Tristan Und Isolde

On this CD:

1. Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen, opera, WWV 49 Overture
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Philadelphia Orchestra
Conducted by Leopold Stokowski

2. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Overture and Venusberg Music
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Philadelphia Orchestra
Conducted by Leopold Stokowski

3. Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, opera, WWV 96 Prelude to Act 3
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Philadelphia Orchestra
Conducted by Leopold Stokowski

4. Tristan und Isolde, opera, WWV 90 Symphonic Synthesis
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Philadelphia Orchestra
Conducted by Leopold Stokowski

Tracks:

The Mastersingers: Prelude
Lohengrin: Prelude To Act III
Faust: Overture
The Mastersingers: 'Awake!'
The Mastersingers: 'Mad, All The World Is Mad'
The Fairies: Overture
Siegfried: Forest Murmurs
The Mastersingers: Act III Quintet
Rienzi: Overture
The Flying Dutchman: Overture
Tannhaeuser: Pilgrim's Chorus
Tannhaeuser: Overture
Gotterdammerung (Twilight Of The Gods): Siegfried's Rhine Journey
Tannhaeuser: Song Of The Evening Star
Lohengrin: Bridal Chorus
Tristan und Isolde: Love-Death
Tannhaeuser: Venusberg Music
Lohengrin: Prelude To Act I
The Mastersingers: Prelude
The Mastersingers: Prize Song
The Mastersingers: Beckmesser And Sachs Duet In Act II
The Valkyrie: The Ride Of The Valkyries
Gotterdammerung: Siegfred's Rhine Journey
Siegfried: Siegfried Idyll
Parsifal: Good Friday Spell
Gotterdammerung: Siegfred's Funeral Music
Tannhaeuser: Overture
Lohengrin: Preludes To Act I And III, And Bridal Chorus

Average customer rating:

Excellent
The Only Truly Memorable Tracks On This 2 Disc Album Are Jochum's Parsifal Pieces
A Thing of Beauty
It's OK
Falls short of being great.

Wagner: Overture & Preludes

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001GLB
Release Date: 1995-02-14

Tracks:

Rienzi: Overture
Overture
Overture
Lohengrin: Prelude to Act I
Lohengrin: Prelude to Act III
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Prelude to Act I
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Prelude to Act III
Die Walkure: The Ride of the Valkyries

Tracks:

TRISTAN & ISOLDE - Prelude to Act I
TRISTAN & ISOLDE - Introduction to Act III (Massig Langsam)
TRISTAN & ISOLDE - Liebestodt
SIEGFRIED - Siegfried-Idyll
GOTTERDAMMERUNG - Orchestral Interlude: Siegfried's Rhine Journey
PARSIFAL
PARSIFAL - Good Friday Music

Amazon.com

This is a dazzling collection of nonvocal excerpts from Wagner's operas, from the peace and loveliness of Rafael Kubelik's Siegfried Idyll to the passionate, disturbed Prelude to the first act of Tristan, led by Karl Bohm, and the wild Ride of the Valkyries, with Herbert von Karajan in a particularly rambunctious mood. Other highlights in the two and a half hours of music are transcendent readings of two Parsifal excerpts by Eugen Jochum and the Bavarian Radio Orchestra and a Flying Dutchman set. But couldn't DG have tried to include some information about anything in their teeny paper insert? --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-02-13

I grew up listening to all kinds of music. I must say that listiening to this CD is a wonderful change to today's music. It is relaxing and soothing.

The Only Truly Memorable Tracks On This 2 Disc Album Are Jochum's Parsifal Pieces.......2006-11-06

Many reviewers are stating that this is some sort of great introduction to Wagner, when I think they are not aware of many other terrific orchestral Wagner CDs. EMI has recently released an outstanding CD by Karajan of various Wagner preludes and overtures from the non "Ring" operas. That CD is part of EMI's "Great Recordings of the Century" catalogue and it's also available in the "Karajan Collection". Two different pressings, exact same thing.

To get some juicy "Ring" selections, you should investigate George Szell's oustanding CD on Sony Essential Classics which is uniquely captivating as far as orchestral excerpts from the Ring operas go.

Getting back to this DG Double, here is my rundown of all the tracks. The Rienzi Overture is done well by Karl Bohm but it's nothing remarkable. The Flying Duthchman also conducted by Bohm is played with gusto, pretty good. The Tannhauser Overture is an extremely dull run-through by Otto Gerdes, what a nightmare! Listen to Solti instead to get the full power of this terrific piece! The Lohengrin preludes by Kubelik lack the dreamy mysticism and rich power of Karajan's versions on EMI. The preludes to Die Meistersinger are played by Bohm and Jochum, Bohm is too relaxed and slow in the prelude to Act 1 but Jochum finds more life in the prelude to act 3. The ultra-famous "Ride of the Valkyries" is played by Karajan, an excerpt from his complete set of the Ring and yes the soprano soloists are on display here. It's a good account but hardly matches the excitement of Solti's version from his complete Ring recording.

The second CD opens up with powerful excerpts from Tristan and Isolde played by Bohm, the prelude and Act 3 intro are taken from his famous Bayreuth set with Birgit Nilsson. Nilsson however is not represented in the final Liebestod, instead a later, not very passionate Bohm recording is tacked on. The Siegfried Idyll is conducted by Kubelik and is not very memorable, certainly lacking the romantic abandon of the famous Karajan versions. Siegfried's Rhine Journey from Gotterdammerung is led by Karajan and sounds great.

Finally we get to the best part of this 2CD package, Eugen Jochum's performances of the Prelude and Good Friday Music from Wagner's final masterpiece, Parsifal. Both sound highly involved and deeply spiritual, the sound is great for something that was recorded way back in 1957. The brass get a bit edgy but it's not much of a worry, the readings are exceptional.

If you're a Wagner newbie, this 2CD set might satisfy you but I recommend you go and buy that EMI Karajan CD and the Ring excerpts by Szell, listen to those and you'll be well on your way to tackling a full opera. The most accessible opera to start with is Lohengrin.

A Thing of Beauty.......2006-06-17

I am not overly fond of opera but there are exceptions. This album is such an exception. I suppose that is because there is little to be heard in the way of singing on it. I like it for the instrumental passages and they are wonderful.

As the title suggests, these are primarily overtures and preludes. They are not as bombastic as Wagner is wont to be but they are very strong. They are evocative of beauty and majesty. It is good orchestral music.

The performances included are all from Germanic orchestras. This music is a part of the culture and it is well done. If I have one complaint, it is a minor one. The pianissimo passages are sometimes so soft as to not be present. They are...understated in the extreme.

All in all, this is a quality recording capable of producing hours of enjoyment from its two disks.

It's OK.......2006-03-20

I judge this CD for it's sound quality - very good. The Wagner's music it's not really my type of music, therefore I can't say it's a poor CD. If the music is just OK is not the CD's fault. Simply my taste doesn't match Wagner's music.

Falls short of being great........2006-02-01

I'm surprised that all of the other reviewers neglected to mention the shortcomings of this set. Without Siegfried's Funeral March from Die Gotterdammerung and coupled with the fact that the liner notes stink, this is well deserving of 2 stars, but I was generous. Get the EMI set "Orchestral Music" with Szell conducting which has everything that this collection has plus Siegfried's Funeral March, good liner notes and extra selections.

Average customer rating:

The ultimate Wagner orchestral music
Magical
5 stars for Klemp and Wagner!
Excellent
"Mistah Klemps" is a Winner, Here!

Wagner: Orchestral Music
Richard Wagner , Otto Klemperer , and Philharmonia Orchestra
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006I0AU
Release Date: 2002-09-17

Tracks:

Overture
Overture
Act.3/Prelude
Act.1/Prelude
Act.3/Prelude
Prelude
Act.3: Dance Of The Apprentices & Entry Of The Masters
Act.1/Prelude

Tracks:

Overture
Scene 4: Entry Of The Gods Into Valhalla
Act.3: Ride Of The Valkyries
Siegfried-Idyll
Act.2: Forest Murmurs
Interlude: Siegfried's Rhine Journey
Act.3: Siegfried's Funeral March
Prelude

Customer Reviews:

The ultimate Wagner orchestral music.......2006-02-05

I have these CDs for almost 15 years before they became a 2-CD set and still play them regularly. Got to know Wagner from the classical Furtwangler cycle, for many the best Wagner music ever recorded. Although Furtwangler is exceptional I do not think that it can surpass these accounts of Klemperer's Wagner. The sound of my CDs is not that great (something that probably has been fixed in these CDs) but the music is illumining in every instance. If you listen to this Tannhuaser you will understand what I am talking about. The Philharmonia Orchestra under Klemperer works miracles as always. A must have for every music-lover, even if you hate Wagner.

Magical.......2005-03-15

I've loved and cherished these performances for nearly 35 years. Much has been said about Wagner's merits (or lack of them) for over a century and a half. When the music is played as Klemperer and his orchestra play it here, there's little doubt as to why The Master had such an enormous impact on so many in his time.

Just sample the Entry of the God's into Valhalla or Siegfried's Funeral March or the incandescent Prelude to Parsifal. They're among the most sublime, noble, and epic recordings of anything you'll ever hear. Rather sad that within the vast bulk of the recent film version of The Lord of the Rings there's not a single moment that equals these three short pieces. What's the point in all that we create these days if we can't plumb a depth now and then?

5 stars for Klemp and Wagner!.......2004-12-16

This set is indispensible for any Wagnerite or Klemperite! It contains glorious playing of the finest calibre, with much weight, energy and beauty.

A definite in anyone's collection.

Excellent.......2004-08-11

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Klemperer's interpretation of this music and, for the most part, the playing of the orchestra. However, when performing to such a high standard, the playing of the Philharmonia Orchestra should be seamless - as it frequently is. But there is alarming sloppiness on exposed wind entrances sometimes and even disunity on such exits, which make this wind-player's ears cringe.
Other than that, I joyfully recommend this recording along with James Levine's MET "Wagner Orchestral music" and "Wagner Overtures and Preludes", which have much of the same music in modern sound and with spotless technique in the orchestra. A comparison between the two interpretations is worthy; Klemperer's approach is spacious a deep, while Levine, though calling for similar tempi in many places, leans tremendously forward.
Summary: some inexcusable blurbs in the winds, but more than worth the price of admission overall.

"Mistah Klemps" is a Winner, Here!.......2004-04-03

As many others, I normally do not care for Wagnerian "bleeding chunks", but when performed as wonderfully as in these fabulous performances, I can more than merely accept them. To pick out some examples, the Meistersinger Prelude is taken surely at the broadest pace I have ever heard, but there is a lightness of touch and sunniness to the interpretation that is absolutely irresistable. Teh Tannhaeuser Overture is overwhelmingly majestic in the Pilgrims' Chorus and volatile in the Venusberg sections. Siegfried goes off on a surprisingly swift Rhine Journey, and the Funeral March has the kind of cataclismic force that Knappertsbusch brought to his famous 1951 Bayreuth performance. The Siegfried Idyll is performed in its original chamber group version, and has more charm than any other I have heard. And the Tristan Prelude and Liebestod has an urgency and sheer erotic impulse that not even Furtwaengler surpassed. These wonderful renditions make one regret that Big Otto never recorded any of the later Wagner Operas complete.

Wagner: Preludes & Overtures [Hybrid SACD]

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Wagner: Preludes & Overtures [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Pentatone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Mozart, W.A.: Violin Concertos Nos. 1, 2 & 5

ASIN: B0002TX9F2
Release Date: 2004-12-14

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Lebendige Vergangenheit: Max Lorenz

Manufacturer: Preiser Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Max Lorenz sings Richard Wagner

ASIN: B0000023N1
Release Date: 1995-02-07

Tracks:

Rienzi: Allmacht'ger Vater, Blick' Herab
Der Fliegende Hollander: Willst Jenes Tag's Du Nicht Dich Mehr Entsinnen
Tannhauser: Dir Tone Lob
Tannhauser: O Furstin! - Max Lorenz/Kate Heidersbach
Lohengrin: Das Susse Lied Verhallt - Max Lorenz/Kate Heidersbach
Lohengrin: Mein Lieber Schwan
Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg: Am Stillen Herd
Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg: Fanget An!
Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg: Preislied
Die Judin: Recha, Als Gott Dich Einst
Carmen: Hier An Dem Herzen Treu Geborgen
Die Afrikanerin: Land So Wunderbar
Die Macht Des Schicksals: Oh, Die Verklart
Aida: O Ware Ich Erkoren... Holde Aida
Aida: Och Seh Dich Wieder, Meine Aida - Max Lorenz/Else Gentner-Fischer
Der Bajazzo: Jetzt Spielen... Hull' Dich In Tand

Average customer rating:

Wagner for Orchestra

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003D0I
Release Date: 1994-08-23

Tracks:

Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg, - Jesus Lopez-Cobos
Overture To Rienzi
Faust Overture
Overture To The Flying Dutchman
Tristan Und Isolde, Prelude And Liebestod
Overture To Tannhauser

Average customer rating:

The full panoply of Solti and the Vienna Phil. in Wagner
WAGNER + VPO + SOLTI = MUSICAL GREATNESS
Wagner the way Wagner should be played.

Wagner: Orchestral Favourites

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Wagner: Overtures & Preludes
Wagner: Overture & Preludes

ASIN: B00000422O
Release Date: 1994-10-11

Tracks:

Rienzi: Rienzi -- Overture
Der fliegende Holldnder: Der fliegende Holldnder -- Overture
Tristan und Isolde: Tristan und Isolde -- Prelude, Act I
Tannhauser: Tannhauser -- Overture
Tannhauser: Tannhauser -- Bacchanale

Tracks:

Lohengrin: Lohengrin -- Prelude, Act I
Siegfried Idyll
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg -- Prelude and Hymn, Act I
Parsifal: Parsifal -- Prelude, Act I
Gotterdammerung: Gotterdammerung -- Siegfried's Funeral March

Customer Reviews:

The full panoply of Solti and the Vienna Phil. in Wagner.......2006-07-09

Most Solti collecitons of Wagner overtures mix and match his readings with the Vienna Phil. and his own Chicago Sym., but here we get familiar chestnuts from the operas exclusively taken from the full operas recorded by Solti in Vienna as well as msicellaneous excerpts LPs. As such, this bargain Double Decca allows us to view the full panoply of a great collaboration that began in the Fifties and ended in the Eighties. (The earliest item here is a Tristan Prelude from 1960, the latest a Lohengrin Act 1 Prelude from 1985.)

What's the overall verdict? Undeniable brilliance and visceral excitment, but somewhat short shrift as far as depth and emotion go. The shortcomings are minimized when it comes to overtures and preludes, however. As is abundantly evident here, Solti revolutionized Wagner recordings by bringing sonic splendor into the picture (albeit these classic Decca blockbusters often have too much edge and brightness in their digital guise).

In sum, a must-listen, especially if you can buy this two-fer on the used market.

WAGNER + VPO + SOLTI = MUSICAL GREATNESS.......2003-09-24

Say what you will about your favorite recording of this or that Wagner opera. There has never been a better long term Wagner "cycle" than the one that came from the partnership between Sir Georg Solti and the Wiener Philharmoniker. This collection of orchestral excerpts is, in its own way, every bit as worthwhile.

Here in two discs (for the price of one no less) we have a great sampling of what makes Wagner's music so moving and magical. Just listen to the preludes from Tristan and Parsifal or the Funeral March from Die Götterdämmerung--this is stuff that revolutionized how we think of music.

Some might quibble that an average of 61 minutes of music per disc is a little stingy--especially when some of the usual suspects (The Ride of the Valkyries springs most readily to mind) have been left out. Some might also find the sound in need of a bit of cleaning. I'd agree.

But I'd also give this recording my heartfelt recommendation. These pieces in the expert hands of Solti and the VPO are well worth having. Don't hesitate to get a copy for yourself.

Wagner the way Wagner should be played........1999-05-13

An excellent recording! The power, intensity and emotion never stops. This is Soltis' music and the Vienna Phil. know how to play it for him.

Wagner: Favourite Overtures / Sir Georg Solti

Average customer rating:

Very good...
Solti Speaks Wagnerian
Not really great playing...
Excellent
What a collection!

Wagner: Favourite Overtures / Sir Georg Solti

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
ASIN: B000006P4V
Release Date: 1998-05-12

Tracks:

Die Walkure: The Ride Of The Valkyries
Lohengrin: Prelude Act I
Rienzi: Overture
Der fliegende Hollander: Overture
Tristan und Isolde: Prelude, Act I
Tannhauser: Overture
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Prelude, Act I

Customer Reviews:

Very good..........2007-03-29

This album is a good one, but a very strange one too. Both orchestras under Solti, are simply astounding. All the pieces in this album are well played and are skilfully conducted by Solti.
Yet, the only reason why I gave it 3 stars, was for the mere reason that Ride of the Valkyries is an excerpt, don't get me wrong, it is extremely well played, yet, that fact that it is a 3+ minute excerpt is rather disappointing. Also, you may hear an awckward timpani entrance in Tannhauser, but that is no reason not to buy this album. Some may complain that Solti liked overblown brass, but in my experience as an orchestral player, for Wagner, you need brass, and no the brass is not overblown.
My other comment on this album is The Flying Dutchman (Der Fliegende Hollander). Performed by the Vienna Phil. (Wiener Phil.), this performance is simply awesome. I still need to get the one with CSO, but as far as this goes, this track is simply awesome. I sincerely think if you do purchase this CD you will enjoy not only The Flying Dutchman, but the rest of the tracks as well. Enjoy!

Solti Speaks Wagnerian.......2002-10-25

I find this particular Solti interpretation of Tannhauser to be one of the best I've heard. The bold and brassy use of horns is both invigorating and unsettling. Thank you Maestro Solti for "painting" with a bold brush when required.

The reason I did not give this disc 5 stars, is because I also found the abbreviated 3 minute clip of The Ride of the Valkyries to be not only disappointing but also unacceptable.

Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg is vintage Solti. His interpretation is probably one of the standard measures for others to compare on this one.

The Rienzi Overture is well done. However, I believe most will find the version conducted by George Szell of the Cleveland Orchestra to be the best. Look for it in Sony's Essential Classics.

Most should find this CD a valuable addition to a basic collection of Wagner instrumentals and I recommend it highly.

Not really great playing..........2002-10-11

This in not a terrible disc but, if I had the chance, I would not buy it again. There is some pretty distasteful playing that goes on, especially in Tannhauser. Orchestral balance is way off in many places. Also, upon listening critically, one will discover some missed notes in Ride of the Valkries, and a very awkward timpani entrance in the first statement of the theme in Tannhauser. For the level that the CSO and VPO regularly perform at, this is really unacceptable. Another complaint with Die Walkure is that, for some odd reason, a three minute version is recorded instead of the five minute version that I am accustomed to. It seems like about a hundred or so bars of music are omitted.

If you like Solti and his approach to Wagner, you might want to give this a try. If not, there are better to be found.

Excellent.......2002-01-29

This CD quickly made it's way into my favourites collection. I'd have to say tracks 5 and 6 alone are worth the cost of the CD. On a scale of 1-5 stars, I'd say this is really a 6!

What a collection!.......1999-05-13

This is Wagner as it should be--conducted by one of the best and played by the two best orchestras in the world.

Average customer rating:

Treasure Beyond Measure
Mickey's Conductor Re-Casts Wagner

Richard Wagner: Leopold Stokowski

Manufacturer: Andante
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Chopin: Solo Piano, Vol. 1
Rossini: Complete Overtures

ASIN: B00009YW8X
Release Date: 2003-07-08

Tracks:

"Rienzi": Overture [18 November 1926 & 6 January 1927]
"Lohengrin": Prelude to Act I [13 October 1927]
"Lohengrin": Prelude to Act III [27 March 1940]
"Das Rheingold: Symphonic Synthesis" (Arranged by Leopold Stokowski): Prelude; "Song of the Rheinmaidens" [4 March 1933]
"Das Rheingold: Symphonic Synthesis" (Arranged by Leopold Stokowski): "Alberich Steals the Gold" [4 March 1933]
"Das Rheingold: Symphonic Synthesis" (Arranged by Leopold Stokowski): "Wotan and Loge Descend into Nibelheim" [4 March 1933]
"Das Rheingold: Symphonic Synthesis" (Arranged by Leopold Stokowski): "Erda's Warning" [4 March 1933]
"Das Rheingold: Symphonic Synthesis" (Arranged by Leopold Stokowski): "Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla" [4 March 1933]
"Die Walkexcerpts: "Siegmund Comforts Sieglinde" [30 April 1934]
"Die Walkexcerpts: "Ride of the Valkyries" [30 April 1934]
"Die Walkexcerpts: "Brde Pleads Before Wotan" [30 April 1934]
"Die Walkexcerpts: "Wotan's Farewell and Magic Fire Music" [Lawrence Tibbett (baritone), 30 April 1934]

Tracks:

"Die Walk"Magic Fire Music" (orchestral version) [9 April 1939]
"Siegfried"; excerpts: "The Wanderer Questions Mime" [10 December 1934]
"Siegfried"; excerpts: "Nothung! Nothung!" [Frederick Jagel (tenor), 10 December 1934]
"Siegfried"; excerpts: "Forest Murmurs" [10 December 1934]
"Siegfried"; excerpts: Act III finale [Agnes Davis (soprano), Frederick Jagel (tenor), 10 December 1934]
"Grderung"; excerpts: "Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey" [25 March, 29 April & 28 October 1933]
"Grderung"; excerpts: "Siegfried's Death and Funeral Music" [25 March, 29 April & 28 October 1933]
"Grderung"; excerpts: "Brde's Immolation" and finale [Agnes Davis (soprano), 25 March, 29 April & 28 October 1933]
"Grderung": finale [6 January 1927]

Tracks:

"Tannher": Overture and Venusberg Music (Paris version) [23 September 1929, 14 March & 29 April 1930]
"Tannher": Overture and Venusberg Music (Paris version) [12 December 1937]
"Tannher": Prelude to Act III (Arranged by Leopold Stokowski) [15 January 1936]
"Tannher": Overture (Dresden version) [7 November & 5 December 1921]
"Tannher": Fest March "Entry of the Guests" [28 April, 1924]

Tracks:

"Tristan und Isolde: Symphonic Synthesis" (first version, Arranged by Leopold Stokowski): Prelude to Act I [16 & 23 April 1932]
"Tristan und Isolde: Symphonic Synthesis" (first version, Arranged by Leopold Stokowski): "Potion Music" [16 & 23 April 1932]
"Tristan und Isolde: Symphonic Synthesis" (first version, Arranged by Leopold Stokowski): "Liebesnacht"; "Liebestod" [16 & 23 April 1932]
"Tristan und Isolde: Symphonic Synthesis" (second version, Arranged by Leopold Stokowski): Prelude to Act I [5 April & 7 November 1937]
"Tristan und Isolde: Symphonic Synthesis" (second version, Arranged by Leopold Stokowski): "Liebesnacht" and Act II finale [16 & 30 December 1935]
"Tristan und Isolde: Symphonic Synthesis" (second version, Arranged by Leopold Stokowski): "Liebestod" [20 April 1939]

Tracks:

"Wesendonck" Lieder: III. "Im Treibhaus" [Helen Traubel (soprano), 22 December 1940]
"Wesendonck" Lieder: V. "Tre" [Helen Traubel (soprano), 22 December 1940]
"Wesendonck" Lieder: IV. "Schmerzen" [Helen Traubel (soprano), 22 December 1940]
"Die Meistersinger von Ng": Prelude to Act I [15 January 1936]
"Die Meistersinger von Ng": Prelude to Act III [17 March 1931]
"Parsifal": Prelude to Act I [28 November 1936]
"Parsifal": Act III: "Good Friday Spell" [28 November 1936]
"Parsifal: Symph

Album Description

This five-CD set showcases the greatest music of Wagner via Leopold Stokowski's legendary recordings with the Philadelphia Orchestra, originally issued from 1921-40. Conducting overtures, preludes, scenes and his own patented "symphonic syntheses" from Wagner's operas, Stokowski manipulates his famed "Philadelphia Sound" to create theatrical concert epics. Music from "Rienzi," "Tannhäuser," "Lohengrin," "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg," "Tristan und Isolde," "Parsifal" and "Der Ring des Nibelungen" is included, as well as excerpts from the "Wesendonck" Lieder with soprano Helen Traubel. Vastly superseding any previous Wagner/Stokowski set, this historic collection was produced and digitally remastered by Ward Marston, who painstakingly restored the material from the best available vintage 78s.

Packaged in an alluring protective slipcase, the 144-page, hardbound companion book features iconic photos of Stokowski, as well as a wide array of images and artifacts associated with Wagner. The extensive texts — in English, French and German — include an introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tim Page, a detailed producer's note by Ward Marston and an essay by critic Jed Distler "Stokowski's Wagner: Theater of the Mind." Also included are detailed artist biographies from "The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians."

Customer Reviews:

Treasure Beyond Measure.......2005-07-25

Please don't let the age of these recordings (1920s-1940) dissuade you from experiencing some of the greatest Wagner playing ever captured, whether in live concert or in the studio.

Once again, Ward Marston has achieved miracles of sonic restoration, this time letting us hear anew the majesty and splendor of these justly famed performances by Stokowski and his fabulous Philadelphians. Even in dimmer transfers of this and other early-Philadelphia material, attentive listeners could sense that Stokowski was the man to whom Philadelphia owed its trademark sonic profile and often-staggering virtuosity (which Ormandy kept alive and well into the stereo era). Thanks to the tireless ministrations of Marston (surely the patron saint of sonic restoration), this album makes it easier than ever to enjoy Philadelphia's glorious early sound.

The performances themselves have never been surpassed and, to my mind, have but one twin sibling: Furtwängler's priceless two-disc Wagner album ("Extracts from the Operas," EMI 5-86191-2; reissued last year in breathtakingly fine new transfers). Both conductors give us a kind of Wagner musicmaking that no one before or since has approached. And despite the technical limitations of the times, the recordings admirably capture the sumptuous Wagner sound.

As impressive as these performances and transfers are, it would naturally be unrealistic to expect their decibel content to knock you out of your seat. If you want that big a bang, you must supplement these classics with more recent recordings. But grandeur is not merely a function of decibels and dynamic range, and on this album and Furtwängler's you will hear a level of rapport with Wagner's deepest impulses, a grandeur of conception, and a quality of orchestral execution that come through loud and clear as they do nowhere else. Many musicians playing in these recordings studied under Wagner's contemporaries (indeed, in the earliest recordings of both conductors, we are almost certainly hearing the playing of a few people who were children or teenagers during Wagner's final years). As a result, these players absorbed the spirit of the Wagnerian age with their every formative breath. Through these precious recordings, they effortlessly project intangible qualities to which no later generations can ever lay claim. While we have lost much, we can yet rejoice in what remains.

Listen, for instance, to the string *portamenti* (connecting slides) and other "old-fashioned" stylistic touches that have all but vanished from our current musical culture, and you will appreciate why these sonic documents will always retain the highest importance to (1) anyone interested in authentic 19th-century orchestral performance style as it survived into the first decades of the 20th century and (2) anyone seeking to experience the highest levels of inspired musicmaking. In the presence of superior, old-school musicians like these, one often hears far more convincing and illuminating results in late-Romantic scores: when they tastefully embellish with unwritten gestures, the musicians are probably closer to reproducing the music as Wagner might have expected to hear it and are more closely attuned to its inner spirit than any dead-accurate reproduction of the written page alone can hope to be, however fine the performance turns out in other respects.

There is simply too much treasure here to discuss in detail. But it's worth noting that the collection includes superb contributions from major U.S. singers like Helen Traubel and Lawrence Tibbett. Under Stokowski's inspirational leadership and Philadelphia's luxurious support, even a lesser singer like Agnes Davis probably outdid herself.

If you want a direct route to the heart of Wagner, this set and EMI's anthology are the royal road to Wagner's mythic kingdom. Gladly pay the fare, and take the journey! The asking price is but a pittance against the wonders that these orchestral wizards will reveal to you.

Mickey's Conductor Re-Casts Wagner.......2005-04-16

This box set is a very definitive tour de force of Wagner's incredible music delivered with imagination and prowess by that most iconoclastic conductor and his Philadelphians. It might justly be argued that these are the recordings that established the Philadelphia Sound. Stokowski was always his own man. True enough of any conductor, but in as much as my father used to deliver sandwiches to him during rehearsals across and down Syndenham Street, his personality and his predilections were well known, and the stuff of legends. For all that, he COMMANDED this orchestra. They were HIS, and they knew it.
Fitting then that he should re-work Wagner according to Stokowski.
The music speaks for itself. It is spectacular! Tremendous effort by Ward Marston to bring these old &8's and whatever source tapes he could acquire to such wonderful sonics should be acknowledged as well. Ward is a master at how things should sound, and he is as much the star of these recordings as Stokowski and the PhO. Clarity and tempi must have driven him crazy, and yet, for all that, he has produced a remastered work of genius. The sound of these recordings is simply breathtaking.
So, if you have an avocation for Wagner, Leopold, the old Philly O, or wonderful recordings, this is an absolute must. Ward's been nominated for Grammies for his technical work. He should have won one for this. Anytime you see Ward Marston's name, you can be assured of excellence. This set is absolutely worth the price.

WAGNER: The Complete Overtures and Orchestral Music from the Operas

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WAGNER: The Complete Overtures and Orchestral Music from the Operas
Yuri Simonov , Francesco D'Avalos , and London Philharmonia Orchestra
Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005MLXT
Release Date: 2001-06-12

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