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Richard Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Sir Georg Solti, Wiener Philharmoniker)
[1997 / FLAC / Lossless / Log]
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Richard Wagner [1813-1883] - Der Ring des Nibelungen [The Ring of the Nibelung]
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Decca CD box set with all 4 operas of Wagner's ring cycle on 14 discs.
Sir Georg Solti and the Wiener Philharmoniker [Vienna Philharmonics]
Studio recordings made at the Sofiensaal in Vienna/Austria:
Das Rheingold: September/October 1958
Die Walküre: October/November 1965
Siegfried: May and October 1962
Die Götterdämmerung: May to November 1964
Digitally remastered in 1997.
File names do not have German special characters to accommodate all OSes. Tags edited with Tag&Rename to include the special characters
Includes album arts, German librettos, tracklisting, and scans from the leaflets [info, synopsis, pics, illustrations, articles, etc].
German libretto with English or Italian translation side by side available at http://www.rwagner.net/
Click English or Italian version, Operas, and then scroll down to "Der Ring des Nibelungen".
All 4 operas are listed and the librettos can be viewed.
Cast:
1] Das Rheingold [The Rhinegold]
Wotan George London
Fricka Kirsten Flagstad
Freia Claire Watson
Loge Set Svanholm
Froh Waldemar Kmentt
Donner Eberhard Wächter
Mime Paul Kuen
Erda Jean Madeira
Woglinde Oda Balsborg=
Wellgunde Hetty Plümacher
Flosshilde Ira Malaniuk
2] Die Walküre [The Valkyrie]
Siegmund James King
Sieglinde Régine Crespin
Hunding Gottlob Frick
Wotan Hans Hotter
Brünnhilde Birgit Nilsson
Fricka Christa Ludwig
Waltraute Brigitte Faßbänder
Ortlinde Helga Dernesch
Helmwige Berit Lindholm
Gerhilde Vera Schlosser
Siegrune Vera Little
Schwertleite Helen Watts
Roßweiße Claudia Hellmann
Grimgerde Marilyn Tyler
3] Siegfried
Siegfried Wolfgang Windgassen
Brünnhilde Birgit Nilsson
Der Wanderer [the wanderer] Hans Hotter
Mime Gerhard Stolze
Alberich Gustav Neidlinger
Fafner Kurt Böhme
Erda Marga Höffgen
Der Waldvogel [the forest bird] Joan Sutherland
4] Götterdämmerung [Twilight of the Gods]
Siegfried Wolfgang Windgassen
Brünnhilde Birgit Nilsson
Waltraute Christa Ludwig
Gunther Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Gutrune Claire Watson
Alberich Gustav Neidlinger
Hagen Gottlob Frick
First Norn Helen Watts
Second Norn Grace Hoffman
Third Norn Anita Välkki
Woglinde Lucia Popp
Wellgunde Gwyneth Jones
Flosshilde Maureen Guy
Sir Georg Solti at the recording sessions
Disc 1 [1]:
01. Scene 1 - Vorspiel [Prelude] [4:13]
02. Scene 1 - Weia! Waga! Woge, du Welle! [2:25]
03. Scene 1 - Garstig glatter glitschriger Glimmer! [4:55]
04. Scene 1 - Wallala! Lalaleia! [2:24]
05. Scene 1 - Lugt, Schwestern! [5:49]
06. Scene 1 - Der Welt Erbe gewänn' ich zu eigen durch dich? [4:25]
07. Scene 2 - Wotan! Gemahl! Erwache! [10:53]
08. Scene 2 - Sanft schloß Schlaf dein Aug' [7:28]
09. Scene 2 - Zu mir, Freia! Meide sie, Frecher! [1:40]
10. Scene 2 - Endlich Loge! [3:45]
11. Scene 2 - Immer ist Undank Loges Lohn! [7:01]
12. Scene 2 - Ein Runenzauber zwingt das Gold zum Reif [3:07]
13. Scene 2 - Hör', Wotan, der Harrenden Wort! [2:47]
14. Scene 2 - Was sinnt nun Wotan so wild? [5:10]
15. Scene 2 - Auf, Loge, hinab mit mir! - Scene 3 - Hehe! hehe! hieher! [4:30]
Disc 2 [2]:
01. Scene 3 - Schau, du Schelm! [2:07]
02. Scene 3 - Nibelheim hier- durch bleiche Nebel was blitzen dort [5:20]
03. Scene 3 - Nehmt euch in acht - Alberich naht - Sein harren wir hier [7:33]
04. Scene 3 - Vergeh, frevelnder Gauch! - Was sagt der - Sei doch bei Sinnen! [3:55]
05. Scene 3 - Ohe! Hahaha! Ohe! Hahaha! Schreckliche Schlange [6:30]
06. Scene 4 - Da, Vetter, sitze du fest! [4:41]
07. Scene 4 - Gezahlt hab' ich; nun laßt mich zieh'n! [5:35]
08. Scene 4 - Bin ich nun frei Wirklich frei [4:09]
09. Scene 4 - Fasolt und Fafner nahen von fern [5:17]
10. Scene 4 - Gepflanzt sind die Pfähle [5:48]
11. Scene 4 - Weiche, Wotan, weiche! [6:00]
12. Scene 4 - Hört, ihr Riesen! Zurück, und harret! ... Halt, du Gieriger! [6:34]
13. Scene 4 - Schwüles Gedünst ... Zur Burg führt die Brücke [3:12]
14. Scene 4 - Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge [4:50]
15. Scene 4 - Rheingold! Rheingold! Reines Gold! Wie lauter und hell [3:41]
Disc 1 [3]:
01. Act 1 - Vorspiel [Prelude] [3:16]
02. Act 1 - Scene 1 - Wes Herd dies auch sei [4:02]
03. Act 1 - Scene 1 - Kühlende Labung gab mir der Quell! [9:35]
04. Act 1 - Scene 2 - Müd am Herd fand ich den Mann [5:07]
05. Act 1 - Scene 2 - Friedmund darf ich nicht heißen [4:26]
06. Act 1 - Scene 2 - Aus dem Wald trieb es mich fort [6:02]
07. Act 1 - Scene 2 - Ich weiß ein wildes Geschlecht [5:40]
08. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Ein Schwert verhieß mir der Vater [6:10]
09. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Schläfst du Gast [6:47]
10. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond [2:55]
11. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Du bist der Lenz, nach dem ich verlangte [6:45]
12. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Wehwalt heißt du fürwahr - Siegmund heiß ich [5:05]
Disc 2 [4]:
01. Act 2 - Vorspiel [Prelude] [2:17]
02. Act 2 - Scene 1 - Nun zäume dein Roß, reisige Maid [2:49]
03. Act 2 - Scene 1 - Der alte Sturm, die alte Müh'! [4:40]
04. Act 2 - Scene 1 - So ist es denn aus mit den ewigen Göttern [2:58]
05. Act 2 - Scene 1 - Nichts lerntest du [5:15]
06. Act 2 - Scene 1 - Was verlangst du? [6:17]
07. Act 2 - Scene 2 - Schlimm, fürcht ich, schloß der Streit [4:43]
08. Act 2 - Scene 2 - Was keinem in Worten ich künde [6:07]
09. Act 2 - Scene 2 - Ein andres ist's- achte es woh! [10:29]
10. Act 2 - Scene 2 - O sag, künde, was soll nun dein Kind? [7:03]
11. Act 2 - Scene 3 - Raste nun hier; gönne dir Ruh! [3:27]
12. Act 2 - Scene 2 - Hinweg! Hinweg! Flieh die Entweihte! [8:13]
Disc 3 [5]:
1. Act 2 - Scene 4 - Siegmund! Sieh auf mich! [7:19]
2. Act 2 - Scene 4 - Hehr bist du, und heilig [5:58]
3. Act 2 - Scene 4 - So wenig achtest du ewige Wonne [5:06]
4. Act 2 - Scene 5 - Zauberfest bezähmt ein Schlaf der Holden Schmerz und Harm [3:59]
5. Act 2 - Scene 4 - Kehrte der Vater nur heim! [6:12]
Disc 4 [6]:
01. Act 3 - Scene 1 - Vorspiel - Hojotoho! Hojotoho! Heiaha! Heiaha! [8:25]
02. Act 3 - Scene 1 - Schützt mich und helft in höchster Not! [3:18]
03. Act 3 - Scene 1 - Nicht sehre dich Sorge um mich [5:20]
04. Act 3 - Scene 1 - Steh, Brünnhild'! [0:57]
05. Act 3 - Scene 2 - Wo ist Brünnhild', wo die Verbrecherin [4:07]
06. Act 3 - Scene 2 - Hier bin ich Vater- gebiete die Strafe! [4:09]
07. Act 3 - Scene 2 - Wehe! Weh! Schwester, ach Schwester! [4:25]
08. Act 3 - Scene 3 - War es so schmählich, was ich verbrach [5:20]
09. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Nicht weise bin ich, doch wußt' ich das eine [4:48]
10. Act 3 - Scene 3 - So tatest du, was so gern zu tun ich begehrt [6:48]
11. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Du zeugtest ein edles Geschlecht [5:33]
12. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Leb wohl, du kühnes, herrliches Kind! [2:19]
13. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Denn einer nur freie die Braut [9:58]
14. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Loge, hör! Lausche hierher! [4:54]
Disc 1 [7]:
01. Vorspiel [Prelude] [3:46]
02. Act 1 - Scene 1 - Zwangvolle Plage! Müh ohne Zweck! [4:14]
03. Act 1 - Scene 1 - Hoiho! Hoiho! Hau ein! Hau ein! [1:39]
04. Act 1 - Scene 1 - Da hast du die Stücken, schändlicher Stümper [2:24]
05. Act 1 - Scene 1 - Als zullendes Kind zog ich dich auf [1:39]
06. Act 1 - Scene 1 - Vieles lehrtest du, Mime [8:32]
07. Act 1 - Scene 1 - Einst lag wimmernd ein Weib [5:39]
08. Act 1 - Scene 1 - Und diese Stücken sollst du mir schmieden [1:20]
09. Act 1 - Scene 1 - Da stürmt er hin! [1:46]
10. Act 1 - Scene 2 - Heil dir, weiser Schmied! [3:36]
11. Act 1 - Scene 2 - Hier sitz' ich am Herd und setze mein Haupt [10:23]
12. Act 1 - Scene 2 - Was zu wissen dir frommt, solltest du fragen [7:22]
13. Act 1 - Scene 2 - Die Stücken! Das Schwert! O weh! Mir schwindelt! [2:51]
14. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Verfluchtes Licht! [1:03]
15. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Heda! Du Fauler! [0:30]
Disc 2 [8]:
01. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Bist du es, Kind [2:54]
02. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Fühltest du nie im finstren Wald [5:12]
03. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Her mit den Stücken, fort mit dem Stümper! [3:11]
04. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Notung! Notung! Neidliches Schwert! [8:27]
05. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Hoho! Hoho! Hahei! [5:43]
06. Act 2 - Vorspiel [Prelude] [5:25]
07. Act 2 - Scene 1 - In Wald und Nacht [2:13]
08. Act 2 - Scene 1 - Zur Neidhöhle fuhr ich bei Nacht [5:48]
09. Act 2 - Scene 1 - Mit mir nicht, hadre mit Mime [2:21]
10. Act 2 - Scene 1 - Fafner! Fafner! Erwache, Wurm! [2:47]
11. Act 2 - Scene 1 - Nun, Alberich, das schlug fehl [3:38]
12. Act 2 - Scene 2 - Wir sind zur Stelle! [6:05]
13. Act 2 - Scene 2 - Daß der mein Vater nicht ist [1:45]
Disc 3 [9]:
01. Act 2 - Scene 2 - Aber wie sah meine Mutter wohl aus [2:32]
02. Act 2 - Scene 2 - Meine Mutter, ein Menschenweib! [5:50]
03. Act 2 - Scene 2 - Haha! Da hätte mein Lied mir was Liebes erblasen! [5:34]
04. Act 2 - Scene 2 - Wer bist du, kühner Knabe, der das Herz mir traf [4:32]
05. Act 2 - Scene 2 - Zur Kunde taugt kein Toter [2:14]
06. Act 2 - Scene 3 - Wohin schleichst du eilig und schlau [2:45]
07. Act 2 - Scene 3 - Was ihr mir nützt, weiß ich nicht [2:54]
08. Act 2 - Scene 3 - Willkommen, Siegfried! [8:57]
09. Act 2 - Scene 3 - Da lieg auch du, dunkler Wurm! [8:53]
10. Act 3 - Vorspiel [Prelude] [2:01]
11. Act 3 - Scene 1 - Wache, Wala! Wala! Erwach! [1:58]
12. Act 3 - Scene 1 - Stark ruft das Lied [10:37]
Disc 4 [10]:
01. Act 3 - Scene 1 - Dir Unweisen ruf' ich ins Ohr [4:47]
02. Act 3 - Scene 2 - Mein Vöglein schwebte mir fort! [0:23]
03. Act 3 - Scene 2 - Wohin, Knabe, heißt dich dein Weg [5:19]
04. Act 3 - Scene 2 - Kenntest du mich, kühner Sproß [5:13]
05. Act 3 - Scene 2 - Mit zerfochtner Waffe wich mir der Feige [3:49]
06. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Selige Öde auf sonniger Höh'! [7:07]
07. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Das ist kein Mann! [7:06]
08. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Heil dir, Sonne! Heil dir, Licht! [6:08]
09. Act 3 - Scene 3 - O Siegfried! Siegfried! Seliger Held! [6:48]
10. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Dort seh' ich Grane [8:04]
11. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Ewig war ich, ewig bin ich [11:17]
Disc 1 [11]:
01. Prolog - Welch Licht leuchtet dort [7:46]
02. Prolog - Treu beratner Verträge Runen [2:07]
03. Prolog - Es ragt die Burg, von Riesen gebaut [8:05]
04. Prolog - Zu neuen Taten, teurer Helde [6:36]
05. Prolog - Willst du mir Minne schenken [5:38]
06. Prolog - O heilige Götter! [2:27]
07. Prolog - Siegfrieds Rheinfahrt [5:57]
08. Act 1 - Scene 1 - Nun hör, Hagen [2:34]
09. Act 1 - Scene 1 - Wen rätst du nun zu frein [8:03]
10. Act 1 - Scene 1 - Jagt er auf Taten wonnig umher [3:43]
11. Act 1 - Scene 2 - Wer ist Gibichs Sohn [2:02]
12. Act 1 - Scene 2 - Begrüße froh, o Held [3:59]
13. Act 1 - Scene 2 - Willkommen, Gast, In Gibichs Haus! [3:52]
Disc 2 [12]:
1. Act 1 - Scene 2 - Deinem Bruder bot ich mich zum Mann [4:00]
2. Act 1 - Scene 2 - Blühenden Lebens labendes Blut [4:18]
3. Act 1 - Scene 2 - Frisch auf die Fahrt! [2:34]
4. Act 1 - Scene 2 - Hier sitz' ich zur Wacht [10:55]
5. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Altgewohntes Geräusch [7:18]
6. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Höre mit Sinn, was ich dir sage! [10:31]
7. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Welch banger Träume Mären [7:05]
8. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Was leckt so wütend [1:40]
9. Act 1 - Scene 3 - Brünnhild'! Ein Freier kam [9:05]
Disc 3 [13]:
01. Act 2 - Vorspiel [Prelude] [3:51]
02. Act 2 - Scene 1 - Schläfst du, Hagen, mein Sohn [9:06]
03. Act 2 - Scene 2 - Hoiho, Hagen! Müder Mann! [2:37]
04. Act 2 - Scene 2 - Heiß mich willkommen, Gibichskind! [3:51]
05. Act 2 - Scene 3 - Hoiho! Hoihohoho! [8:59]
06. Act 2 - Scene 4 - Heil dir, Gunther! [3:41]
07. Act 2 - Scene 4 - Gegrüßt sei, teurer Held [4:29]
08. Act 2 - Scene 4 - Einen Ring sah ich an deiner Hand [3:17]
09. Act 2 - Scene 4 - Heil'ge Götter, himmlische Lenker! [5:31]
10. Act 2 - Scene 4 - Helle Wehr! Heilige Waffe! [3:00]
11. Act 2 - Scene 4 - Gunther, wehr deinem Weibe [3:11]
12. Act 2 - Scene 5 - Welches Unholds List liegt hier verhohlen [3:47]
13. Act 2 - Scene 5 - Vertraue mir, betrogne Frau! [3:25]
14. Act 2 - Scene 5 - Auf, Gunther, edler Gibichung! [8:19]
Disc 4 [14]:
01. Act 3 - Vorspiel [1:43]
02. Act 3 - Scene 1 - Frau Sonne sendet lichte Strahlen [4:40]
03. Act 3 - Scene 1 - Ein Albe führte mich irr [3:30]
04. Act 3 - Scene 1 - Was leid' ich doch das karge Lob [1:22]
05. Act 3 - Scene 1 - Siegfried! Siegfried! Siegfried! [7:29]
06. Act 3 - Scene 2 - Hoiho! [3:35]
07. Act 3 - Scene 2 - Trink, Gunther, trink! [2:24]
08. Act 3 - Scene 2 - Mime hieß ein mürrischer Zwerg [4:36]
09. Act 3 - Scene 2 - In Leid zu dem Wipfel lauscht' ich hinauf [5:22]
10. Act 3 - Scene 2 - Brünnhilde, heilige Braut! [5:22]
11. Act 3 - Scene 2 - Trauermusik beim Tode Siegfrieds [6:34]
12. Act 3 - Scene 3 - War das sein Horn [2:35]
13. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Hoiho! Hoiho! [2:38]
14. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Nicht klage wider mich! [2:05]
15. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Schweigt eures Jammers [3:45]
16. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Starke Scheite schichtet mir dort [8:55]
17. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Mein Erbe nun nehm' ich zu eigen [2:32]
18. Act 3 - Scene 3 - Fliegt heim, ihr Raben! [8:43]
[Tracklisting from Foobar]
Hans Richter, the first conductor of the completed ring cycle with Wagner's kids Eva, Isolde, Siegfried, Daniela, and Blandine, most likely in 1876 at the premiere.
Customer reviews
This is considered to be the best ring on disc. Even though the recordings are from 1958s and the 60s, they sound rich and lively. Amazon customer reviews: 109 reviews, 77 give 5 stars, 18 give 4 stars.
from Amazon
The Gold Standard, May 28, 2001
By Stephen McLeod [New York, NY USA]
I have three complete RINGs on CD, this one and two live recordings from Bayreuth [Bohm '67 and Clemens Kraus '53]. I also have two complete RINGS on laser disc, both from Bayreuth [the Chereau and Kupfer productions] and one on VHS [Met-Levine]. One day I'm sure I'll have more. Since I have only heard bits of what appears to be this set's main competition [Karajan], I can't make a reliable comparison. Also, insofar as this review compares sets, it does just that. I take no position here as to whether one might mix and match. That said, if I had to choose a Desert Island RING, I'd choose this one for a number of reasons. [If anyone wants to donate their Karajan set, my email is on my profile page...]
The foremost reason is the quality of the singing. For my money, there is not a cast that is more consistently thrilling. I'm not saying that different choices could have been made in some of the series [e.g., for all its sentimental and historical value, Fricka was not Flagstad's greatest role, nor was Flagstad the perfect Fricka]. It's just that, on the whole, the principles, are the best ensemble on record, and, especially in Gotterdammerung, sang better here than on practically anything else they ever recorded.
Nilsson is... well, not only is she one of the two or three greatest dramatic sopranos on record, she is so clearly focused here, so thoroughly transcendent. Hers was a voice that was entirely convincing as a god-become-mortal. Windgassen is the finest Siegfried on stereo - and his silky, lyrical, yet completely heroic tenor is better than any other recorded Siegfried, and maybe better than anything else even *he* ever recorded. Although it would seem to go without saying, mysteriously, it does not: It can't be stressed enough how important it is to have a good Siegfried. This is where every other set fails most remarkably [S. Jerusalem on Levine, for example almost dies trying to get through his last scene in Gotterdammerung; even where Windgassen reprises his role for Bohm, he's much more pleasing here].
As Wotan, Hans Hotter's performance here has been somewhat controversial because people generally say he was too old. [Hotter sings on Walkure and Siegfriend; George London is Wotan on Rhinegold.] On the contrary, his Wotan is the most heartbreaking on record for me precisely because it comes at the end of a long career of studying and singing this role, finding its depths, and reaching for dramatic resonance that no one else equals, IMHO. Sure Morris is great, but while his Wotan is bigger more furious, Hotter's is wiser and more deeply resigned. Anyway, are you going to buy a whole set for Morris? Neidlinger's Alberich is terrifying.
Gustav Neidlinger's Alberich is a combination of absolute musicality with unsurpassed dramatic rigor. He is existentially terrifying in every scene that he's in.
James King and Regine Crespin are fine as the twins. This Walkure is generally regarded as the weakest leg on this set. I think that's only because the human mind, and particularly the mind of the typical "operatchik," works that way - it is essential to find fault. Nothing is perfect but that unrecorded ideal performance in the misty past... I don't have a clue what is objectionable here. The only thing I can think of is that, of all the parts of this RING, it is possible to imagine a cast that's equally as good as that of Walkure here.
The second string is equally inimitable: Gottlob Frick's amazing Hagen and almost as amazing Hunding , Fischer-Dieskau's Gunther, Claire Watson's Gutrune, and Christa Ludwig's fine Waltraute. Of equal interests are such "incidentals" such as Joan Sutherland's Woodbird, the Rhinemaiden trio in Gotterdammerung of Lucia Popp, Gwyneth Jones and Maureen Guy [who?], the amazing Gerhard Stolze as Mime on Siegfried, and of course, Flagstad's Fricka only add miracles upon miracles. Does anyone think that we'll ever see a comparable cast?
As for Solti and the VPO, well, first, I don't think Vienna has ever been touched for its pure sensuality. I love the moods. I love the thunder. I love the horns and the voluptuous strings. As for Solti, I'm a fan: I love his drama and his melodrama. I totally disagree with his detractors who complain of his alleged bombast. Shouldn't an authentic Wagnerian show a little bombast? And shouldn't a RING orchestra stand as something far more than a huge "guitar" in any performance? Not only that, but to read some reviewers, you would think that "bombast" was this recording's main characteristic. Frankly, I just don't understand that view. I think the orchestral performance here, whether attributable mainly to Solti, producer Culshaw, the VPO or all three, has not been surpassed in subtlety and insight on anything I've ever heard.
Finally, there's the Culshaw factor. Those who know what he was doing here will have their opinions. I think it was a monumental project that took as its touchstone an truth about this drama that is too often ignored: This music was written for the stage. Any audio recording then, will be ultimately lacking. What Culshaw did, more successfully than any other producer, was give us an audio RING that, by explointing stereo/hi-fi technology, approximates a theatrical experience.
I could go on. But ultimately, it is my opinion that at least here, you can believe the hype.
By Stephen McLeod [New York, NY USA]
I have three complete RINGs on CD, this one and two live recordings from Bayreuth [Bohm '67 and Clemens Kraus '53]. I also have two complete RINGS on laser disc, both from Bayreuth [the Chereau and Kupfer productions] and one on VHS [Met-Levine]. One day I'm sure I'll have more. Since I have only heard bits of what appears to be this set's main competition [Karajan], I can't make a reliable comparison. Also, insofar as this review compares sets, it does just that. I take no position here as to whether one might mix and match. That said, if I had to choose a Desert Island RING, I'd choose this one for a number of reasons. [If anyone wants to donate their Karajan set, my email is on my profile page...]
The foremost reason is the quality of the singing. For my money, there is not a cast that is more consistently thrilling. I'm not saying that different choices could have been made in some of the series [e.g., for all its sentimental and historical value, Fricka was not Flagstad's greatest role, nor was Flagstad the perfect Fricka]. It's just that, on the whole, the principles, are the best ensemble on record, and, especially in Gotterdammerung, sang better here than on practically anything else they ever recorded.
Nilsson is... well, not only is she one of the two or three greatest dramatic sopranos on record, she is so clearly focused here, so thoroughly transcendent. Hers was a voice that was entirely convincing as a god-become-mortal. Windgassen is the finest Siegfried on stereo - and his silky, lyrical, yet completely heroic tenor is better than any other recorded Siegfried, and maybe better than anything else even *he* ever recorded. Although it would seem to go without saying, mysteriously, it does not: It can't be stressed enough how important it is to have a good Siegfried. This is where every other set fails most remarkably [S. Jerusalem on Levine, for example almost dies trying to get through his last scene in Gotterdammerung; even where Windgassen reprises his role for Bohm, he's much more pleasing here].
As Wotan, Hans Hotter's performance here has been somewhat controversial because people generally say he was too old. [Hotter sings on Walkure and Siegfriend; George London is Wotan on Rhinegold.] On the contrary, his Wotan is the most heartbreaking on record for me precisely because it comes at the end of a long career of studying and singing this role, finding its depths, and reaching for dramatic resonance that no one else equals, IMHO. Sure Morris is great, but while his Wotan is bigger more furious, Hotter's is wiser and more deeply resigned. Anyway, are you going to buy a whole set for Morris? Neidlinger's Alberich is terrifying.
Gustav Neidlinger's Alberich is a combination of absolute musicality with unsurpassed dramatic rigor. He is existentially terrifying in every scene that he's in.
James King and Regine Crespin are fine as the twins. This Walkure is generally regarded as the weakest leg on this set. I think that's only because the human mind, and particularly the mind of the typical "operatchik," works that way - it is essential to find fault. Nothing is perfect but that unrecorded ideal performance in the misty past... I don't have a clue what is objectionable here. The only thing I can think of is that, of all the parts of this RING, it is possible to imagine a cast that's equally as good as that of Walkure here.
The second string is equally inimitable: Gottlob Frick's amazing Hagen and almost as amazing Hunding , Fischer-Dieskau's Gunther, Claire Watson's Gutrune, and Christa Ludwig's fine Waltraute. Of equal interests are such "incidentals" such as Joan Sutherland's Woodbird, the Rhinemaiden trio in Gotterdammerung of Lucia Popp, Gwyneth Jones and Maureen Guy [who?], the amazing Gerhard Stolze as Mime on Siegfried, and of course, Flagstad's Fricka only add miracles upon miracles. Does anyone think that we'll ever see a comparable cast?
As for Solti and the VPO, well, first, I don't think Vienna has ever been touched for its pure sensuality. I love the moods. I love the thunder. I love the horns and the voluptuous strings. As for Solti, I'm a fan: I love his drama and his melodrama. I totally disagree with his detractors who complain of his alleged bombast. Shouldn't an authentic Wagnerian show a little bombast? And shouldn't a RING orchestra stand as something far more than a huge "guitar" in any performance? Not only that, but to read some reviewers, you would think that "bombast" was this recording's main characteristic. Frankly, I just don't understand that view. I think the orchestral performance here, whether attributable mainly to Solti, producer Culshaw, the VPO or all three, has not been surpassed in subtlety and insight on anything I've ever heard.
Finally, there's the Culshaw factor. Those who know what he was doing here will have their opinions. I think it was a monumental project that took as its touchstone an truth about this drama that is too often ignored: This music was written for the stage. Any audio recording then, will be ultimately lacking. What Culshaw did, more successfully than any other producer, was give us an audio RING that, by explointing stereo/hi-fi technology, approximates a theatrical experience.
I could go on. But ultimately, it is my opinion that at least here, you can believe the hype.
codice:
http://rapidgator.net/file/31882492/Richard Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen.rar.html