Wagner: The Bayreuth "Tannehäuser"

On this CD:

1. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act I: Overture
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

2. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act I, Scene I: Venusberg Music
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

3. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act I, Scene I: Chorus of Sirens
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

4. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act I, Scene II: Gelibter sag'
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

5. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act I, Scene II: Dir töne Lob!
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

6. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act I, Scene II: Treuloser! zieh'n
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

7. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act I, Scene II: Stets soll nur dir
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

8. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act I, Scene III: Frau Holda kam aus dem Berg
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

9. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act I, Scene IV: Wer ist der dort
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

10. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act I, Scene IV: Als du in Kühnem Sange
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

11. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act II: Introduction
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

12. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act II, Scene I: Dich teure Halle
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

13. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act II, Scene II: Dort ist sie
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

14. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act II, Scene II: Doch welch ein seltsam neues Leben
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

15. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act II, Scene IV: Freudig begrüssen wir die Halle
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

16. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act II, Scene IV: The Minstrel's Tournament
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

17. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act II, Scene IV: Zurück von ihm!
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

18. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act II, Scene IV: Darf ich auch neimals
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

19. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act II, Scene IV: Ein furchtbares Verbrechen
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

20. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act III, Scene I: Wohl wuss'ich
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

21. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act III, Scene I: Allmächt' ge Jungfrau
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

22. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act III, Scene II: Wie Todesahnung...Da scheinest du
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

23. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Act III, Scene III: Inbrunstim Herzen
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Ivar Andresen, Erna Berger, Herbert Janssen, Maria Muller, Joachim Sattler, Ruth Jost-Arden, Sigismund Pilinszky, Carl Stralendorf, Georg Von Tschurtschenthaler
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff

Tracks:

Souvenirs De Bayreuth: I
Souvenirs De Bayreuth: II
Souvenirs De Bayreuth: III
Souvenirs De Bayreuth: IV
Souvenirs De Bayreuth: V
Huit Pieces Breves, Op.84: I. Capriccio
Huit Pieces Breves, Op.84: II. Fant
Huit Pieces Breves, Op.84: III. Fugue in a
Huit Pieces Breves, Op.84: IV. Adagietto
Huit Pieces Breves, Op.84: V. Improvisation
Huit Pieces Breves, Op.84: VI. Fugue in e
Huit Pieces Breves, Op.84: VII. Allegresse
Huit Pieces Breves, Op.84: VIII. Nocturne No.8
Masques Et Bergamasques, Op.112: Ov
Masques Et Bergamasques, Op.112: Menuet
Masques Et Bergamasques, Op.112: Gavotte
Masques Et Bergamasques, Op.112: Pastorale
Allegro Symphonique, Op.68 (From Ste, Op.20)
Dolly Ste, Op.56: Berceuse
Dolly Ste, Op.56: Mi-a-ou
Dolly Ste, Op.56: Le Jardin De Dolly
Dolly Ste, Op.56: Kitty Valse
Dolly Ste, Op.56: Tendresse
Dolly Ste, Op.56: Le Pas Espagnol

Wagner: The Complete Karl Muck Parsifal Recordings, Orchestral Suite, etc / Muck

Average customer rating:

Astonishing!
As Good As It Gets
Great Wagner Performances at an Unbeatable Price
for the serious Wagner enthusiast, it's indispensable

Wagner: The Complete Karl Muck Parsifal Recordings, Orchestral Suite, etc / Muck
Karl Muck , Alfred Hertz , Gotthelf Pistor , Cornelius Bronsgeest , Ludwig Hofmann , Ingeborg Holmgren , Anny Helm , Minnie Ruske-Leopold , Hilde Sinnek , Charlotte Moller , Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra , and Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Wagner - Parsifal / Knappertsbusch

ASIN: B000026C8I
Release Date: 1999-10-26

Tracks:

Parsifal: Orchestral Suite: Prelude To Act 1
Parsifal: Act I Transformation Music
Parsifal: Act III Transformation Music
Parsifal: Good Friday Spell
Parsifal: Act I: Prelude To Act I
Parsifal: Transformation Music
Parsifal: Grail Scene: 'Zum letzten Liebesmahle'
Parsifal: 'Durch Mitleid wissend, der reine Tor'
Parsifal: 'Wein und Brot des letzten Mahles'

Tracks:

Parsifal: Act II: Flower Maidens Scene
Parsifal: Act III: Prelude
Parsifal: 'Heil mir, dass ich dich wieder finde!'
Parsifal: 'O Gnade! Hochstes Heil!'
Parsifal: 'So ward es uns verhiessen' - Good Friday Spell
Parsifal: 'Mittag: die Stund' ist da' - Transformation Music
Parsifal: 'Geleiten wir im bergenden Schrein'
Parsifal: 'Ja, Wehe! Wehe!'
Parsifal: 'Nur eine Waffe taugt'
Parsifal: 'So ward es uns verhiessen' - Good Friday Spell

Amazon.com

Karl Muck (1859-1940), one of the greatest Wagnerian conductors of the generation immediately following those who knew and worked directly with the master, was responsible for leading the performances of Parsifal at Bayreuth from 1901 until 1930. Wagner's last opera was, in a word, Muck's property, and this magnificent two-CD set documents his unique and intense relationship with that work in exemplary fashion. It contains Muck's accounts of the Prelude to Act I and a sizable amount of Act III, recorded with the chorus and orchestra of the Berlin State Opera, and of excerpts from Acts I and II, recorded with the chorus and orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival. The recordings, made in 1927 and 1928, reflect the glow of a golden age in Wagner interpretation, and thanks to Naxos's extraordinary job of remastering, that reflection is no longer a dim one.

The great Wagnerian soprano Frida Leider, whose voice is not heard on these recordings, encountered Muck in his later years at Bayreuth and was struck by the slowness of his tempos in Parsifal. Indeed, they are slow: the Act I prelude takes 15:55 by the clock and seems even longer, yet the effect is sublime. Muck sustains the prelude as if on a single breath, just at the point where the pulse almost disappears; the music seems to arise out of silence and darkness to become light and spirit. This is just what Wagner intended. The Act III excerpts, which feature tenor Gotthelf Pistor as Parsifal and bass Ludwig Hofmann as Gurnemanz, are also superb. Pistor's is quite a fine voice--he was a real heldentenor--and the drama is palpable. But the greatest treasure here is the playing of the State Opera orchestra. Muck had been its chief conductor for 20 years, from 1892, and the chemistry between him and his erstwhile colleagues is particularly remarkable. They are majestic in the "Good Friday Spell," and they bring enormous grandeur and radiance to the closing pages of the opera. What a superb band this was!

The segments recorded in Bayreuth are only a little less enchanting, largely because the chorus preparation leaves a lot to be desired (the chromaticism in Wagner's writing was difficult then, and still is). But we hear the original Bayreuth bells in the Act I transformation music (they were carried up to Berlin for the Act III processional music as well); cast to Wagner's own specifications, and melted down for the German war effort in 1940, they are truly a "voice" from the past.

The two discs are superbly laid out, and include, in addition to the Muck material, a four-part orchestral suite from Parsifal conducted by Alfred Hertz and recorded in 1913 with the Berlin Philharmonic, as well as the "Good Friday Spell" played by the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra under the direction of Siegfried Wagner, the composer's son, recorded in 1927. The transfers by Mark Obert-Thorn are the best yet of these historic recordings. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Astonishing!.......2006-06-19

How amazing that a recording from 1927 can have such an effect on a listener of today! Having gotten used to Levine's wonderful recording from the Met with its polished sound quality and mindblowing soloists, I was quite shocked and surprised to have tears running down my cheeks listening to Karl Muck's recordings here. In spite of some background noise, very little however, the music comes through and has that "parsifal effect" on me, chills and all, more than ever! I'm going to leave it to the experts to explain why and how Muck achieves this, all I can say is that listening to this recording leaves me startled and in total respect of these old masters!

Having this gem available in such an improved sound quality is a blessing to all Wagner fans, a blessing you want to make the most of, so get it now!

As Good As It Gets.......2002-07-02

After reading the other reviews of this disc I couldn't wait to hear it. I'm not disappointed. The only caveat about this set is some widely scattered distortion that the filtering couldn't remove. That being said, the Karl Muck "Parsifal" selections, which are the reason to buy this disc, could hardly be better. In comparison with much more expensive vintage discs from EMI, DG and Music and Arts from the 30's and 40's I have, these 1927 and 1928 recordings sound better! Compared to Barenboim's recent highlights on Teldec, this set offers far less sonic annoyance and almost infinitely more musical satisfaction. It is bliss, and Muck leaves it to you, the listener, to groan with pleasure. What Muck recorded here is about 40 minutes of Act 1, including Prelude, Transformation music, and a choral Grail Scene (no solists). Ditto the 5 minute Flower Maiden Scene from Act2. Then comes over an hour of Act 3, complete with soloists. Filling out the discs are a 1913 recording of the orchestral suite from the opera, and Siegfried Wagner's 1927 recording of the Good Friday Spell, so if you listen to both discs straight through, you'll hear that music 3 times, twice with soloists! I usually just listen to the Muck excerpts.

Great Wagner Performances at an Unbeatable Price.......2002-01-23

Karl Muck was one of the great Wagner conductors, with an uncanny feel for Wagner's music (and a resemblance to the composer that was so uncanny that people thought that he was Wagner's illegitimate son!). Now his recordings of Wagner's final opera are on this 2-CD set from Naxos.

Along with the Muck recordings from 1927 and 1928, there are also recordings of music from Parsifal by Siegfried Wagner (the composer's son) and Alfred Hertz (the latter excerpts were recorded in 1913, in the acoustic era, and some sonic allowances should be made for them).

But you'll be buying this set (as I hope you will) for the Karl Muck tracks. They are truly amazing. When you consider that he was forced to record this music on 78 R.P.M. records in snippets of three minutes or so, the quality of his performances is astounding. Audio Restoration Engineer Mark Obert-Thorn has done a marvellous job restoring these discs so that they sound as good as they possibly can, and Naxos has put them out at an unbeatable price. If you have any interest in Wagner at all, I would grab this set.

One more thing. On the 6th track of the first disc, Muck conducts the Transformation Music for the Grail Scene in Act I. In that scene you hear the bells that Wagner had constructed for the first performances of Parsifal at his own theater at Bayreuth (where these recordings were made). Those bells were later melted down by the Nazis for ammunition during World War II. Listen for them -- they carry you right back to the sound that Wagner must have heard at the premiere.

for the serious Wagner enthusiast, it's indispensable.......2002-01-03

It was a pleasure indeed to hear this set on CD, I purchased Karl Muck's Parsifal Act III excerpts on a Lebendige Vergangenheit (Living History) LP close to 20 years ago. The first transfers from the original 78s were effective and these new transfers have further reduced background hiss and noise. The sound quality in the Alfred Hertz excerpts, made in September, 1913, is significantly worse than all the others, which were done in 1927 and 1928. According to the excellent program notes electrical recording came into use around 1925. It is also noted, and very audible, that the 1882 Bayreuth bells in the Transformation Music are at a significantly lower pitch than the orchestras of the 1920s. The effect remains startling nonetheless.

This set is not for everybody, as it contains 3 performances of the Good Friday Music, one of which is purely orchestral, and two accounts of the Act I Prelude. Both CDs play for almost 80 minutes. In general the woodwind and string playing can be heard most clearly, and Gotthelf Pistor's assumption of the title role is strong and clear in spite of the great age of the recording.

Artistically, I consider Karl Muck's reading of Parsifal to be peerless. The Act III excerpts are very moving in spite of the constricted sound, and one cannot help but admire the efforts of all the performers, since they were using very short takes for recording onto 78s. I don't think anyone today could take the Good Friday Music and split it into 3 sections, and make it sound on record as if there were no interruptions at all. The contributions by Alfred Hertz and Siegfried Wagner are not quite in the same class, but are also well worth hearing.

Overall, at the lowest price range, this cannot be too strongly recommended, even at the risk of duplicating prior releases. A desert island set.

Wagner: Tannhauser
Average customer rating:

Great Historic Recording

Good for its age

Ramon Vinay's triumphant 1954 Bayreuth Tannhaeuser

Wagner: Tannhauser
Vinay , Dieskau , Greindl , Keilberth , and Bayreuth Festival Orchestra
Manufacturer: Opera D'oro
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000B9EY5M
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Tracks:

Overture
Geliebter, Sag, Wo Weilt Dein Sinn?
Dir Tone Lob!
Geliebter, Komm!
Zieh Hin, Wahsinniger, Zieh Hin!
Zu Dir Wall' Ich, Mein Jesus Christ
Als Du In Kuhnem Sange Uns Bestrittest

Tracks:

Orchestral Introduction - Dich, Teure Halle
O Furstin!
Schon Nahen Sich Die Edlen Meiner Lande
Blick Ich Umher In Diesem Edlen Kreise
Auch Ich Darf Mich O Glucklich Nennen
Zuruck Von Ihm!
Zum Heil Den Sundigen Zu Fuhren

Tracks:

Orchestral Introduction
Wohl Wusst Ich Hier Sie Im Gebet Zu Finden
Allmach'ge Jungfrau
O Du, Mein Holder Abendstern
Nun Denn! Hor An!
Willkommen, Ungetreuer Mann!

Album Description

"If you're lucky, you might find a copy of the 1954 Bayreuth performance, conducted by Keilberth, with a revelatory cast headed by the Chilean bari-tenor Ramón Vinay...the interpretation is unsurpassed." - ROUGH GUIDE TO OPERA

Another rare Ramón Vinay live recording, with the great tenor (and sometime baritone or bass!) in Wagner, a composer he first added to his repertory in 1953. The presence of the legendary Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and several other major German singers adds great dimension to this production. Historic 1954 recording.

Customer Reviews:

Great Historic Recording.......2007-05-13

This 1954 recording features Ramon Vinay, the great Chilean "bari-tenor", at his finest. With his dark-timbred voice and great musical acting, he evokes Tannhauser's despair like few others. The recording also features the great German bass Josef Greindl as the Landgraf and the young Theo Adams (who would go on to be one of the great German baritones of the 1960s) in a small role. The women are reasonably good if not great. Dutch soprano Gre Brouwenstijn was a popular Bayreuth soprano of the day, singing the lighter Wagner roles like Siegelinde and Elsa as well as the Elizabeth she sings here. She had rather a fast vibrato that's a little surprising at first but handles the role quite well. Despite Vinay's overwhelming talent, this recording is almost stolen by the young Dietrich Fischer-Diskau who brings an absolute luminosity to the role of Wolfram.
Conductor Josef Keilberth was not widely known in the USA, as he worked mostly in Germany, but is now beginning to be appreciated as one of the best Wagnerian conductors of the mid-20th century. He keeps a brisk tempo without sacrificing any musical or dramatic values.
The only markdown is the quality of the sound, which although better than some Opera d'Oro recordings, is not particularly good. However it's good enough that, especially given the price, this is a fine historical recording to own.

Good for its age.......2006-02-16

It's a good thing the voices stand out from the music, this recording has noticable "wow and flutter" on the long, slow notes. Still worth listening to. Opera D'oro has recently released several live recordings with Ramon Vinay, including Otello and the classic Clemmens Krause Ring of the Nibelungen cycle. All are very reasonable in price and worth having. Five stars for artistic quality.

Ramon Vinay's triumphant 1954 Bayreuth Tannhaeuser.......2005-12-27

Source: 1954 live performance from the Bayreuth Festival.

Sound: Fairly good 1950s live-recorded mono. As usual for the period, voices are given emphasis over the orchestra. In this case, particularly, the voices are placed well to the fore. Compulsive audiophiles who measure quality by the clarity of the fourth bassoon or the third viola, turn away right now. This is not for you. You will hear neither here (nor, for that matter, would you be likely to hear them in any real theater or concert hall.) Stage noises are present but they are minimal. The Bayreuth audience was more free than most of annoying coughers and unusually well disciplined. They break into rapturous cheers only at the end of the performance. For those willing to listen to this set with the aid of a little goodwill, the sound is fine.

Text: This is Wagner's Paris version of 1861, including some revisions for the Vienna production of 1875.

Format: Disk 1: Overture; Act I, tracks 2-7; 65:02. Disk 2: Act II, tracks 1-7; 65:16. Disk 3: Act III, tracks 1-6; 54:16.

Cast: Tannhaeuser - Ramón Vinay; Elisabeth - Gre Brouwenstijn; Venus - Herta Wilfert; Wolfram von Eschenbach - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; Landgraf - Josef Greindl; Walther von der Vogelweide - Josef Traxel; Biterolf - Toni Blankenheim; Heinrich der Schreiber - Gerhard Stolze; Reinmar von Zweiter - Theo Adam; Shepherd - Volker Horn. Conductor: Joseph Keilberth with the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus.

This recording captures what was, I believe, the first revival of Wagner's "Tannhaeuser" at the post-war Bayreuth Festival. Many, perhaps even most, of the writings about the early days of the revived Festival focus on the ground-breaking, minimalist productions of the Wagner brothers, grandsons of Richard, who had taken over control from the Nazi-tainted Winifred Wagner. With no money to speak of, and a pressing need to break all ties with the past, they offered a bare stage, next to no props, non-specific costumes and elaborate lighting. Their productions wowed the audiences of the day by their sheer difference from the grandiose, realistic and expensive offerings of the--ahem--deplorable past. (I rather fancy that a modern viewer might regard those productions as hugely self-satisfied, generally cheesy and immensely dull.)

What those writings hardly acknowledge is that the revival of the Bayreuth Festival in 1951 coincided with the flowering of a golden generation of Wagnerian singers, the like of which is not to be found anywhere in the world today. More than that, a veritable phalanx of conductors (most of them, oddly, having names beginning with the letter "K") had survived the war and were ready to lead masterful performances. The arid productions of the Wagner brothers are confined to the dusty pages of theatrical history, but their magnificent singers, larger-than-life conductors and wonderful orchestra can still thrill us in recordings.

This "Tannhaeuser" is very much a case in point. Oh, there are some rough spots. It's a live performance, after all. And Herta Wilfert is adequate as Venus, but not much more. Gré Brouwenstijn is better as Elizabeth, but a bit too matronly in sound. (Both would be overshadowed by the 1961 Bayreuth revival, which featured Grace Bumbry as Venus and the truly radiant Victoria de los Angeles as Elizabeth.) The men in the cast are quite extraordinary. The old guard is represented by Josef Griendl as the Landgraf. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Theo Adam are the brilliant newcomers. Most remarkable of all, though, is the Chilean, Ramón Vinay, who had moved up from baritone to heroic tenor only a couple of years earlier. Vinay's voice offered not much in the way of beauty, but plenty of authority, power and truth--as much truth as the wildly improbable art of opera can yield. He was a genuine operatic Man of Sorrow. His Tannhäuser was one who unquestionably had suffered and endured. Vinay's sole peer as Otello and Siegmund was Jon Vickers, but Vickers refused to perform the role of Tannhaeuser on moral grounds, leaving Vinay unmatched in the part.

Joseph Keilberth, who died midway through Act II of "Tristan und Isolde" in 1968, was an exact contemporary of Herbert von Karajan. Among other things, he was the head of the Bavarian State Opera. Popular memory tends to regard him as competent but uninspired. Of him, "Kapellmeister" was used as a term of insult. On listening to this performance, I can only wonder why that should be. Keilberth's "Tannhaeuser" is rousing throughout and always dramatically on point. It makes Sawallisch's otherwise fine 1961 Bayreuth version (also available from Od'O) seem almost pallid by comparison. Under Keilberth's hand, the whole of the song contest in Act II is simply brilliant.

This is a fine historic performance of "Tannhaeuser," captured in acceptably good sound. It features a performance from Ramón Vinay that can justly be described as great. And all this at rock-bottom price--five stars!

Gotterdammerung / Knappertsbusch, Varnay, Aldenhoff, Uhde, et al

Average customer rating:

Historical Wagner Gotterdammerung
A wonderful recording that almost carries all before it
An almost-legendary set ruined by some dreadful singing
ARGUABLY THE GREATEST OF ALL GOTTERDAMMERUNGS
Knappertsbusch at his best

Gotterdammerung / Knappertsbusch, Varnay, Aldenhoff, Uhde, et al
Bernd Aldenhoff , Herrmann Uhde , Ludwig Weber , Bayreuth Festival Orchestra , and Hans Knappertsbusch
Manufacturer: Testament UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Wagner: Siegfried
Wagner: Die Walküre
Wagner: Das Rheingold
Wagner: Götterdämmerung
Wagner - Parsifal / Knappertsbusch

ASIN: B00001NTLL
Release Date: 1999-09-07

Tracks:

Prologue: Prld - Orchester Der Festspiele Bayreuth/Hans Knappetsbusch
Prologue: Welch Licht Leuchtet Dort? - Orchester Der Festspiele Bayreuth/Hans Knappetsbusch
Prologue: Dammert Der Ta? - Martha Modl
Prologue: Dawn/Tagesgrauen/Lever Du Jour - Orchester Der Festspiele Bayreuth/Hans Knappetsbusch
Prologue: Zu Neuen Taten, Teurer Helde - Astrid Varnay
Prologue: Mehr Gabst, Du, Wunderfrau - Bernd Aldenhoff/Astrid Varnay
Prologue:O Heilige Gotter - Astrid Varnay/Bernd Aldenhoff
Prologue: Siegfried's Rhine Journey - Orchester Der Festspiele Bayreuth/Hans Knappetsbusch
Act One, Scene One: Nun Hor, Hagen - Hermann Uhde/Martha Modl
Act One, Scene One: Ein Weib Weib Ich - Ludwig Weber/Hermann Uhde/Martha Modl
Act One, Scene One: Vom Rhein Her Tont Das Horn - Hermann Uhde/Martha Modl/Bernd Aldenhoff
Act One, Scene Two: Wer Ist Gibichs Sohn? - Bernd Aldenhoff/Hermann Uhde/Ludwig Weber
Act One, Scene Two: Begrube Froh, O Held - Hermann Uhde/Bernd Aldenhoff/Ludwig Weber/Martha Modl
Act One, Scene Two: Vergab Ich Alles - Bernd Aldenhoff

Tracks:

Act One, Scene Two: Gunther, Wie Heibt Deine Schweter? - Bernd Aldenhoff/Hermann Uhde
Act One, Scene Two: Bluhenden Lebens - Bernd Aldenhoff/Hermann Uhde
Act One, Scene Two: Was Nahmst Du Am Eide Nicht Teil? - Bernd Aldenhoff/Ludwig Weber/Hermann Uhde/Martha Modl
Act One, Scene Two: Hier Sitz Ich Zur Wacht - Ludwig Weber
Act One, Scene Three: Altgewohntes Gerausch - Astid Varnay/Elisabeth Hongen
Act One, Scene Three: Hor Met Sinn, Was Ich Dir Sage! - Elisabeth Hongen
Act One, Scene Three: Welch Bager Traume Maren - Astid Varnay/Elisabeth Hongen
Act One, Scene Three: Blitzend Gewolk - Astrid Varney
Act One, Scene Three: Brunnhild! Ein Freier Kam - Astid Varnay/Elisabeth Hongen
Act One, Scene Three: Jetzt Bist Du Mein - Astid Varnay/Elisabeth Hongen

Tracks:

Act Two: Prld - Orchester Der Festspiele Bayreuth/Hans Knappetsbusch
Act Two, Scene One: Schlafst Du, Hagen, Mein Sohn? - Heinrich Pflanzl/Ludwig Weber
Act Two, Scene Two Hoiho, Hagen! - Bernd Aldenhoff/Hermann Uhde/Marha Modl
Act Two, Scene Three: Hoiho! Hoihohoho! - Ludwig Weber/Chor Der Festpiele Bayreuth/Wihelm Pitz
Act Two, Scene Three: Rustet Euch Wohl - Ludwig Weber/Chor Der Festpiele Bayreuth/Wihelm Pitz
Act Two, Scene Three: Crob Cluck Und Heil - Chor Der Festpiele Bayreuth/Whiem Pitz/Ludwig Weber
Act Two, Scene Four: Heil Dir, Gunther! - Chor Der Festpiele Bayreuth/Whiem Pitz
Act Two, Scene Four: Brunnhild, Die Hegrse Frau - Chor Der Festpiele Bayreuth/Whiem Pitz
Act Two, Scene Four: Gegrubt Sei, Teurer Held - Chor Der Festpiele Bayreuth/Whiem Pitz/Bernd Aldenhoff/Astrid Varnay/Ludwig Weber
Act Two, Scene Four: Einen Ring Sah Ich An Deiner Hand - Astrid Varnay/Bernd Aldenhoff/Hermann Uhde/Ludwig Weber
Act Two, Scene Four: Betrug! Betrug! - Astrid Varnay/Bernd Aldenhoff/Hermann Uhde/Ludwig Weber/Chor Der Festpiele Bayreuth
Act Two, Scene Four: Helle Wehr! Heilige Waffe! - Bernd Aldenhoff/Astrid Varnay/Chor Der Festpiele Bayreuth
Act Two, Scene Four: Glaub, Mehr Zurnt Es Mich Als Dich - Bernd Aldenhoff
Act Two, Scene Five: Welches Unholds List - Astrid Varnay
Act Two, Scene Five: Vetraue Mir, Betrogne Frau! - Ludwig Weber/Astrid Varnay
Act Two, Scene Five: Auf, Gunther, Edler Gibichung! - Ludwig Weber/hermann Uhde/Astrid Varnay
Act Two, Scene Five: So Soll Es Sein! - Hermann Uhde/Astrid Varnay/Ludwig Weber
Act Three: Prld - Orchester Der Festpiele Bayreuth
Act Three, Scene One: Frau Sonne Sendet Lichte Strahlen - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Hanna Ludwig/Herha Topper
Act Three, Scene One: Ein Albe Fuhrte Mich Irr - Bernd Aldenhoff

Tracks:

Act Three, Scene One: Siegfried! - Hertha Ludwig/Hanna Ludwig/Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Bernd Aldenhoff
Act Three, Scene One: Ein Goldner Ring Ragt Dir Am finger! - Hertha Ludwig/Hanna Ludwig/Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Bernd Aldenhoff
Act Three, Scene One: Behalt Ihn, Held - Hertha Ludwig/Hanna Ludwig/Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Bernd Aldenhoff
Act Three, Scene One: Weialala Leia - Hertha Ludwig/Hanna Ludwig/Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/Bernd Aldenhoff
Act Three, Scene Two: Hoiho! - Ludwig Weber/Chor Der Festpiele Bayreuth/Bernd Aldenhoff
Act Three, Scene Two: Trink, Gunther, Trink! - Bernd Aldenhoff/Hermann Uhde/Ludwig Weber
Act Three, Scene Two: Mime Hieb Ein Murrischer Zwerg - Bernd Aldenhoff/Ludwig Weber/Chor Der Festpiele Bayreuth
Act Three, Scene Two: In Leid Zu Dem Wipfel - Bernd Aldenhoff/Ludwig Weber
Act Three, Scene Two: Was Hor Ich? - Hermann Uhde/Ludwig Weber/Chor Der Festpiele Bayreuth
Act Three, Scene Two: Brunnhilde, Heilige Braut! - Bernd Aldenhoff
Act Three, Scene Two: Funeral March - Orchester Der Festspiele Bayreuth/Hans Knappertsbusch
Act Three, Scene Three: War Ds Sein Horn? - Hermann Uhde
Act Three, Scene Three: Hoiho! Hoiho! - Ludwig Weber/Martha Modl/Hermann Uhde
Act Three, Scene Three: Siegfried-Siegfried Erschlagen! - Hermann Uhde/Martha Modl/Ludwig Weber
Act Three, Scene Three: Schweigt Eures Jammers Jauchzenden Schwall - Astrid Varnay/Martha Modl
Act Three, Scene Three: Starke Shceite Schichtet Mir Dort - Astrid Varnay
Act Three, Scene Three: Wie Sonne Lauter Strahlt Mir Sein Licht - Astrid Varnay
Act Three, Scene Three: O Ihr, Der Eide Ewige Huter! - Astrid Varnay
Act Three, Scene Three: Mein Erbe Nun Nehm Ich Zu Eigen - Astrid Varnay
Act Three, Scene Three: Fliegt Heim, Ihr Raben! - Astrid Varnay
Act Three, Scene Three: Grane, Mein Rob, Sei Mir Gegrubt! - Astrid Varnay

Amazon.com

It's still easy to imagine the anticipation that must have attended the Bayreuth Festival in 1951 when it reopened for the first time since the war. This was the epoch-making summer when Wieland Wagner began to unveil a bold rethinking of his grandfather's canon--and to distance his art from the ideological trappings of the Third Reich--through increasingly austere and abstract productions. One member of the recording teams on hand (rivals EMI and Decca) was John Culshaw, who would later become famous as the mastermind producer behind the first and still most-popular studio recording of the Ring. Despite problems with the rest of the cycle, Culshaw managed to register its epic concluding work to his satisfaction. Yet that legendary Götterdämmerung sat in the archives for almost half a century due to contractual complications. This release at last makes its glories available.

Conductor Hans Knappertsbusch--a master of the grand old tradition who is above all prized for his incomparable accounts of Parsifal--presides over a majestically scaled performance right from the doom-colored opening chord. Its cumulative power builds like a juggernaut. Though Knappertsbusch's famously weighty pacing makes this probably the slowest Götterdämmerung on record, the tempi rarely feel distended but rather enable Wagner's densely webbed, late-style ripeness to reverberate with its full emotional resonance. Knappertsbusch also knows how to keep a particular dramatic moment taut without losing his command of the larger context, as in the confrontation between Brünnhilde and Waltraute or Act II's vengeance trio. And in the funeral march you won't hear Soltian muscle but a profoundly resigned summation far subtler in its impact.

The relatively young cast features some of Bayreuth's finest postwar artists, several making their festival debut during the 1951 reopening. Astrid Varnay proves her claim as Flagstad's successor, imbuing Brünnhilde's transfiguring love and subsequent betrayal with a presence that is completely gripping from the beginning to the cycle's cataclysmic end. Variety of color endows Bernd Aldenhoff's Siegfried with more dimensions than most interpreters; he can be sweet-voiced or imperious, rising to glory in the Act I duet and summoning a blustery bravado in his scene with the Rhinemaidens. Marth Mödl's angsty, dark-hued tone gives Gutrune an intensity far beyond the usual passive dimwit, while Hermann Uhde portrays her brother--despite his straining upper range--as a complex tangle of ambition and self-doubt. An integral part of this tremendously tight-knit ensemble is Ludwig Weber's intimidating Hagen. He gives the villain a truly Iago-like scope, brooding in the malignancy of his monologues and striking a chord of sheer terror in the scene of Siegfried's murder. In short, this set belongs in the collection of anyone interested in the performance of Wagner--or of great musical drama, period. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Historical Wagner Gotterdammerung.......2006-07-11

Technical shortcomings notwithstanding, this is a joy to own and listen to. Represents an "older" conducting style of the "majestic" sort. I am not a musician, but this 1951 recording is a link to an earlier style of Wagner conducting the the late 19th and earlier 20th century. Pretty good sound and Knappertsbusch and the singers are in pretty good form. This recording is a wonderful experience. I own several Gotterdamerungs, but this recording is especially satisfying. I have been listening to Wagner since the late 1950's.

A wonderful recording that almost carries all before it.......2006-02-07

The most magnificent aspect of this legendary recording is clearly Knappertsbusch's conducting. The gears never crash and there is a beautiful saturated sound. Kna made me aware of patterns and colours in the score that I had never noticed before. The orchestra is fine and the recording is ideal. Culshaw and Wilkinson have found an ideal balance between voice and orchestra.

The other key distinguishing factor is hearing a 50s Bayreuth Ring opera caught in a professional commercial-standard recording that brings the orchestra, in particular, closer than in the various pirate Rings of the era.

The singers taken all round are very exciting. Varnay can hit the high notes with thrilling impact (love duet) and darken her voice to sheer menace (end Act II) although the fruity tinge in her tone may take some adjusting to. Aldenhoff is not as successful as Seigfried. He sounds strained in the opening duet and his tone is ungainly and sometimes gravelly. The 'bad' characters are memorably bought to life by Modl, Udhe and Weber. The opening Prelude with the mysterious Norms is particularly successful. Here Kna builds a line of dark intensity which is matched by the sheer visceral power and acting of Modl's 3rd Norn. Special mention must almost be made of the glowering menace of Hagen's Watch. So dark and sinister.

The big caveat for me is the prompt who can be heard clearly in some scenes. This is subtly intrusive in the otherwise almost unsurpassed Immolation scene.

Overall, the strong sense of theatrical ensemble combines with immediate sound creating a landmark (arguably, even, a benchmark) in the history of Gotterdammerung recordings.

An almost-legendary set ruined by some dreadful singing.......2005-09-24

I bought this set after reading the story behind it--well told in the Amazon review above--but was sorely disappointed. Aldenhoff is the most dreadful Wagnerian tenor imaginable, and although the rest of the cast varies from good to great, that defect was enough for me to feel that as much as others may praise this set, I cannot. I didn't quite hear the supposed excellence of Knappertsbusch's conducting, either, although his slow way with Wagner, his absence of orchestral accuracy, and his casual apaproach to dramatic tension doesn't bother others as much as it bothers me.

ARGUABLY THE GREATEST OF ALL GOTTERDAMMERUNGS.......2005-09-13

This is a cracking performance of Gotterdammerung, arguably the very best available on disc. Knappertsbusch could be a frustrating conductor - on a good day, when he was in the mood, he could be the very best: catch him on an off day and he could be disengaged, uninspired and uninspiring. This was a very good day on the Green Hill. In fact, it seems to have been a very good festival for him as this is the same year as his classic Parsifal. Perhaps it was the adrenalin of the first reopening festival after the war.

The cumulative power of this performance is immense from an intensely dark and brooding Norn Scene (with Modl, no less, as a thrilling Third Norn) right through to a towering Immolation with Varnay singing and acting her socks off. As usual, Kna's tempi tend to be slow but, on a good day like this, there is always a sense of purpose, of going somewhere in particular, of holding the long-term structure constantly in view. Take the great arch of Act 2 as an example. Knappertsbusch sees it as a single paragraph from the dark dreamworld of the Alberich/Hagen scene through the raw power of the Summoning of the Vassals, the choral splendours of the arrival of Gunther and Brunnhilde to the keystone of the arch, a white-hot oath-swearing and then down again through a grim and louring vengeance trio to the hollow glamour of the finale. This is Wagner conducting of a very high order.

The cast were obviously inspired to give of their best and then some by Kna's conducting and Wieland Wagner's direction. One always admires Varnay for her commitment and emotional intensity, but I sometimes feel I'm making allowances for the voice compared to a Leider, a Flagstad or a Nilsson. Not here. This Brunnhilde is magnificently and beautifully sung. Listen to her in the Dawn Duet for some ravishing notes, daringly and thrillingly taken. This is among the greatest performances of the Gotterdammerung Brunnhilde I know. Hermann Uhde simply is the greatest performance of Gunther I know. As an amazingly complex study of vanity mixed with insecurity, honour with corruption, even a touch of heroism brought down to moral collapse, this is peerless. And Modl, who doubles Gutrune with her Third Norn, makes so much more of his troubled sister than the usual dizzy blonde. The Gibichungs here are a formidable pair. Elisabeth Hongen is a veritable Valkyrie as Waltraute, telling her tale with passion, defending her case with resilience and singing alongside Varnay, both with glorious tone. Weber, superb as Gurnemanz in the same season's Parsifal, is perhaps a touch nice of voice for Hagen compared with the black toned villainy of a Frick or, from an earlier generation, an Andresen or a List. But he had long experience of the part and sings it rather than barking and uses the words to great effect.

Which brings me to the one weak link in the cast, Bernd Aldenhoff. He can certainly sing beautifully - but only below top G and below forte. When he drinks the potion in Act 1, for example, he uses a beautifully coloured bit of mezza voce. So too in large parts of the Narration and the Death. But once he opens up, as in the Dawn Duet or the Act 2 oath-taking, the voice comes under strain and takes on an unpleasant rough edge.

Despite that, this is a shattering performance. It's a tragedy that contractual hang-ups kept it in the archives for half a century. Now it is available, I would urge any lover of Wagner performance to snap it up. The sound is what you would expect from 1951 - a little edgy and strident in the brass, a bit thin in the violins - but good for its time. Yes the prompter is there - though not as intrusive as on Bohm's Bayreuth set - but he really doesn't detract from this thrilling performance.

Knappertsbusch at his best.......2004-01-28

Since I bought this performance I have bought many other live recordings of this opera from around this era. The 1955 Kna performance from Munich, the '52 performance with Keilberth and Lorenz are among the better ones. But I always fall back to this one recorded in 1951 at the first Bayreuth festival after the second world war. The freshness of the performance, the magnificent conducting by Knappertsbusch are the main reasons.
This is a performance that gets better with each hearing. A statement I cannot make about any stereo set. I have come to think that Windgassen is not an ideal Siegfried. He is OK as the younger Siegfried, but in Gotterdammerung he seems more miscast every time I hear it, whether it is the 1953(Krauss and Keilberth), '56(Kna), '67(Bohm) or Solti's performance. He doesn't have the necessary weight that I feel it requires. Bernd Aldenhoff, who sings Siegfried here is something totally different. He may seem to be unsteady when first heard, but he gets better and better every time I hear him. His understanding of the role and the glorious sounds he makes us believe that he is a fearless hero who can do anything. When he is stabbed in the third act he is so touching that we feel with him as he dies from the fatal blow.

Then there is the magnificently exciting Astrid Varnay as Brunnhilde. She is the supreme Brunnhilde from the post war era. In all aspects of the role she outshines all competiton. The passion in the duet in the prologue, the determination and fear in the first act. Suprised and enraged in the second act and dedication and determination in the third. All these emotions are sung so tremendously grand. Her Brunnhilde here is also quite fresh and youthful which makes it better than her performance in 1956.

Ludwig Weber also stars in this performance. He is, after Ivar Andresen, my favourite Hagen. All the menace and smoothness he gives makes his Hagen to cherish above all others. Josef Greindl was a favourite by Wieland Wagner in the years after. Personally I think that Weber is superior in all aspects of the role. His 'Hagen's Watch' and calling of the vassals are done with so much grandour and menace. Greindl was good at producing menace but not much else in this role. Weber's Hagen is sometimes even likable. It rivals Gurnemanz as his greatest role.

Herrmann Uhde is his usual great self as Gunther and gives the character a multidimensional quality. Martha Mödl also gives so much to the role of Gutrune, normally given to lesser singers. She is a worthy suitor to Siegfried and it is understandable that he falls for her after she has cast her spell to erase his memory of Brunnhilde.

Knappertsbusch conducts this performance quite slowly, but with so much magic and excitement. He gives so much from start to finish. He delivers the best Norn scene I have ever heard. The first scene in act 2 is also quite creepy with Hagen talking to Alberich. He doesn't rush anything and he keeps the performance in check at all times and gives it a freshness that is missing from so many.

The sound is in good mono. It is, after all, live and it is much better than many other live performances from this era.
Included with this set is a libretto with an English translation and an essay on the performance and Bayreuth. I very highly recommend this performance.

Wagner: Mastersingers of Nuremberg (Complete) [Germany]
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Wagner: Mastersingers of Nuremberg (Complete) [Germany]
Schwarzkopf , Edelmann , Hopf , Kunz , Unger , Karajan , and Bayreuth Festival Orchestra
Manufacturer: Meisterwerke
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00018QJ7E
Release Date: 2006-05-04

Wagner: Tannhäuser
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Wagner: Tannhäuser

Manufacturer: Melodram
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00005J54G
Release Date: 2001-09-25

Tracks:

Act I: Ov - Orch Der Bayreuther Festspiele/Otmar Suitner
Act I: Nacht Euch Dem Strande
Act I: Im Traum War Mir's
Act I: Dank Deiner Huld!
Act I: Geliebter Komm!
Act I: Stets Soll Nur Dir
Act I: Frau Holda Kam Aus Dem Berg
Act I: Allmacht' Ger, Dir Sei Preis!
Act I: Vierter Auftritt - Orch Der Bayreuther Festspiele/Otmar Suitner
Act I: Wer Ist Dort Im Brunstigen Gebete?
Act I: Bleib Bei Elisabeth!
Act I: Als Du In Kuhnem Sange

Tracks:

Act II: Vospiel - Orch Der Bayreuther Festspiele/Otmar Suitner
Act II: Dich, Teure Halle
Act II: Dort Ist Sie, Nahe Dich ihr Ungestort!
Act II: Dich Treff Ich Hier
Act II: Vierter Aufritt - Orch Der Bayreuther Festspiele/Otmar Suitner
Act II: Freudig Begrussen Wir
Act II: Gar Viel Und Schon Ward Hier
Act II: Blick Ich Umher In Diesen Edlen Kreise
Act II: Auch Ich Darf Mich So Glucklich Nennen
Act II: O Walter, Der Du Also Sangest
Act II: Dir, Gottin Der Liebe
Act II: Zuruck Von Ihm!
Act II: Weh! Weh Mir Unglucksel' Gem!
Act II: Ein Furchtbares Verbrechen

Tracks:

Act III: Vorspiel - Orch Der Bayreuther Festspiele/Otmar Suitner
Act III: Wohl Wusst Ich Hier
Act III: Allmacht' Ge Jungfrau
Act III: Wie Todesahnung...O Du Mein Holder Abendstern
Act III: Ich Horte Harfenschlag
Act III: Hor An, Wolfram
Act III: Hast Du Die Bose Lust Geteilt
Act III: Willkommen, Ungetreuer Mann!

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Richard Wagner: Lohengrin
Richard Wagner , Ekkehard Wlaschiha , Manfred Schenk , and Peter Schneider
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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ASIN: B00000414V
Release Date: 1993-01-19

Gabriel Fauré: The Complete Music for Piano

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Dull
Penguin Rosette Award Winner

Gabriel Fauré: The Complete Music for Piano

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Fauré: Piano Quintets
Complete Works for Solo Piano
Gabriel Faure: Piano Quartets No.1 & 2
Fauré: Violin Sonatas
Ravel / Fauré: String Quartets

ASIN: B000002ZYQ
Release Date: 1995-06-06

Tracks:

Impromptus: Impromptu No. 1 In E Flat Major, Op. 25 (1881)
Impromptus: Impromptu No. 2 In F Minor, Op. 31 (1883)
Impromptus: Impromptu No. 3 In A Flat Major, Op. 34 (1883)
Impromptus: Impromptu No. 4 In D Flat Major, Op. 91 (1906)
Impromptus: Impromptu No. 5 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 102 (1909)
Impromptu: Impromptu No. 6 In D Flat Major, Op. 86 bis (1904)
Th et Variations, Op. 73 (1895): Th
Th et Variations, Op. 73 (1895): Variation I (L'istesso tempo)
Th et Variations, Op. 73 (1895): Variation II (Piso)
Th et Variations, Op. 73 (1895): Variation III (Un poco piso)
Th et Variations, Op. 73 (1895): Variation IV (L'istesso tempo)
Th et Variations, Op. 73 (1895): Variation V (Un poco piso)
Th et Variations, Op. 73 (1895): Variation VI (Molto adagio)
Th et Variations, Op. 73 (1895): Variation VII (Allegro moderato)
Th et Variations, Op. 73 (1895): Variation VIII (Andante molto moderato)
Th et Variations, Op. 73 (1895): Variation IX (Quasi adagio)
Th et Variations, Op. 73 (1895): Variation X (Allegro vivo)
Th et Variations, Op. 73 (1895): Variation XI (Andante molto, moderato espressivo)
Trois Romances sans paroles Op. 17 (c1863): No. 1, Andante quasi allegretto
Trois Romances sans paroles Op. 17 (c1863): No. 2, Allegro molto
Trois Romances sans paroles Op. 17 (c1863): No. 3, Andante moderato
Valse-caprices: No. 1 In A Major, Op. 30 (1882)
Valse-caprices: No. 2 In D Flat Major, Op. 38 (1884)
Valse-caprices: No. 3 In G Flat Major, Op. 59 (1887-1893)
Valse-caprices: No. 4 In A Flat Major, Op. 62 (1893-4)

Tracks:

Barcarolle No. 1 In A Minor, Op. 26 (1880)
Barcarolle No. 2 In G Major, Op. 41 (1885)
Barcarolle No. 3 In G Flat Major, Op. 42 (1885)
Barcarolle No. 4 In A Flat Major, Op. 44 (1886)
Barcarolle No. 5 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 66 (1894)
Barcarolle No. 6 In E Flat Major, Op. 70 (1896)
Barcarolle No. 7 In D Minor, Op. 90 (1905)
Barcarolle No. 8 In D Flat Major, Op. 96 (1906)
Barcarolle No. 9 In A Minor, Op. 101 (1909)
Barcarolle No. 10 In A Minor, Op. 104, No. 2 (1913)
Barcarolle No. 11 In G Minor, Op. 105 (1913)
Barcarolle No. 12 In E Flat Major, Op. 106 bis (1915)
Barcarolle No. 13 In C Major, Op. 116 (1921)
Ballade pour piano seul, Op. 19 (1877-1879)

Tracks:

Nocturne No.1 In E Flat Minor Op. 33 No.1(c1875)
Nocturne No.2 In B Major Op. 33 No.2(c1880)
Nocturne No.3 In A Flat Major Op. 33 No.3(1882)
Nocturne No.4 In E Flat Major Op. 36(?1884)
Nocturne No.5 In B Flat Major Op. 37(?1884)
Nocturne No.6 In D Flat Major Op. 63(1894)
Nocturne No.7 In C Sharp Minor Op. 74 (1898)
Souvenirs de Bayreuth (With Andre Messager)(1888)
Huit pieces breves Op. 84 (1869-1902): Capriccio In E Flat Major
Huit pieces breves Op. 84 (1869-1902): Fantaisie In A Flat Major
Huit pieces breves Op. 84 (1869-1902): Fugue In A Minor
Huit pieces breves Op. 84 (1869-1902): Adagietto In E Minor
Huit pieces breves Op. 84 (1869-1902): Improvisation In C Sharp Minor
Huit pieces breves Op. 84 (1869-1902): Fugue In E Minor
Huit pieces breves Op. 84 (1869-1902): Allegresse In C Major
Huit pieces breves Op. 84 (1869-1902): Nocturne No. 8 In D Flat Major

Tracks:

Dolly, Op. 56: Berceuse (1894)
Dolly, Op. 56: Mi-a-ou (1896)
Dolly, Op. 56: Le jardin de Dolly (1896)
Dolly, Op. 56: Kitty-Valse (1896)
Dolly, Op. 56: Tendresse (1896)
Dolly, Op. 56: Le pas espagnol (1897)
Neuf Prdes, Op. 103 (1910-11): No. 1 In D Flat Major
Neuf Prdes, Op. 103 (1910-11): No. 2 In C Sharp Minor
Neuf Prdes, Op. 103 (1910-11): No. 3 In G Minor
Neuf Prdes, Op. 103 (1910-11): No. 4 In F Major
Neuf Prdes, Op. 103 (1910-11): No. 5 In D Minor
Neuf Prdes, Op. 103 (1910-11): No. 6 In E Flat Minor
Neuf Prdes, Op. 103 (1910-11): No. 7 In A Major
Neuf Prdes, Op. 103 (1910-11): No. 8 In C Minor
Neuf Prdes, Op. 103 (1910-11): No. 9 In E Minor
Mazurka In B Flat Major, Op. 32 (c1878)
Nocturne No. 8 In D Flat Major From Op. 84 (1902)
Nocturne No. 9 In B Minor, Op. 97 (1908)
Nocturne No. 10 In E Minor, Op. 99 (1908)
Nocturne No. 11 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 104, No. 1 (1913)
Nocturne No. 12 In E Minor, Op. 107 (1915)
Nocturne No. 13 In B Minor, Op. 119 (1921)

Customer Reviews:

Dull.......2007-03-09

The previous reviewer was right about Faure's piano music being of "introspective moods, rich chromatic textures, subtle expressivity and sheer tonal beauty", however, I heard very little of that in Stott's playing.

If lifelessness is what equates introspection for the critics that praised these recordings, then Stott's Faure deserves every award it's gotten. The fact is, her playing seriously lacks the "chromatic textures, subtle expressivity and sheer tonal beauty" that is so important for Faure, and the only reason these recordings are so highly praised is because of patriotic bias. Even the Naxos bargain offerings by Volondat is much better.

Penguin Rosette Award Winner.......2006-03-22

Faure's piano music is autobiographical in which the earlier pieces exude a more simple, upbeat optimism which yields to greater austerity, ambiguity, unpredictability and melancholy in the later works. Yet, his music always retains its civility and french beauty in spite of emotionalal, tempestuous episodes. If you gravitate towards piano music of introspective moods, rich chromatic textures, subtle expressivity and sheer tonal beauty, then definately consider this rather equisite music by one of the more humble composers of the magical salon, romantic era of Paris.

Pianist Kathryn Stott seems to have the type of personna and style that is well-suited for the gentile, urbane and somewhat understated music of Faure. Ms. Stott has focused her career primarily on the chamber and solo repertoire, and within that, mostly on 19th-century French music. She is one of today's most prominent proponents of French music - so much so that the French government awarded her special recognition as such. Some of her work includes performances with the ever-popular Yo-Yo Ma ("La Belle Epoque") as well as several for Hyperion (whose artists tend to only be of the "upper shelf" category).

Even hearing a few pieces of this landmark set reveals the typical emphasis on elegance and beauty within French music in general. The Penguin Guide awarded this four-CD set a PENGUIN ROSETTE citing while Gramophone gave it a "Critic's Choice" award - both of which certainly says something positive if you are thinking of purchasing it. Also each of the four CD's contains a generous 70+ minutes with the typically clear and brilliant Hyperion sound. Again, if you like solo piano music that coaxes and caresses with nuance rather than shouts to make its point, then Stott's complete Faure set here should give a lifetime of refreshment and inspiritation. Here are some other mainstream press reviews on this CD (also see Stott's other single-disc highlight CD for more Amazon reviews).

'One of the most purely pleasurable releases of the year so far. The playing is intelligent, persuasive, Ioving, and the music reaches far beyond the standard boundaries of fin de si?cle French salon style. Four outstanding discs' (The Independent)

'Sumptuously recorded. A true and dedicated Francophile [Kathryn Stott] is clearly among the more stylish and intriguing of all young pianists' (Gramophone)

'She deserves an honoured place beside the most distinguished Faure exponents ... A major achievement in every way' (Classic CD)

'A tremendous achievement' (BBC Music Magazine)

'A major contribution to the recorded literature of French piano music, strongly recommended' (Fanfare, USA)

Average customer rating:

Bayreuth 1936

Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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
ASIN: B000000SHG
Release Date: 1993-07-06

Average customer rating:

Wagner: The Bayreuth "Tannehäuser"

Manufacturer: Pearl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000000WXO
Release Date: 1993-01-20

Tracks:

Act I: Ov - The Bayreuth Festival Orch/Karl Elmendorff
Act I, Scene I: Venusberg Music
Act I, Scene I: Chor Of Sirens
Act I, Scene II: Geliebter, Sag'
Act I, Scene II: Dir Tone Lob!
Act I, Scene II: Treuloser! Zieh'n
Act I, Scene II: Stets Soll Nur Dir
Act I, Scene III: Frau Holda Kam Aus Dem Berg
Act I, Scene IV: Wer Ist Der Dort
Act I, Scene IV: Als Du In Kuhnem Sange (To End Of Act I)
Act II: Intro - The Bayreuth Festival Orch/Karl Elmendorff
Act II, Scene I: Dich, Teure Halle
Act II, Scene I: Dort Ist Sie (Fade Within Aria, Resumed In Second Record)

Tracks:

Act II, Scene III: Doch Welch Ein Seltsam Neues Leben (Concl. Of Aria, And Segue)
Act II, Scene IV: Freudig Begrussen Wir Die Halle
Act II, Scene IV: The Minstrels' Tournament
Act II, Scene IV: (Score Cut) Zuruck Von Ihm!
Act II, Scene IV: (Score Cut) Darf Ich Auch Niemals
Act II, Scene IV: Ein Furchtbares Verbrechen (To End Act II)
Act III, Scene I: (Intro Omitted) Wohl Wusst'ich
Act III, Scene I: Allmacht' Ge Jungfrau
Act III, Scene II: (Score Cut) Wie Todesahnung... Dascheinest Du
Act III, Scene III: (Minor Score Cut) Inbrunstim Herzen (To End Of Opr)

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

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