Wagner: Highlights

On this CD:

1. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Ouvertüre
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Dag Achatz, Yukie Nagai

2. Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Bacchanale - Le Vénusberg
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Dag Achatz, Yukie Nagai

3. Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), opera, WWV 86b Wotans Abschied und Feuerzauber
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Dag Achatz, Yukie Nagai

4. Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, opera, WWV 96 Vorspiel
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Dag Achatz, Yukie Nagai

5. Tristan und Isolde, opera, WWV 90 Vorspiel und Isoldes Liebestod
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Dag Achatz, Yukie Nagai

Wagner: Highlights, Music, Richard Wagner, Dag Achatz, Yukie Nagai, Chamber Music & Recitals, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, German/Austrian Romantic Opera, Miscellaneous Music, Opera
Wagner: The "Ring" Without Words
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • A disappointment
  • "The Ring without Words" is really "The Ring without Pauses . . . "
  • The best synthesis of orchestral music from the Ring
  • Could have been a fun ride, but...
  • Decent, though not ideal; fulfills the original intent
 Wagner: The "Ring" Without Words

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Wagner without Words
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ASIN: B000003CUJ
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

  1. Thus, We Begin In The 'Greenish Twilight' Of The Rhine
  2. Float Up To The Home Of The Gods (Entrance Of The Gods Into Valhalla)
  3. Fall Amongst Hammering Dwarfs 'Smithying' Away
  4. Ride Donner's Thunderbolt, Crawl With The Thirst-Crazed Siegmund To The Haven...
  5. In The Sound Code, We 'See' His Loving Gaze
  6. Their Flight
  7. Wotan's Rage
  8. The Cavalcade Of Brde's Sisters, (Ride Of The Valkyries)
  9. Wotan's Farewell To His Favorite Daughter, (Wotan's Farewell And Magic Fire Music)
  10. Mime's Fright
  11. Siegfried's Forging Of The Magic Sword
  12. His Wanderings Through The Forest, (Forest Murmurs)
  13. His Slaying Of The Dragon
  14. The Dragon's Lament
  15. Day Breaking 'Round Sigfried's And Brde's Passion
  16. Siegfried's Rhine Journey, (Dawn And Sigfried's Rhine Journey)
  17. Hagen's Call To His Clan
  18. Siegfried And The Rhinemaidens
  19. His Death And The Funeral Music, (Siegfried's Death And Funeral Music)
  20. Immolation. (Immolation Scene)

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars A disappointment.......2007-04-20

Being a Wagnerite is sometimes a little difficult. Wagner's music is demanding on practically all levels, and especially demanding to the casual listener. The music can sometimes be too sugary, way overblown, or deceptively muted. This can definitely present problems, and that is why there are those who can detest Wagner's works to the degree that others love it. There is little middle room: Love or hate, Wagner's music is unique...and difficult.

This CD brings out another difficulty: The attempt to tone down Wagner and make his work more generally acceptable. On the good side, this CD is a rather good compilation of some of the Ring's most important melodies. Its symphonic structure allows good flow between the rather disjoint work, and the idea works to a significant degree.

But Maazel's approach is to create a uniformity of interpretation on a work that took more than 20 years to complete. This uniformity saps the Ring of much of its musical strength. The standard pieces are played almost the same as the other selections; little differentiation is evident and as a result only minor aspects of the drama in this incredible music drama are revealed.

While it is possible to play Wagner's music poorly, I always thought it was equally possible to at least grasp its passion. Unfortunately, Maazel's approach proves me to be wrong.

Yes, being a Wagnerite can be very difficult.

4 out of 5 stars "The Ring without Words" is really "The Ring without Pauses . . . ".......2006-07-25

Even Wagner had the good sense to construct his monumental "Ring" Cycle as four distinct operas! So when Loren Maazel got the idea to record a "Ring without Words," what was so important about making it one long movement? No one knew better than Wagner the emotional impact of a well-placed fermata or a crash-bang finale, but this spark of genius seems to have eluded Maazel in his obsession to keep the musical Rhine flowing from beginning to end non-stop for 67 minutes. What seems at first to be a really novel idea starts to break down early on when we begin to anticipate the throbbing final pages of "Das Rheingold," only to discover that for the sake of seamlessness, the whole dramatic passage is skipped over by an awkward leap from Donner's thunder into the depths of "Die Walkure!" Other cuts can be forgiven considering time limitations, although there is still room for ten more minutes of music on the CD. Edo de Vaart gives us something more on his "Ring" recording, since he has no fear of finales. Otherwise, Maazel's handing of the score is quite exciting, and the Vienna Philharmonic is totally responsive to his every gesture. Here's a good idea for some future recording, one I'd certainly buy and which would appeal to thousands of other "Wagnerites" like myself: why not a four-movement "Ring Without Words" across two CDs, with every possible voiceless note from the pen of the Master, one opera after the other?

5 out of 5 stars The best synthesis of orchestral music from the Ring.......2006-07-12

If you're looking for a single CD of orchestral music from Wagner's Ring, I'd like to recommend this one. Here's why.

Wagner's tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen contains some of the most magnificent, most stirring, most imaginative music ever written (along with some that's pedestrian and dull; there are glorious moments, splendid peaks, and there are arid stretches, longeurs that make one wish that Wagner the supreme egotist had submitted his work to the judgment of a good editor). The four operas comprising it are Das Rheingold (1869), Die Walkure (1870), Siegfried (1876), and Gotterdammerung (1876). Taken together they form the towering masterwork and crowning achievement of Wagner's maturity. They are also immensely long: about 17 hours.

The problem has always been to extract the best parts of the Ring for satisfactory concert presentation. The Ring does not make this easy: it contains no conventional overtures or preludes, no conveniently extractable bits. Thus various hands ever since Wagner's day have carved out "bleeding chunks," with mixed results, and the practice has always been controversial.

This CD presents a different approach. In order to make this recording---to quote the Wagner expert in Third Ear: Classical Music: The Listener's Companion (ed. Alexander J. Morin, 2002; an excellent book, by the way)---"Maazel decided to create his own vast symphonic suite from the Ring, and he has toured with it around the world. . . . If you want to hear the best parts of the Ring without sitting down to 17 hours or so, this is your best bet." I agree. Maazel's 70-minute symphonic synthesis of the best music from the Ring has a consistency, an integration and seamless flow, an organic rightness lacking in other Ring orchestral-highlights programs, with their "bleeding chunks" approach. Also, Maazel's suite gives a better idea of the scope and variety of the Ring, of its full range of colors and sonorities, than the standard orchestral excerpts.

Let Maazel describe his priorities in putting his suite together: "I was intrigued by the challenge: could a symphonic synthesis of the Ring reveal the essentials? I bolted the following list of criteria to my drawingboard: One: the synthesis must be free-flowing and chronological, beginning with the first note of Rheingold and finishing with the last chord of Gotterdammerung. Two: the transitions must be harmonically and periodically justifiable, the pacing contrasts commensurate with the length of the work. Three: most all of the music originally written for orchestra without voice must be used, adding those sections with a vocal line essential to a synthesis . . . . Four: every note must be Wagner's own. . . . Though no conscious attempt was made to include all the Ring's motifs, most of them do surface in one form or another."

The result as represented on this CD is eminently satisfactory. Maazel is a seasoned Wagner conductor, and has conducted the complete Ring at Bayreuth and elsewhere. The Berlin Philharmonic is one of the world's great orchestras. Both it and Maazel are in top form here: the performance is idiomatic and assured, sweeping and eloquent, played to the hilt, bristling with authority and conviction. I hope I'm not being fanciful in finding that listening to the whole suite straight through yields a kind of catharsis. The sound is robust, full-bodied, with wide dynamic range, with solid weight and impact. Telarc's engineers have done a commendable job of coping with the problematic acoustics of Berlin's Philharmonie; this is probably just about the best sound that can be extracted from that vexed venue.

The recording was made in Dec. 1987. Total playing time is 69:40 (broken out as follows: Das Rheingold 14:47, Die Walkure 12:42, Siegfried 6:15, and Gotterdammerung 36:33; if this seems to give short shrift to Siegfried, it has always been musically the weakest of the four operas).

In short, it's hard to imagine a better orchestral introduction to the glories of the Ring. The virtues of this CD move it to the top of its class: highly recommended.

2 out of 5 stars Could have been a fun ride, but..........2005-10-01

Decades ago, Leopold Stokowski popularized opera for the general public through "symphonic syntheses." These included Wagner's Ring, Triastan, and Boris Godunov, to mention those I've heard and enjoyed. I was prepared to enjoy Maazel's modern update and expected a fun ride through the gorgeous sonorities of Wagner's score.

Not much enjoyment resulted, however. Maazel is superficial, often ponderous, and much too roughshod with this pastische. It can't all be crash and bang. So I threw the CD away and hope a few others won't make the mistake I did.

4 out of 5 stars Decent, though not ideal; fulfills the original intent.......2005-04-27

In having read the other reviews of this CD, I think many individuals failed to take note of the original intent behind this CD coming about in the first place. Lorin Maazel was commissioned by the recording company (Telarc) to come up with an arrangement of the prime orchestral excerpts of the "Ring," and his 4-step approach listed in the booklet, makes it abundantly clear that NOT ALL of the music commonly heard on other recordings of the orchestral music from the "Ring," would be heard in this arrangement. Also, it is to be inferred that Maazel knows, and obviously doesn't expect his arrangement to take the place of ANY complete recording of the "Ring."

I heard Maazel conduct his arrangement live with the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, DC last year. Before that concert, I had never listened to this recording, but I knew about it. So I had the advantage of going into the concert with a fresh mind.

I came out of the concert with the feeling that others before me expressed -- that some of the transitions between familiar excerpts were smooth, some so-so, and others rather clunky. I think Maazel would be the first to admit that he was more successful in some areas of his arrangement, and not as successful in others. So be it. Wagner is tough for anyone and everyone delving into the complete operas, whatever their command of German and musical/orchestral principles.

So, my rating and review of this recording is confined to Maazel's task at hand. I give his effort four stars. Most of this "grade" is confined to the arrangement itself. I give the orchestral playing five stars.
Mozart: The Magic Flute (Highlights)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Male voices top, female voices flop
  • Poor version
  • NOT QUITE MAGIC TO ME
  • Excelente version!
  • The Best Magic Flute Recording
 Mozart: The Magic Flute (Highlights)

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (Highlights)
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ASIN: B000001GDP
Release Date: 1990-05-16

Tracks:

  1. Die Zauberflote: Ouverture
  2. Die Zauberflote: Erster Aufzug: 1. Introduktion: 'Zu Hilfe! Zu Hilfe!'
  3. Die Zauberflote: Erster Aufzug: 2. Arie: 'Der Vogelfanger bin ich ja'
  4. Die Zauberflote: Erster Aufzug: 3. Arie: 'Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon'
  5. Die Zauberflote: Erster Aufzug: 4. Rezitativ und Arie: 'O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn!' - 'Zum Leiden bin ich auserkoren'
  6. Die Zauberflote: Erster Aufzug: 7. Duett - 'Bei Mannern, welche Leibe fuhlen'
  7. Die Zauberflote: Zweiter Aufzug: 10. Arie mit Chor: 'O Isis und Osiris'
  8. Die Zauberflote: Zweiter Aufzug: 13. Arie: 'Alles fuhlt der Liebe Freuden'
  9. Die Zauberflote: Zweiter Aufzug: 14. Arie: 'Der Holle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen'
  10. Die Zauberflote: Zweiter Aufzug: 15. Arie: 'In diesen heil'gen Hallen
  11. Die Zauberflote: Zweiter Aufzug: 16. Terzett: 'Seid uns zum zweitenmal willkommen'
  12. Die Zauberflote: Zweiter Aufzug: 17. Arie: h, ich fuhl's, es ist verschwunden'
  13. Die Zauberflote: Zweiter Aufzug: 18. Chor der Priester: 'O Isis und Osiris'
  14. Die Zauberflote: Zweiter Aufzug: 20. Arie: 'Ein Madchen oder Weibchen'
  15. Die Zauberflote: Zweiter Aufzug: 21 Finale - Duett: 'Pa-pa-gena! Pa-pa-geno!'
  16. Die Zauberflote: Zweiter Aufzug: Rezitativ und Chor: 'Die Strahlen der Sonne'- 'Heil sei euch Geweihten!'

Amazon.com

Still probably the most magical recording ever of The Magic Flute, this starrily cast production featured the incomparable Fritz Wunderlich as Tamino, Evelyn Lear as a wonderfully sympathetic Pamina, Roberta Peters as a regal Queen of the Night (surprisingly good coloratura, if a little light at the top), Wagnerians James King and Martti Talvela as the two armed men (imagine that!), and of course, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, in one of his finest operatic outings, as an engagingly earnest Papageno. Behind it all, the marvelously astute Karl Böhm and the Berlin Philharmonic are in top form. The 1964 stereo is first rate. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Male voices top, female voices flop.......2007-05-25

To get the real feeling for the charme of "Die Zauberflöte", you need at least two recordings: This one under Böhm is magnificent for its male voices. Nobody can beat Wunderlich as Tamino, Fischer-Dieskau as Papageno, and Crass as Sarastro. The female voices, with the exception of Lisa Otto as Papagena, are not up to the mark, though. Evelyn Lear as Pamina is lacking in brilliance, especially in the duets when she has to stand comparison with her male counterparts. Roberta Peter's singing as Queen of the Night is somewhat extreme. You get used to it after some time, but her timbre is void of beauty and her coloratura shaky at times.

What can be made of the female roles becomes clear when you listen to Klemperer's recording on EMI (also from the early 1960s, like Böhm's). Gundula Janowitz is probably the most beautiful Pamina on disc and Lucia Popp is supreme as Queen of the Night. The three ladies with Schwarzkopf, Ludwig and Höffgen are lovely and sheer luxury. But then Klemperer was less lucky with his male voices: Nicolai Gedda as Tamino and Walter Berry as Papageno sing well but remain pale when compared with Wunderlich and Fischer-Dieskau. Gottlob Frick performs with a lot of warmth, but is clearly beyond his prime when it comes to technique.

So, to experience the full potential of this marvellous opera, there is no way out: You need both the Böhm and the Klemperer version! On its own, neither one is fully satisfactory - but still better than most recent productions!

2 out of 5 stars Poor version.......2005-07-08

This Magic Flute is not quite a good version. Starts good, but some arias are just poor sung... choose another one.

3 out of 5 stars NOT QUITE MAGIC TO ME.......2004-11-23

AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS MS PETERS IS SLIGHTLY OFF KEY ON HER HIGH F PLACEMENT? THE REST OF THE CAST WAS GREAT....BUT CAN'T STAND PETERS EMOTIONLESS QUEEN OF NIGHT AND I DISLIKE HER TONE PERIOD. STICK WITH SUMI JO, LILY PONS, AND ADELINA PATTI

5 out of 5 stars Excelente version!.......2002-01-26

No entiendo: Porque está tan barato este CD??
Es una de las mejores versiones de "La flauta" que he escuchado, el dúo final de Papageno y Papagena es de lo más rico que he escuchado en Opera y la reyna de la noche no desmerece en absoluta junto a otras afamadas coloraturas, aunque yo personalmente prefiero como interpretá el célebre papel la Deutekom.
La orquestación es correcta y el resto del elenco cumple cabálmente, mi conclusión ya la puse al principio de estos párrafos, ¿qué estás esperando?

5 out of 5 stars The Best Magic Flute Recording.......2000-03-07

I think this is the best recording of The Magic Flute. So many of the singers are absolutely magnificent. Fritz Wunderlich has a beautiful full lyric tenor voice that is perfect for the magical Tamino he creates. Franz Crass is a profoundly noble Sarastro. Roberta Peters is unbelievable as the Queen of the Night. I have heard many coloratura sopranos sing that role and I think she is the best. Her Fs above high C are spectacular and she is very dramatic,especially when she sings her second aria demanding that her daughter Pamina murder Sarastro and goes into fiery coloratura. I think Roberta Peters is the best singer in the world. I would love to find out what her highest note is. Lisa Otto is delightful as Papagena, and Dietrich Fisher-Dieskau brings a lot of earthly humor to the role of Papageno. Mozart's music is pure genuis, and I think this opera is his greatest work.
Great Orchestral Highlights from The Ring of the Nibelungs / Szell, Cleveland Orchestra (SACD)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Conversion
  • Not to be missed
  • Greatly improved sound, excellent performances
  • Szell and Karajan were freinds!!!
  • A classic Szell recording beautifully restored
 Great Orchestral Highlights from The Ring of the Nibelungs / Szell, Cleveland Orchestra (SACD)
Wagner , Cleveland Orchestra , and George Szell
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000044U19
Release Date: 2000-01-11

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Conversion .......2005-03-07

This is a very good recording of these works - all from Wagner's Nibelungen operas. Prior to purchasing this SACD, I did not totally agree with Szell's approach to Wagner. His approach, I thought, was too clear, too lacking on the bass line, and the accoustic at Severance Hall didn't help much. This SACD clarifies Szell in a very favorable way. Severance Hall doesn't sound nearly as bad of a place to record as I previously thought (though it's still debatable whether Szell's modifications to the hall in the late 50's were an improvement...) and the listener hears a much more balanced orchestral sonority, one which is without any congestion, clear as a bell, so to speak.

The performances themselves are top-flight - no question, by the late 1960's, the Cleveland Orchestra was the best orchestra in the U.S., outgunning everyone else. Szell lets the music speak for itself - no indulging in one's own self-centered interpretations here. Tempi are as specified and there are no orchestral rearrangements as there were in his Schumann recordings.

Now, if only Sony would release the rest of Szell's Wagner recordings on SACD, I'd be really happy to buy it.

5 out of 5 stars Not to be missed.......2004-12-02

Hard to believe that these old Columbia/Epic LPs had this kind of sound in them. The sound stage is deep and wide and the string sound truly analogue. I find some of the ring excerpts not particularly to my liking musically, but the Tristan Prelude? A great recording by any measure. I was mesmerized by Szell's performance and have listened many, many times. SACD is so phenomenal. No ear fatigue and musically so involving. I haven't enjoyed listening so much since my LP days. This is the full measure of digital sound.

4 out of 5 stars Greatly improved sound, excellent performances.......2004-09-17

I have been comparing this (non-hybrid, stereo-only) Sony SACD with the old Sony/CBS CD set - the 2 discs Maestro series from 1990, I've never heard a more recent Essential Classics CD incarnation coupled with some Ormandy Wagner. I suspect that was the same remastering.

The SACD replicates the second CD from that set (Ring excerpts plus the Tristan Prelude and Liebestod) and adds the Meistersinger Prelude, giving a total timing of 76'47.

I compared the tracks I know very well: the two Gotterdammerung excerpts. Unlike the other Szell SACD I have compared (Schumann Symphonies No 2 & 4, where the difference was discernible but slight), here the new disc sounds clearly different, and I think better.

On CD I always felt it was perhaps the slight aural 'edge' and hint of constriction that made these performances so thrilling (even though the sounds was rather flat in terms of front to back perspective), but this SACD removes that acerbity to some extent, to advantage I feel. There is much more depth to the sound and it is richer - and the orchestra sounds closer (perhaps even a tad smaller?) with greater detail. Strings sound more in focus. Maybe some of the ambience has changed, but perhaps this more realistically conveys the true acoustic of Severance Hall. Hearing the brief fanfare at 5'13ff in the Rhine Journey, here it is more rounded and realistic.

Tape hiss is absent from the SACD. In the Funeral March the advantage is clearer: the detail is much finer (the timpani strokes sound clearly at 2'55ff, whereas on CD they were blurred and the lighter ones inaudible).

For Wagnerians and Szell fans I think this SACD is worth getting as a supplement to the normal CD - I will of course retain the CDs as the SACD cannot be played elsewhere like the car changer.

5 out of 5 stars Szell and Karajan were freinds!!!.......2004-06-07

In a recent bio on Karajan I was surprised to read the two were very good freinds and shared a alot in common. They also had similar approaches to orchestral sonority...

Suprisingly enough the approach to the Wagner here is very alike Herbert in some regards...I like the way Szell approaches the music in a more intense approach.

Karajan did get to do the Ring...but alas we may get to hear Szell with the Met from the 40s which some believe does exist in archive. As to the playing this is the finest Wagner record of exerpts out there.

It surpasses Herbert's any day!!!

The wonderful thing is how Cleveland is so transparent in it's textures...not as unlike Klemperer as one would think!!!

5 out of 5 stars A classic Szell recording beautifully restored.......2002-01-25

There is very little to add to the excellent preceding review on this recording. I would just add an observation that the DSD transfer onto SACD brings a far greater level of realism and transparency as compared to the original LP or any subsequent CD transfer. We get as close as we likely ever will to hearing Szell's original intentions in the studio, which were obscured by Columbia's notoriously poor transfers of the original reel-to-reel master tape onto LP. In those days Columbia would artificially boost the mid-range on a recording to make it sound better on mediocre equipment -- not exactly an audiophile technique! This DSD transfer, by contrast, is untampered electronically, not even by noise reduction, which is also notorious for robbing analogue recordings from this vintage of their ambience and warmth. The result is a small amount of tape hiss, which I will gladly accept to be given the chance to hear what Szell and his fabulous Clevelanders actually recorded.
Wagner: Tristan & Isolde [Highlights]
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Wagner: Tristan & Isolde [Highlights]
    Lipovsek , Salminen , Meier , Jerusalem , Barenboim , and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
    Manufacturer: Apex
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B00027LD9S
    Release Date: 2006-06-02

    Tracks:

    1. Act I - Prelude
    2. Act I - Tristan!...Isolde!
    3. Act Ii - Isolde! Geliebte! Tristan! Geliebter!
    4. Act Ii - O Eitier Tagesknect!
    5. Act Ii - Einsam Wachend In Der Nacht
    6. Act Ii - Tatest Du's Wirklich
    7. Act Iii - Prelude
    8. Act Iii - Kurwenal! Hor! Ein Zweites Schiff
    9. Act Iii - Tot Denn Alles!
    10. Act Iii - Mild Und Leise Wie Er Lachelt
    Wagner: The Compact Ring (Highlights from Der Ring des Nibelungen) / Levine; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Right For The Money
    • Lovely moments from a disappointing Ring
    • A good introduction
    • Incredible. Levine/Met is the Wagner to buy.
    • Great driving music
    		 Wagner: The Compact Ring (Highlights from Der Ring des Nibelungen) / Levine; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
    Richard Wagner (composer) , James Levine , and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
    Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    1. Panorama (Highlights from der fliegende Hollander, Lohengrin, Tannhauser, Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, Parsifal, Tristan und Isolde)
    2. Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (1982 Orchestral Excerpts)
    3. Der Ring des Nibelungen Highlights / Karajan
    4. Highlights from Der Ring des Nibelungen
    5. Wagner: The "Ring" Without Words

    ASIN: B000001GJ6
    Release Date: 1993-03-16

    Tracks:

    1. The Nibelung's Ring: The Rhinegold: Scene 1: 'Lugt, Schwestern! Die Weckerin lacht in den Grund' (Alberich)
    2. The Nibelung's Ring: The Rhinegold: Scene Four: 'Zur Burg fuhrt die Brucke' (Wotan, Fricka, Loge)
    3. The Nibelung's Ring: The Valkyrie: Act One: 'Der Manner Sippe sass hier im Saal' (Sieglinde)
    4. The Nibelung's Ring: The Valkyrie: Act Three: (The Ride Of The Valkyries) 'Hojotoho! Hojotoho!'
    5. The Nibelung's Ring: The Valkyrie: Act Three: 'Der Augen leuchtendes Paar' (Magic Fire Music) (Wotan)
    6. The Nibelung's Ring: Siegfried: Act Two: 'Aber, wie sah meine Mutter wohl aus?' (Forest Murmurs) (Siegfried)
    7. The Nibelung's Ring: Siegfried: Act Two: 'Nun sing! Ich lausche dem Gesang' (Siegfried, Woodbird)
    8. The Nibelung's Ring: Siegfried: Act Three: 'Heil dir, Sonne! Heil dir, Licht!' (Brunnhilde, Siegfried)
    9. The Nibelung's Ring: Twilight Of The Gods: Act Three: (Funeral March)
    10. The Nibelung's Ring: Twilight Of The Gods: Act Three: 'Fliegt heim, ihr Raben!' (Brunnhilde)

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Right For The Money.......2006-06-27

    I've had this cd for as long as I can remember and love it. Some compilations want $30 and up for a Wagner opera, but this has it all condensed into one cd and it's both beautiful and inexpensive.

    5 out of 5 stars Lovely moments from a disappointing Ring.......2005-10-07

    Levine's Ring cycle was severely handicapped from the start by having no real siegfried and a Brunnhilde who is very musical but lacking a true Brunnhilde voice. Levine worked around these deficits, as every conductor since the heyday of Nilsson has had to do, with excellent musicianship and the wonderful MET Orchestra. HIs sound for Wagner is leaner than Solti's--one gets the feeling of an opera orchestra, not a huge symphony orchestra.
    The cycle also suffered from Levine's extremely leisurely pace, which seems slack rather than profound.

    That said, DG has made a silk purse of of half a sow's ear. These excerpts show off the best in Levine's approach and skirt the worst. One would have liked to hear much more of James Morris's Wotan, since he was by far the star of the show. Hildegard Behrens is heard to good effect in the Immolaiton Scene that ends the cycle, as well as the Awakening Scene from Siegfried. The orchestral excerpts are gorgeously played, and even though I would not rank any single opera from Levine's Ring as the best on record, this "compact Ring" is excellent on its own.

    4 out of 5 stars A good introduction.......2005-08-08

    A solid, well-rounded compilation of highlights from Richard Wagner's musically sublime, vocally gargantuan, and dramatically unsurpassed Der Ring des Nibelungen is a rare find. Deutsche Grammophon released a two-disc set of highlights from Karajan's Ring Cycle through its Panorama collection; Philips released a similar set from Karl Böhm's glorious live 1966-67 Bayreuth recordings. This collection of highpoints from James Levine's late-1980s/early-1990s rendering of the operatic epic through the Metropolitan Opera is not as successful. This is indeed a shame, for Levine masters Wagner's scores with surprising versatility; he crafts a fairly slow, precise, but deeply moving and rewarding musical portrait of the composer's Rhineland of yore which sparks more than a few memories of the most highly regarded studio recording of the four operas: Sir Georg Solti's (and, for all intents and purposes, producer and innovator John Culshaw's) and the Wiener Philharmoniker's triumph on Decca.

    What results is a compelling but not overwhelming exhibition disc for James Morris and Hildegard Behrens, the former as a gravelly, sonorous Wotan, and the latter as a svelte, willowy Brünnhilde. Morris is certainly superior to the archaic, defeated Hans Hotter of Solti's Die Walküre (and, arguably, Theo Adam in Böhm's and Thomas Stewart in Karajan's) during his farewell to Brünnhilde ("Der Augen leuchtendes Paar"). Behrens is no Nilsson (nor a Dernesch, nor a Crespin) but she is, nonetheless, a very lovely Valkyrie, both in the Awakening Scene ("Heil dir, Sonne! Heil dir, Licht!") and in the Immolation Scene ("Fliegt heim, ihr Raben!"). Reiner Goldberg is competent as Siegfried in the Waldweben ("Aber, wie sah meine Mutter wohl aus?"), but he is far removed from the realms of Wolfgang Windgassen and Jess Thomas. Jessye Norman is a mature but lyrically radiant Sieglinde. Kathleen Battle supplies her sugary, enchanting tone for the small but potent role of the Woodbird. Siegfried Jerusalem makes a brief appearance as Loge (in a definitely less caricatured capacity than Gerhard Stolze). Mark Baker is a plain but virile Froh. Hei-Kyung Hong, Diane Kesling, and Meredith Parsons are particularly harmonious as the Rheintöchter.

    However, the rest of the soloists are barely nonexistent. Christa Ludwig is insultingly truncated as Fricka. Ekkehard Wlaschiha's Alberich (which rivals the interpretations of Gustav Neidlinger and Zoltan Kélémén) is heard only twice. Matti Salminen's Hagen is limited to a sole outburst of "Zurück vom Ring!" Other noted performances from Levine's Ring are deleted entirely: Heinz Zednik's slimy but very human Mime, Kurt Moll's baleful Hunding, Cheryl Studer's Gutrune, and Bernd Weikl's Gunther.

    In spite of everything, this "compact Ring" is an item to have simply for Levine's presentation of the Walkürenritt ("Hojotoho! Hojotoho!"). The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra is in superb form and the eight furious, calamitous voices of Wotan's battle maidens (supplied by Marita Napier, Linda Kelm, Reinhild Runkel, Ruthild Engert, Marilyn Mims, Anne Wilkens, Kesling, and Parsons) mesh in a tapestry of thunderous doom and emotion.

    5 out of 5 stars Incredible. Levine/Met is the Wagner to buy........2005-02-05

    I have the complete Ring cycle from which these highlights are taken. Chances are if you're browsing Wagner recordings you're already aware of how powerful and profound "Der Ring" is, so I'll just say what you want to know: BUY THIS CD. No other Wagner CD I've heard comes close. Usually I disagree with at least some tempo or phrasing choices of even the most famous conductors, but I must bow to Levine on this one. Not once did I ever think that I would've made a different choice, allowing me to become completely immersed in the music. For a classically trained musician like myself, this is no small feat since I've been conditioned to analyze what I hear almost automatically. The fact that these recordings are so good that they make me forget about mechanics makes this not only of the best Wagner recordings I have but one of the best classical CDs I own, period.

    NOTE: If you like this CD, then trust me--just buy the whole "Ring" set conducted by Levine. It's expensive (over $100), but it's 14 CDs and one of the best musical investments you'll ever make.

    5 out of 5 stars Great driving music.......2004-12-29

    I have seen the Ring Cycle a couple of times live over the years. I also have the videos and some lengthy recordings. So periodically I refresh my self with the story. However I find "The Compact Ring" fun fro listing to in the car. As with any copulation it is someone else's idea of the highlights. But it comes close enough for me. And what is on the CD is excellent.
    This also makes a good introduction.

    Wagner: Highlights from "The Ring"
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • My first Wagner CD and it remains a favourite
    • Wagner for the rest of us
    • A soundtrack for heroes
    • a hit and miss affair
    • this one is a hit and miss
    		 Wagner: Highlights from "The Ring"

    Manufacturer: Sony
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    1. The Rite of Spring /Igor Stravinsky / New York Philharmonic / Zubin Mehta (CBS Masterworks/Sony)
    2. Wagner: The "Ring" Without Words

    ASIN: B0000026OJ
    Release Date: 1990-10-25

    Tracks:

    1. Das Rheingold: Entrance Of The Gods Into Valhalla
    2. Die Walkure: The Ride Of The Valkyries
    3. Die Walkure: Magic Fire Music
    4. Siegfried: Forest Murmurs
    5. Gotterdammerung: Dawn & Siegfried's Rhine Journey
    6. Gotterdammerung: Siegfried's Funeral Music
    7. Gotterdammerung: Brunnhilde's Immolation Scene

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars My first Wagner CD and it remains a favourite.......2006-07-10

    I got this 16 years ago and it was my very first Wagner CD.

    Now I have a large number of Wagner CDs but this remains a favourite.

    There are many arrangements of Ring excerpts around, but this has the best versions, in my view, especially for Dawn & RJ.

    Mehta's pacing is excellent, particularly for the Goetterdaemmerung tracks, and the sound is superb: so much detail is revealed very clearly.

    The Immolation Scene with Caballe was recorded separately (the stereo placing is clearly different from the others) and she is nothing like a Nilsson, but it's OK.

    So, overall, a wonderful introduction to some of the key Highlights of the Ring.

    5 out of 5 stars Wagner for the rest of us.......2005-02-10

    This CD gives you some of the best highlights of Wagner's "Ring" and includes some powerful vocals, but the emphasis remains with the dramatic symphonic music. The entrance into Valhalla and the Ride of the Valkyries are obviously going to be the favorites of guys like me who like Wagner, but don't like Wagner every day. Like cheesecake, Wagner is not meat and potatoes music, it is pure dessert, gushing with cream and carmel sauce.

    Though not an opera officianado, I really enjoyed Brunhilda's Immolation scene in this CD. The dramatic ending to the Ring is one of the greatest musical accomplishments in the history of music.

    5 out of 5 stars A soundtrack for heroes.......2001-02-04

    I will begin by saying that I am not an opera fan and did not buy this album for the vocal parts. For anyone who is interested in the quality of the vocals, they should read the other reviews. The power of this music is incredible on this album. The "Entrance" is stirring. Of course, one cannot help but wave imaginary spears about as they hear the Ride of the Valkyries. Mehta conveys all the power of Wagner through his conducting. Instead of playing fortissimo throughout the movement, he employs more convinving dynamic variations. These dymamics are most evident in Mehta's interpretation of Siegfried's Funeral Music. He does not overplay the beginning, but allows the orchestra to state the important themes with all the appropriate grace and grandeur. He brings the orchestra down low, then stuns the listener with the staccato notes of Siegfried's murder. Mehta then presents a heroic climax that does not disappoint. As I said, I am no fan of opera. I purchased this album for the orchestral pieces. Mehta and the NYPO are hard to beat, and I would recommend this album to anyone who wants a first-rate Wagner highlight album.

    3 out of 5 stars a hit and miss affair.......2000-06-19

    Most of the items on this recording are very well done and recorded, but regrettably the CD is let down by Caballe's peformance in the Immolation Scene. I am an admirer of her work as many others are, but find her German is not very idiomatic (one could make the same observations about Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's Italian), and she does not sing the top notes cleanly but scoops them from below instead. In this price range you could do better with the Bohm, Solti, or Karajan - or perhaps Szell best of all - highlights recordings.

    3 out of 5 stars this one is a hit and miss.......2000-06-13

    The orchestral playing and conducting is good but not particularly memorable. I would not rank it equal to that of Szell with the Cleveland Orchestra. Wimsberger in the Farewell is decent but not great, and Caballe is regrettably not successful in the Immolation Scene. She scoops the top notes from below rather than singing them cleanly, and her German diction is suspect too. Although I admire many of her other recordings, I do not play this one frequently. Good sound quality and documentation. Probably indispensable for Caballe fans, for better or worse. At this price range I would choose instead the Szell, Solti, Karajan or Bohm (on 2CDs) highlights recordings from the complete operas.
    Wagner: The Ring of the Nibelungen (Highlights)
    Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    • A Useful Introduction to the Ring
    • Asleep at the wheel
    • Release the budget Ring NOW!
    • A Good Intoduction to the Ring Cycle
    • Worst Ring I've heard in years
    		 Wagner: The Ring of the Nibelungen (Highlights)

    Manufacturer: EMI Classics
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    1. Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (1982 Orchestral Excerpts)

    ASIN: B00004ZDLK
    Release Date: 2000-10-24

    Tracks:

    1. The Rhinegold: Prelude - Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
    2. The Rhinegold: He - Da! He - Da! He - Do! Zu Mir Du Geduft! - Andreas Schmidt
    3. The Rhinegold: Zur Burg Fuhrt Die Brucke - Peter Seiffert
    4. The Rhinegold: Abendlich Strahlt Die Sonne - Marjana Lipovsek
    5. The Rhinegold: Ihrem Ende Eilen Sie Zu - Heinz Zednik
    6. The Rhinegold: Rheingold! Rheingold! - Heinz Zednik
    7. The Valkyrie: Wintersturme Wichen Dem Wonnemond - Rainer Goldberg
    8. The Valkyrie: Du Bist Der Lenz - Cheryl Studer
    9. The Valkyrie: Oh Sussete Wonne! - Cheryl Studer
    10. The Valkyrie: Siegmund Heiss Ich - Cheryl Studer
    11. The Valkyrie: Hojotoho! 'Ride Of The Valkyries' - Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
    12. The Valkyrie: Loge, Hor! - James Morris
    13. The Valkyrie: Feuerzaube 'Magic Fire Music' - James Morris
    14. Siegfried: Was Am Besten Er Kann - Siegfried Jerusalem
    15. Siegfried: Nothung! Nothung! Niedliches Schwert! - Siegfried Jerusalem
    16. Siegfried: Waldweben...Du Holdes Voglein - Siegfried Jerusalem
    17. Siegfried: Nun Sing! Ich Lausche Dem Gesang - Siegfried Jerusalem
    18. Twilight Of The Gods: O Heilge Gotter! - Siegfried Jerusalem
    19. Twilight Of The Gods: Siegfried's Rhine Journey - Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
    20. Twilight Of The Gods: Siegfried's Funeral March - Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
    21. Twilight Of The Gods: Grane, Mein Ross - Eva Marton
    22. Twilight Of The Gods: Zuruck Vom Ring! - John Tomlinson

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars A Useful Introduction to the Ring.......2006-03-04

    This CD was a pleasant surprise and can be recommended to anyone seeking a brief 1-CD introduction to Wagner's Ring, particularly at its bargain price. I hadn't expected much of it, since Haitink's complete Ring has received mostly unenthusiastic reviews, but it turns out be considerably better than I'd thought.

    Let's back up a little and lay some groundwork: Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, his masterpiece, is a huge work consisting of four long operas. The best Ring on records is the Solti/Vienna Philharmonic version on Decca/London (14 CDs, recorded 1958-65), followed (not very closely, in my opinion) by the Bohm/Bayreuth version on Philips (14 CDs, recorded 1966-67). The Solti is a studio recording; the Bohm comes from live performances at Bayreuth. The Solti version has the best conducting, the best orchestra, the best cast, and the best sound. The reason these two versions are superior to any later versions is largely that the 1960s was the last decade when there were singers available who could cope with the staggering vocal demands of the Ring (in particular Birgit Nilsson, who sings Brunnhilde in both the Solti and Bohm versions). Today, alas, we lack such singers. Hence the Haitink Ring, recorded 1988-1991, has to make do with current vocal resources, which results in seriously compromised singing in some of the major parts. And the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra has never been considered an orchestra in the top echelon.

    So what's to like about this recording? First, Haitink, a frequently underrated conductor, proves, at least on the basis of what we hear here, to be an excellent Wagnerian, and he has this orchestra sounding world-class. Second, the sound is excellent. (I've rarely admired EMI's digital sound, but here it is first-rate.) Third, given the impossibility of representing the entire Ring on a single CD, this collection of many (22) brief snippets is as good a Ring "sampler" (for that is all it can be) as could be put together in 72½ minutes. Finally, we are spared most of the problematic singing, and what we get is good enough. James Morris, the Wotan, is excellent; his big, powerful voice, secure and authoritative, is just what's needed for the part. Eva Marton, the Brunnhilde, comes across as too much of a screamer, but fortunately we don't hear much of her here. Siegfried Jerusalem, cast in the impossible part of Siegfried, has a basically pleasing voice and sings intelligently and lyrically; he can't cope with the heroic demands of the role (no one else can either, since Melchior) but offers a sensible compromise. Many of the smaller parts are well taken; in particular I would point out the genuinely thrilling Ride of the Valkyries (with a fine group of Valkyries)-an electrifying performance that should be an ear-opener for anyone used to the usual orchestra-only version of this excerpt. Everything I hear from Haitink and the orchestra on this CD gives pleasure and satisfaction. He may not be the fiery, dramatic dynamo Solti is, but he understands this music and has it and his orchestra well in hand.

    In short, if you want only a single-CD introduction to the Ring, this is a good choice, especially at its bargain price. (And if you're already a Ring buff but would like to sample the Haitink cycle, this serves well.) I think better choices (at higher prices) are the well-filled 2-CD selections of Ring highlights from the Bohm/Bayreuth cycle on Philips and the Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic cycle on DG. They are not without their problems, too, but they give you twice as much of the music (two and a half hours) as this single-CD selection, and hence a better idea of the Ring. And there is also a 1-CD selection of highlights from the Solti/Vienna Philharmonic cycle, offering 7 longer, more or less "standard" excerpts, mostly orchestral, instead of the 22 shorter (but choppier) and more varied snippets of the Haitink CD (and at "medium" price instead of budget price).

    2 out of 5 stars Asleep at the wheel.......2005-09-27

    EMI took a big risk having Haitink conduct a complete Ring since he had never conducted Wagner in the opera house. He turned out to be disappointing all around, with no special insights and a tendency to underplay the most famous orchestral moments. We can mercifully skip over his adequate-to-dismal cast, as even this budget CD of excerpts barely manages to catch them in good form. Only the Barenboim set has worse singers, and that's debatable.

    5 out of 5 stars Release the budget Ring NOW!.......2004-02-18

    Practically every Ring set or an individual recording is full-priced in the market. The popular ones (Solti/VPO, Boulez/Bayereuth, Levine/Met) are priced at full 4-CD price and vintage recordings by Furtwangler and Knappertbusch are either hard to find, expensive, or simply difficult for newbie listeners to listen because of the mono sound . Well, I guess Haitink's original set seems to pale in comparison with these titles above, but based on the highlights, it sounds just decent. From the highlights, the singing is surprisingly top-notch. Haitink is the one expert on spaciousness of sound. I find the Bavarian Radio a better orchestra than his Concertgebouw for simply more weight in their playing. The Concertgebouw has clarity and spaciousness, but listening to the orchestra is like drinking Diet Coke with ice.

    It would be great for EMI to do us a justice and release a full Haitink-Ring set.

    4 out of 5 stars A Good Intoduction to the Ring Cycle.......2002-02-11

    The perfomances on this CD of highlights from the Haitink,BRSO
    recording of the "Ring" on EMI might seem to pale in comparision to the other ones. But I think that one advantage that they have is that they are not "overblown" or "Overdone" The Haitink pays homage to other recordings by having some "sound effects" like the Solti-Culshaw recording on Decca, the singers are all well cast, and do as good a job singing their parts as can be expected. I think it would be good of EMI to re-issue this Ring
    recording on CD as a budget set It deserves to remain in the catalog and not be put in limbo. I also recommend the Mozart Magic Flute Hightlights CD also from Seraphim.

    1 out of 5 stars Worst Ring I've heard in years.......2001-04-11

    This is the worst recording of music from the Ring that I've heard in years. The singing is terrible, and the orchestral playing is boring and ugly. This is definitely the Ring to avoid. If you want some highlights, try a sampler of one of the more successful recordings of the Ring: Karajan, Solti, or Bohm. There are plenty of samplers out there from these recordings, any of which would be more musical and more exciting than this.

    Try Karajan if you want beautiful and thrilling music, Solti if you want to test your car stereo, and Bohm if you like the excitement of a live recording. The latter two of these three are less in tune than the Karajan, but there is some thrilling singing on the Solti set - particularly the incredible Swedish soprano Birgit Nilsson.
    Der Ring des Nibelungen Highlights / Karajan
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • An Excellent Recording! Must Have!
    		 Der Ring des Nibelungen Highlights / Karajan
    Josephine Veasey , Helge Brilioth , Helga Dernesch , Jess Thomas , Gerhard Soltze , Herbert von Karajan , and Berlin Philharmonic
    Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    1. Wagner: The Compact Ring (Highlights from Der Ring des Nibelungen) / Levine; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
    2. The Anna Russell Album
    3. The Tallis Scholars Sing Thomas Tallis
    4. Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera

    ASIN: B000001GC1
    Release Date: 1990-05-01

    Tracks:

    1. The Ring Of The Nibelung: Zur Burg fuhrt die Brucke; Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge; So gruss ich die Burg; Rheingold! Rheingold
    2. The Valkyrie: Ein Schwert verhiess mir der Vater
    3. The Valkyrie: Walkurenritt-The Ride Of The Valkyries
    4. The Valkyrie: Leb wohl, du kuhnes, herrliches Kind!; Der Augen leuchtendes Paar; Loge, hor! Lausche hieher
    5. The Valkyrie: Feuerzauber-Magic Fire Music
    6. Siegfried: Notung! Notung! Neidliches Schwert; Hoho! Hoho! Hohei! Schmiede mein Hammer, ein hartes Schwert
    7. Siegfried: Brunnhilde's Awakening: Introduction; Heil dir, Sonne! Heil dir, Licht!
    8. Twilight Of The Gods: Brunnhilde, heilige Braut!
    9. Twilight Of The Gods: Trauermarsch-Funeral March

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars An Excellent Recording! Must Have!.......2001-08-06

    Though some would argue that there are still greater recordings i.e. Solti conducting, Karl Bohm and the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, but Karajan, noted conductor and greatly admired, delivers here an excellent recording. The highlights include the great scenes from the four operas in Wagner's Ring cycle. The incredible Ride of the Valkyries here, especially, is very good, and the cast includes talented singers, among them Edda Moser. Karajan, always trying to perfectionize his works, does not really sway from the intense drama of the opera. The Immolation scene, in which Siegfried has been slain by Hagen and Brunhilde is left with the ring, standing over his funeral pyre and eventually throwing herself in it, is exceptional. The cries of "Zuruck Vom Ring" by Wotan as the majestic music of the finale reaches climax is superb. Karajan has outdone himself again.
    Wagner: Orchestral Highlights
    Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    • Listenable disc for Wagner 'newbies'
    		Wagner: Orchestral Highlights

    Manufacturer: Naxos
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    ASIN: B0000013SS
    Release Date: 1994-02-15

    Tracks:

    1. Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg: Ov
    2. Tristan Und Isolde: Prld To Act I/Isolde's Liebestod
    3. Parsifal: Prld To Act I
    4. Siegfried Idyll
    5. Goterrdammerung: Immolation Of The Gods

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Listenable disc for Wagner 'newbies' .......2004-10-14

    This is Naxos' third disc with orchestral music from Wagner's immense work, and although it cannot perhaps match up to some full-price performances by top-class teams, it seems to me to be an eminently 'listenable' disc containing some of Wagner's quieter, more meditative music in acceptable sound quality (the stereo panorama is better than on some of Naxos' earlier productions). The Polish NRSO had, in December 1990, not quite reached the standards it later set under Antoni Wit, but Johannes Wildner obviously managed to spur the orchestra on to a more than respectable achievement. The overture to the 'Meistersinger von Nürnberg' is a rather noisy piece which I felt did not come over as well as the three following tracks: Isolde's 'Liebestod', the Prelude to Act 1 of Parsifal and the Siegfried-Idyll. The tempi are kept very slow and deliberate here (for the Siegfried-Idyll Wildner needs a full three and a half minutes longer than Wolfgang Sawallisch with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra on Philips), which can, on occasion, be a little soporific, but does make it possible to revel in every detail of the score. (Sawallisch's instruments sound rather more polished.) The disc closes with the 'Immolation of the Gods' from the 'Götterdämmerung', bringing together lots of Wagner's leitmotifs. This is definitely not a disc for Wagner buffs; it is one for 'newbies' like myself who are curious to find out why Wagner is revered and/or hated without having to listen to his massive operas all through.
    Wagner: Die Walkure; Götterdämmerung (Highlights) [Australia]
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Great singers, great conductor
    • Subtle and stirring by degrees...except for Flagstad
    • Utterly fantastic
    • The magnificent Flagstad !
    • Fabulous
    		 Wagner: Die Walkure; Götterdämmerung (Highlights) [Australia]
    Hans Knappertbusch , Kirsten Flagstad , Set Svanholm , Arnold van Mill , Knappertsbusch , Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra , and Richard Wagner
    Manufacturer: Decca
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
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    ASIN: B000060ME2
    Release Date: 2002-01-28

    Tracks:

    1. Prelude
    2. Wes Herrd Dies Auch Sei Hier Mub Ich Rasten Siegmund
    3. Des Seimigen Metes Uben Trank
    4. Mud' Am Herd Fand Ich Den Mann
    5. Friedmund Darf Ich Nicht Heiben
    6. Ein Starkes Jagen Auf Uns Stellten
    7. Ein Trauriges Kind Siegmund
    8. Ich Weib Ein Wildes Geschlecht Hunding
    9. Ein Schwert Verhieb Mir Der Vater Siegmundo
    10. Schlafst Du Gast
    11. Der Manner Sippe Sieglinde
    12. Wintersturme Wichen Dem Wonnemond Siegmond
    13. Du Bist Der Lenz Sieglinde
    14. Siegmund Heib' Ich Siegmund
    15. Siegfreid's Funeral March

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Great singers, great conductor.......2006-10-19

    This is, quite simply, very good.

    It's my first encounter with Set Svanholm and I really like his voice. Lyrical and manly. It's a pity he sometimes has a rather awkward intonation.

    Flagstad has a wonderful voice too. I knew her voice from the Fricka role on Solti's Rheingold (stereo). I'm very glad to have another example of her art.

    I'm also very pleased with Arnold van Mill's Hunding. He portrays this man not altogether evil, but rather displeased because he finds his wife with another man in his own house. Only when he finds out, Siegmund is the one he has been searching for, he get's really angry. I think this view on the role is closer to the score than any other recorded Hunding (who portray Hunding as a fundamentally evil creature, a sort of Nibelung, which he is not). Anyway, his voice sounds great.

    Knappertsbusch and his orchestra are wonderful. It's a pity that not the whole opera was recorded.

    4 out of 5 stars Subtle and stirring by degrees...except for Flagstad.......2004-11-22

    This is an excellent recording of Act 1...up there with the best going around.

    There are of course many recording of this opera, and almost as many disasters. Gary Lakes as Siegmund in the Met version is one example of a single individual shattering the value of a 4 CD set.

    I grew up a poor boy, weaned on the cheapest Wagner Ring CDs I could find. The Boulez Walkure with Peter Hoffmann and Altmeyer, with the frightening Matti Salmninen as Hundig, was the first I listened too and has always been my favourite- at least as far as Act 1 is concerned. This one, conducted by Knappertsbusch, comes very close. Set Svanholm is a far superior Siegmund to many others that i have heard, comparable to James King, if not better. He possess King's strength of voice but is more like Hoffmann in his ability to negoitiate the the more sublte parts of the score with more poignant tenderness.

    If there is a fault with any part of this CD it is with Flagstad. It is pretty frightening stuff really. Personally I have never really been a fan, but if she is your cup of tea then please completely ignore anything I have to say about her. 'Der Manner Sippe' is a harrowing experience. She is less sympathetic than she is nagging and coarse. She starts off well but comes across generally as too austere and Brunhilde-ish. She is less swept away by Seigmund than beating him into submission, and that angle, call me old fashioned, just doesn't cut it for me. Altemayer's more vulnerable Sieglinde was one of the factors which made Boulez's performance so compelling.

    Van Mill's Hundig, while not comparable to Salminen, is far superior to the likes of Greindl in the Solti.

    The sound is good and the orchestra (particularly the bass/cello section) is superb. There is a power to it which is quite intoxicating. The orchestral orgasm around Siegmund harried plea for 'Ein Quell' and Sieglinde's 'Erquickung schaff ich'is deliciously intense. Bohm's orchestra by comparison seems to fall to fall asleep here. Later, their combination with Svanholm at the end of the act is electrifying.

    It is good. Excellent in fact. It cost me 10 dollars in Sydney and is an absolute bargain.

    5 out of 5 stars Utterly fantastic.......2004-11-11

    I have been a Flagstad fan from my first encounter with her singing. I read about this recording quite a while ago and I thought that it was impossible to get. By chance I saw it here on Amazon.com and in stock and ordered it right away. When I received the CD in the mail and played it, I was in a daze and felt as if I have discovered her voice all over again. The sound quality of the recording was great. Her voice wrapped around me like a very comfortable blanket and took me on a ride. The full bloom and beauty of the voice left me wanting for more.
    Set Svanholm's Siegmund was also a treasure to behold, with the proper depth, power and security in the voice to make his interpretation totally believable. Arnold van Mill, I thought, wasn't menacing enough, but still was vocally very good.
    Hans Knappertsbusch was better here than on his performance from 1956 available from Music and Arts. His tempi and timing here are better defined. On the '56 performance there were times when Windgassen, who sang Siegmund, began singing and the orchestra lagged behind. This performance has a vitality to it and is generally faster than what I normally expect from Kna.

    The sound is, like I wrote above, really great. All details of the orchestral score is heard and it never is balanced above the singers. This is, for me, the best stereo recording with Flagstad. There aren't many of them. Two of them, Rheingold and the third act from Walkure both with Solti, have a much inferior conductor (Solti). The third with Mahler and Wagner lieder and arias (if there is such a thing in Wagner) with Boult and Kna is still very good, but with this recording we get a complete act with her in great sound and with a great co-star and conductor.
    This is very highly recommended.

    5 out of 5 stars The magnificent Flagstad !.......2004-04-24

    Who could ever call the most beautiful, powerful and unsurpassed voice in Wagner singing matronly ?

    5 out of 5 stars Fabulous.......2003-09-10

    This is the famous Act 1 Walkure with Knappertsbusch that John Culshaw describes in his book "Ring Resounding". Kirsten Flagstad sings Sieglinde. She has been criticized for being too "matronly" for Sieglinde. Yes, but she sings the role absolutely beautifully. Who cares if it is matronly? Plus the sound is terrific - Decca Stereo. Knappertsbusch is great too.

    Music Track:

    1. Walton: Scenes from Shakespeare/ Gielgud, Plummer, Marriner
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    3. Weiss: The London Manuscript, Vol.2
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    7. Wilhelm Furtwängler Conducts Bach, Hindemith, Pfitzner
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    10. Zarzuela castiza

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