Wagner Opera Blowout! Choose Your Favorites!

[Karl Henning]

Redemption, something of which the composer foremost stood in frequent and urgent need, himself ; )

[Sergeant Rock]

I wonder if anyone will vote for the pre-Dutchman operas.  I've never heard them.

Rienzi really is good. (Well, I love it anyway  ) Wagner does a good Meyerbeer impression. I assume you've heard the overture. If you like that, you'd probably like the opera.

This would have been much easier if The Ring was one choice . . .

Too easy    MI's a bastard for making us choose, but he's right.  It's more interesting to be forced to make a choice between the individual Ring operas and the rest.

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

Redemption, something of which the composer foremost stood in frequent and urgent need, himself ; )

Exactly...which is probably why nearly every piece of music he wrote emphasizes that theme.

Sarge

[Marc]

I should not be allowed to participate in this one, 'cause I ain't no Wagnerian. But in my younger years I've listened to most of them at least once .... and the ones that made the best impression were Holländer, Walküre and Parsifal.
But it's sad to see that Rheingold has not been voted for yet. The opening scene is fabeltastic!

[Sergeant Rock]

Good to see another Parsifal fan.

I knew we wouldn't be alone in our admiration. At this point, only Tristan has garnered more votes.

Come to think of it, I have yet to hear Lohengrin in it's entirety as well. I only have one recording of it and it's with Solti. Don't know if it's a good one or not, but I got it really cheap.

Solti's Lohengrin I haven't heard. Kempe and Keilberth are the gold standard. I like the new Bychkov too.

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

But it's sad to see that Rheingold has not been voted for yet. The opening scene is fabeltastic!

Agreed. Along with Act I Scene 3 Walküre, it's probably my favorite bit of Wagner. It's especially good seeing it performed.

Sarge

[Mirror Image]

I knew we wouldn't be alone in our admiration. At this point, only Tristan has garnered more votes.

Solti's Lohengrin I haven't heard. Kempe and Keilberth are the gold standard. I like the new Bychkov too.

Sarge

I'll have to checkout Kempe and Keilberth. Yes, I've seen the Bychkov and was wondering about that one. How is Thielemann's Parsifal? Have you heard it? It looked interesting.

[Gurn Blanston]

The fruit, by god, where is the bloody fruit!  0:)

[Lisztianwagner]

Solti's Lohengrin I haven't heard. Kempe and Keilberth are the gold standard. I like the new Bychkov too.

Sarge

I agree, the Kempe recording is really outstanding, beautiful! But so is the Karajan as well!

[Karl Henning]

Exactly...which is probably why nearly every piece of music he wrote emphasizes that theme.

Good insight, Sarge!

Now: I wonder why my own musical language is . . . all over creation . . . ?

[Sergeant Rock]

How is Thielemann's Parsifal? Have you heard it? It looked interesting.

It does look interesting but I don't own it. I think Jens likes it. My faves are Karajan (desert island), Knappertsbusch '51 and '64, and Boulez (when I'm in a hurry  )

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

The fruit, by god, where is the bloody fruit!  0:)

In this case, an apple, not a banana, would have been appropriate 

Sarge

[Mirror Image]

It does look interesting but I don't own it. I think Jens likes it. My faves are Karajan (desert island), Knappertsbusch '51 and '64, and Boulez (when I'm in a hurry  )

Sarge

Thanks for the feedback. For Parsifal, I only own Karajan and Solti so far. I've enjoyed both recordings.

[Sergeant Rock]

But so is the Karajan as well!

Indeed. I love Karajan's Wagner (my favorite Ring, my favorite Parsifal, my favorite Tristan). In the case of Lohengrin, though, I prefer the singers in other versions.

Sarge

[Karl Henning]

I understand it's extra-languourous, and at some point I must give it a shot in toto in one sitting (well, with intermission, I suppose) . . . but I do like the Levine-led Parsifal in The Cube.

[mc ukrneal]

I understand it's extra-languourous, and at some point I must give it a shot in toto in one sitting (well, with intermission, I suppose) . . . but I do like the Levine-led Parsifal in The Cube.

Is that the one with Domingo or the other one?

[Sergeant Rock]

Is that the one with Domingo or the other one?

Hofmann is Levine's Parsifal in the "Cube" (Bayreuth '85). Domingo is Thielemann's.

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

I understand it's extra-languourous, and at some point I must give it a shot in toto in one sitting (well, with intermission, I suppose) . . . but I do like the Levine-led Parsifal in The Cube.

I like Levine's almost static Parsifal too but I rate it personally below the ones I mentioned.

Sarge

[Mirror Image]

I like Levine's almost static Parsifal too but I rate it personally below the ones I mentioned.

Sarge

I haven't heard Levine's but I don't really see how it could top Karajan's. I may be alone in liking Solti's Parsifal, but was especially good. I don't think I need another one after all. I never have liked EMI's sonics for Karajan, so I'll pass on his Tristan und Isolde. I've got the Bohm and it's quite fine.

[mc ukrneal]

Hofmann is Levine's Parsifal in the "Cube" (Bayreuth '85). Domingo is Thielemann's.

Sarge

Ok. But Domingo also did one with Levine.  At least, I thought he did. Now I will need to check...