wagner a fair trial if i do so ? That boxset is a steal at that price, isn't it ? ....especially if I treat it as a long term "investment" and go through it at my own pace and do it properly with the libretto... right ? 

God... what am I doing in this place.... 

/snypprrrr mode OFF  0:)

[DavidRoss]

so this is the place then.... 

bit of a quandry here... I only have 3 operas CDs (one Norma I received by error from amazon, one Mozart overtures, a selection of Tristan & Isolde on a Carlos Kleiber CD) and yet I am getting a bit twitchy about this Solti boxset, which is at € 79.00 only at JPC.



I have listened to some samples on JPC and it is very much a case of yes-yes-no-yes-no-yes-yes-yes-no so I have no idea  .... i thought about buying just one full opera only, but is it really giving Wagner a fair trial if i do so ? That boxset is a steal at that price, isn't it ? ....especially if I treat it as a long term "investment" and go through it at my own pace and do it properly with the libretto... right ? 

God... what am I doing in this place.... 

/snypprrrr mode OFF  0:)

Ha!

Yes, it's a steal at that price. I paid half that for Die Meistersinger alone and more than that just for the Ring cycle. Might as well just get it...all the Wagner you'll ever need (and maybe more than you'll ever want) for less than the cost of the one must-have alone.