Wagner One Ring to rule them all...

[madaboutmahler]

Thank you for all your feedback, I was not expecting so much! All your posts have been very interesting and very helpful to me, and some made me laugh as well.

As Marvin said, I am sure that I will decide to own more than one Ring cycle. Like a set of the Mahler symphonies, the interpretations are so different, and none can be perfect for such an expansive piece I suppose.

Will start with the Karajan, then the Bohm, then eventually the Solti and the DVD set that Jens recommended.

Thank you so much once again for all your help!

[Mirror Image]

Daniel + Karajan's Ring = wise choice.

[Lisztianwagner]

Will start with the Karajan, then the Bohm, then eventually the Solti and the DVD set that Jens recommended.

Das ist wirklich wunderschön!

I'm sure you will certainly love Der Ring, the most beautiful masterpiece ever composed; I know you particularly appreciate Götterdämmerung and its passionate and powerful finale, but try to start listening from Das Rheingold.

[madaboutmahler]

Daniel + Karajan's Ring = wise choice.

Das ist wirklich wunderschön!

I'm sure you will certainly love Der Ring, the most beautiful masterpiece ever composed alongside all Mahler, particularly the late symphonies; I know you particularly appreciate Götterdämmerung and its passionate and powerful finale, but try to start listening from Das Rheingold.

You keep on forgetting Mahler, Ilaria!
Yes, I shall start from the beggining with Das Rheingold, and move through the operas in the right order. Really looking forward to it!
I am sure I will absolutely love it too!

[Lisztianwagner]

You keep on forgetting Mahler, Ilaria!
Yes, I shall start from the beggining with Das Rheingold, and move through the operas in the right order. Really looking forward to it!
I am sure I will absolutely love it too!

Really happy to hear this! No other music can be as thrilling, powerful, passionate, intense and introspective as Wagner's one is!
I never forget Mahler (and how could I do this?!), one of my favourite composers and whose works I absolutely love; I only speak for myself: Mahler comes after Wagner for me.

[Karl Henning]

Go easy on her, Daniel!

[Karl Henning]

  Oh and Karl, Please PLEASE tell me that you finally got around to listening to the Bohm Ring (you know the one in your Beyreuth box!) in its entirety!  (how long has it been now since you started?? are you anywhere near finished?).

With Wagnerian delicacy, Marvin, I am sorry to inform you that I haven't.  It's such a while ago, I honestly don't know where I left off . . . .

[madaboutmahler]

Go easy on her, Daniel!

I doubt I shall ever have to send a Mahler hammering in Ilaria's direction, she is a dedicated Mahlerian!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

With Wagnerian delicacy, Marvin, I am sorry to inform you that I haven't.  It's such a while ago, I honestly don't know where I left off . . . .

Wagner quit composing the Ring during the Second Act of Siegfried and resumed 12 years later. Don't worry.

[Karl Henning]

Wagner quit composing the Ring during the Second Act of Siegfried and resumed 12 years later. Don't worry.

There is yet hope for White Nights, then! : )

[Lisztianwagner]

Go easy on her, Daniel!

I doubt I shall ever have to send a Mahler hammering in Ilaria's direction, she is a dedicated Mahlerian!

Correct

Anyway I could always defend myself with Nothung, Siegfried's sword

[Karl Henning]

It will be a near thing, whether the head of the hammer ruins Nothung's blade, or whether Nothung severs the handle.  It will be a battle worth watching!

[marvinbrown]

Wagner quit composing the Ring during the Second Act of Siegfried and resumed 12 years later. Don't worry.

  Well said J.Z Herrenberg. I admire Karl's courage though and hope that one day he would complete this task of listening to the Ring in its entirety. I can relate to Karl, on my end I have a slight aversion to Haydn, I have never heard any of his symphonies nor his string quartets and I keep telling myself that those are core repertoire works and yet they sit in my amazon.co.uk basket never purchased- sigh!

  No worries Karl, take all the time you need with Wagner's Ring.

  marvin

[eyeresist]

You can't really be in Sidney! (j/k)

Heh, no, that was a lie for humorous effect (I hoped).

Re the bel canto issue, is anyone else hoping for a Pappano Ring at some point?

[rw1883]

Heh, no, that was a lie for humorous effect (I hoped).

Re the bel canto issue, is anyone else hoping for a Pappano Ring at some point?

Yes!! Pappano!!  The Walküre from the 2005 BBC Proms and his EMI excerpts (Siegfried and Götterdämmurung) are excellent.  Did anyone attend or hear the Covent Garden Ring? From what I remember, the cycle took place over a few years.  The revival will be opening the 2012-13 season...

Paul

[bigshot]

Solti, then Bohm.

[jlaurson]

Awash in Beautiful Music: Munich's Promising Rheingold
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2012/02/awash-in-beautiful-music-munichs.html

[eyeresist]

Awash in Beautiful Music: Munich's Promising Rheingold
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2012/02/awash-in-beautiful-music-munichs.html

Are all those bodies really necessary?

[Elgarian]

The 1999 Amsterdam Ring seems to have attracted a wide range of critical response, and at full price I wouldn't want to risk buying it. But various places seems to be disposing of their Rheingold and Walkure DVD sets very cheaply (under £10), so I bought a Walkure and am presently awaiting its arrival.

Anyone know it? Will I be thrilled or disappointed?

[mc ukrneal]

The 1999 Amsterdam Ring seems to have attracted a wide range of critical response, and at full price I wouldn't want to risk buying it. But various places seems to be disposing of their Rheingold and Walkure DVD sets very cheaply (under £10), so I bought a Walkure and am presently awaiting its arrival.

Anyone know it? Will I be thrilled or disappointed?

I don't know whether you will like the production, but I think you will like the sound. The orchestra is good and so is the singing (most of the time). So as long as you are a bit forgiving (or at least flexible) on the staging, I think you will enjoy it.