Wagner's Valhalla

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

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madaboutmahler

Quote from: Lisztianwagner on April 26, 2012, 01:20:19 PM
Really?? Oh, I must definitely come to England then!! :o
Quote from: jlaurson on April 26, 2012, 01:25:35 PM
I believe there's a Ring Cycle everywhere, next year. There won't be any escaping from Wagner in 2013.

Looks like you will have a lot of choice, Ilaria! But come to England anyway! ;)

"Music is ... A higher revelation than all Wisdom & Philosophy"
— Ludwig van Beethoven

kishnevi

Quote from: jlaurson on April 26, 2012, 01:25:35 PM
I believe there's a Ring Cycle everywhere, next year. There won't be any escaping from Wagner in 2013.

Ilaria, how convenient is Milan for you?  (I have no idea of where in Italy you live.) 
La Scala is doing the full cycle twice in the last half of June 2013. 
http://www.teatroallascala.org/ring/en/ring.html

There will also be productions of Lohengrin and Dutchman, if you want to poke around their website for info.

I've seen three Wagner opera productions live in theatre (meaning, not on DVD or telecast)--Dutchman in the local Atlanta opera production, and Lohengrin and Tannhauser among the operas the Met used to bring in its annual tours to Atlanta and other cities.  That was all in the late '70s.

Here in Miami, the FGO seems to have not gotten the memo that this will be an anniversary year--Puccini, Mozart, Bellini, and Verdi get the four slots for next year's productions.

Lisztianwagner

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on April 26, 2012, 07:06:32 PM
Ilaria, how convenient is Milan for you?  (I have no idea of where in Italy you live.) 
La Scala is doing the full cycle twice in the last half of June 2013. 
http://www.teatroallascala.org/ring/en/ring.html

There will also be productions of Lohengrin and Dutchman, if you want to poke around their website for info.

I've seen three Wagner opera productions live in theatre (meaning, not on DVD or telecast)--Dutchman in the local Atlanta opera production, and Lohengrin and Tannhauser among the operas the Met used to bring in its annual tours to Atlanta and other cities.  That was all in the late '70s.

Ah, luckily it's extremely convenient, it takes just 1 hour and half by train (I live in Padua).
I've already had a look at the programme of the next season and I'm so so happy to see they are going to perform no less than seven Wagner's operas!! Lohengrin, The Flying Dutchman, Gotterdammerung and the whole Ring Cycle, plus Siegfried in October!! :D
Anyway, thank you for sending me the link, Jeffrey, you were very kind. :) Actually, I need to check the correct dates.

So far I've seen five Wagner opera productions live in theatre: Das Rheingold both in Milan and in Venice, Die Walkure in Milan and both Siegfried and Gotterdammerung in Bari. I'm really looking forward to seeing Barenboim's performances!!

Quote from: madaboutmahler on April 26, 2012, 01:32:53 PM
Looks like you will have a lot of choice, Ilaria! But come to England anyway! ;)

Haha, quite right! I will try to do it anyway. ;)
"You cannot expect the Form before the Idea, for they will come into being together." - Arnold Schönberg

Karl Henning

Quote from: Elgarian on April 26, 2012, 11:58:05 AM
I almost envy you your first experience of Gotterdammerung, Daniel. A little over 30 years ago, English National Opera toured their Ring in the north of England, including Manchester. We'd known the Ring from our Bohm/Bayreuth recording, bought 2 or 3 years earlier, so we bought tickets for the Gotterdammerung evening (all we could afford, and this was our favourite of the four). I remember it was a hot evening, and we sweltered high up in the cheapest seats, while Rita Hunter and Alberto Remedios put on what surely must have been one of their finest performances. We were transfixed, despite the discomfort, from beginning to end. It was the finest musical experience of my life, and it's never been surpassed since.

It seems we were not alone in our enjoyment of it. At the end the audience erupted, and applauded, and applauded, and applauded, as if they were unwilling ever to let the performers go. I've never experienced anything like that response since, either. But in hindsight, I think nothing but Gotterdammerung could have permitted this kind of transcendence of performance/engagement. For a few hours we were among the gods, and died with them. You can't really beat that.

incidentally . . . to-day was a kind of landmark for me, in a small way.  This is the first I have loaded Wagner onto my mp3 player; and the two operas wherewith I observed this watershed are Götterdämmerung & Siegfried, the Böhm/Bayreuth Festspiel recording included in The Cube.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Lisztianwagner

Quote from: karlhenning on April 30, 2012, 10:32:09 AM
incidentally . . . to-day was a kind of landmark for me, in a small way.  This is the first I have loaded Wagner onto my mp3 player; and the two operas wherewith I observed this watershed are Götterdämmerung & Siegfried, the Böhm/Bayreuth Festspiel recording included in The Cube.

Amazing, Karl! Böhm's recordings are excellent choices. :)
"You cannot expect the Form before the Idea, for they will come into being together." - Arnold Schönberg

J.Z. Herrenberg

Quote from: Lisztianwagner on Today at 20:54:11
Amazing, Karl! Böhm's recordings are excellent choices. :)



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

kishnevi

#1746
New release alert:

The Halle recording of Die Walkure (from live performances in July of last year) is slated to come out in about two weeks in the UK (if it's listed on AmazonUS, I didn't find it while looking now).
[asin]B007XRX9BK[/asin]

Amazon UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wagner-Die-Walküre-Hallé/dp/B007XRX9BK/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1335838941&sr=1-1
or PrestoClassical
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Hall%25C3%25A9/CDHLD7531

Acts I and III each get one CD to themselves, and Act II is split between two CDs, with a fifth CD holding the liner notes/libretto in PDF.

Elgarian

Quote from: karlhenning on April 30, 2012, 10:32:09 AM
incidentally . . . to-day was a kind of landmark for me, in a small way.  This is the first I have loaded Wagner onto my mp3 player; and the two operas wherewith I observed this watershed are Götterdämmerung & Siegfried, the Böhm/Bayreuth Festspiel recording included in The Cube.

Good choice. For many years the Bohm was the only recording we had, and although there was always a secret Solti-shaped hole hidden inside me, my appreciation of the Ring was able to blossom and grow perfectly well with Bohm's assistance.

Mirror Image

Quote from: madaboutmahler on April 26, 2012, 01:05:06 PM
Beautiful! It must have been an absolutely stunning event.

I believe there is a Ring Cycle here in London next year... I'll probably only be able to go to just one too... it will be a hard choice to pick which one to see!

Flip a coin to decide: heads - Das Rheingold, tails - Gotterdammerung.

madaboutmahler

Quote from: Mirror Image on May 01, 2012, 08:09:28 PM
Flip a coin to decide: heads - Das Rheingold, tails - Gotterdammerung.

I'd love to see both Die Walkure and Siegfried too though! ;)

I was going to start Gotterdammerung today... but am far too tired for it. Will save it for the weekend. :)
"Music is ... A higher revelation than all Wisdom & Philosophy"
— Ludwig van Beethoven

Lisztianwagner

Choosing only one opera of the Ring Cycle is like Lohengrin's forbidden question: you can't give an answer to that. :)
"You cannot expect the Form before the Idea, for they will come into being together." - Arnold Schönberg

bigshot

The first act of Siegfried comes alive in Goodall's English cycle. It's another one where you need to understand the words.

jlaurson

Just back from

Das Liebesverbot. (Frankfurt Opera)

Less Wagner in Wagner is impossible!

Justly neglected, and just as justly dug out every centennial or sesquicentennial.

Karl Henning

Quote from: jlaurson on May 03, 2012, 02:23:30 AM
. . . Justly neglected, and just as justly dug out every centennial or sesquicentennial.

Aye, because it's the Pen of the Master, there is the obligatory Trotting-Out.  And then, because it is half-baked, the inevitable consequent: Stager's Remorse . . . .
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Karl Henning

Quote from: karlhenning on April 30, 2012, 10:32:09 AM
Incidentally . . . to-day was a kind of landmark for me, in a small way.  This is the first I have loaded Wagner onto my mp3 player; and the two operas wherewith I observed this watershed are Götterdämmerung & Siegfried, the Böhm/Bayreuth Festspiel recording included in The Cube.

I carried on yesterday, with transferring both Das Rheingold & Die Walküre to the trusty mp3 player.

Now, I could theoretically just fold my ears into the headphones and listen to the entire Ring on the morning commute.

But, thank heaven! my morning commute is not nearly so long!
: )
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

J.Z. Herrenberg

Quote>But, thank heaven! my morning commute is not nearly so long! : )

Ever considered a small detour?
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. -- Plato

Karl Henning

Quote from: J.Z. Herrenberg on May 03, 2012, 05:07:17 AM
Quote>But, thank heaven! my morning commute is not nearly so long! : )


Ever considered a small detour?
To Nibelheim? That's not my part of town! ; )
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

J.Z. Herrenberg

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

Lisztianwagner

Quote from: karlhenning on May 03, 2012, 03:53:40 AM
I carried on yesterday, with transferring both Das Rheingold & Die Walküre to the trusty mp3 player.

Now, I could theoretically just fold my ears into the headphones and listen to the entire Ring on the morning commute.

I wonder if you could finally become a devoted wagnerite, Karl. ;)
"You cannot expect the Form before the Idea, for they will come into being together." - Arnold Schönberg

madaboutmahler

Listened to the prologue and first act of Gotterdammerung today. Absolutely amazing, brilliant, beautiful, divine music!!!!

I loved every second of the Prologue in particular, a part near the end made me release a tear as it uplifted me so much! Such great music!

Coming closer to the end of the Ring Journey...  very excited to hear the final acts! I have heard, and been very moved by the Immolation Scene before, but now that I know what has come before it, I imagine it being even more powerfully moving and special.

:)
"Music is ... A higher revelation than all Wisdom & Philosophy"
— Ludwig van Beethoven