Tristan und Isolde

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Karajan's appearance with Jessye Norman and the Vienna Philharmonic at the 1987 Salzburg Festival produced one of the great Wagner discs of all time, capped by a seething, compelling, white hot realization of the "Liebestod." Karajan knew he had something here, and listening to the performance is likely to leave you weak in the knees. As the account unfolds, everybody's on the edge of their seat--Norman comes in just that way, not sure of what volume to give it, halting, momentarily unsteady; then she cuts everything loose. Her singing is agitated and emotional, practically orgasmic if one must characterize it accurately. But Karajan has the last word, and it is a minute and 12 seconds of the most rapturous playing imaginable, a meditation on the opera's final word ("Lust") and the whole meaning of Tristan und Isolde. This was the payoff for an entire career spent in pursuit of the refinement of orchestral sound. On the same CD, Karajan presides over perhaps the best Siegfried Idyll on record, a lovely, spacious reading full of gentleness and radiance. The piece is exquisitely played by the VPO--very much as they did for Karajan in those final years, communing with him as much as performing the music for us. --Ted Libbey

Tracks:

The Valkyries: Ride Of The Valkyries
Twilight Of The Gods: Siegfried's Funeral March
Lohengrin: Prelude to Act III
The Flying Dutchman: Overture
The Flying Dutchman: Sailors' Chorus
The Rheingold: Journey Down To Nibelheim
The Mastersingers Of Nuremberg: Overture
Tannhauser: Overture
Tannhauser: Entry Of The Guests
Tannhauser: Tannhauser's Pilgrimage
Siegfried: Act III Orchestral Interlude
Twilight Of The Gods: Siegfried's Rhine Journey
Twilight Of The Gods: Finale
The Rheingold: Entry Of The Gods Into Valhalla

Tracks:

Lohengrin: Prelude To Act I
Lohengrin: Bridal Chorus
Parsifal: Prelude to Act I
Parsifal: Good Friday Music
Parsifal: Transformation Scene
Tannhauser: Venusberg Music
Tannhauser: Pilgrims Chorus
The Mastersingers Of Nuremburg: Prelude To Act III
The Rheingold: Vision Of Valhalla (Scene II Introduction)
Siegfried Idyll
Siegfried: Brunnhildes Awakening
Tristan And Isolde: Prelude To Act III
Tristan And Isolde: Death Of Isolde

Amazon.com

If you like your Wagner served up in bleeding chunks or if you're simply in a hurry to hear the tunes, then this compilation is for you. The performances, drawn from the Polygram (mainly Deutsche Grammophon) back catalog, are for the most part authoritative. They feature the likes of Herbert von Karajan, with the Berlin Philharmonic, and Karl Böhm, with the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra (and chorus), in extracts from recordings of complete operas, and conductors Giuseppe Sinopoli, Otto Gerdes, and Antal Doráti in some of the more familiar overtures and preludes. Singing, without which it is impossible to get the full flavor of Wagner's work, is skirted whenever possible: this is an unapologetic tribute to Wagner the orchestral genius. At times the salesmanship is a little overblown--the glitzy packaging includes a cover shot of the helicopters from Apocalypse Now--and the sound, some of it from very good originals, seems to have been juiced with a little added digital reverb, resulting in an overall glassiness. The gaps between tracks are minimized, disco style, so there's no dead air, and the whole thing has an Entertainment Tonight feel to it. Were he around, Wagner would have screamed bloody murder, then happily taken his cut of the action. For today's on-the-go listener, this may well be the most practical way to enjoy Wagner's music, but we won't be happy until it motivates at least one newcomer to seek out a recording of a complete opera. Anyone who does that will find out what "apocalypse" really means. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful collection and price!.......2007-05-11

I found this to be a nice collection of favorites, especially to keep in the car and listen to. It is a variety of well known compilations. Although not encompassing, it is perfect as a review for driving, relaxing, and enjoyment. Plus, the price is right!

Awesome collection!.......2007-01-10

This is a great collection of some of Wagner's most memorable songs for those of you who do not want to buy the whole opera's for some of his works.

Helicopters? Marines?.......2006-12-05

Do those infotainment marketing mavens ever get it right? Talk about Hollywood disconnect! Not only are the helicopters irrelevant, but to quote from the gushy drivel on the jacket, "The gripping power of Richard Wagner's music was demonstrated with spectacular effect in...Apocalpse Now, when the "Ride of the Valkyries' became synonymous with the chilling journey of Marine 'Huey' helicopters into battle..."

Marine? Marine? Them Hueys in the movie was ARMY Air Cav, slick! "First of the ninth--air mobile." If you're going to dally down that primrose path, at least get it right.

Better yet, drop the choppers. Most people who listen to Wagner probably realize that quality of an artistic work has a mystically inverse relationship to the number of helicopters contained in it.

As for the music, it is good, but the operatic equivalent of sound bites, which may be just right for people who are new to Wagner or just can't take very much of him. Hmm...perfect for a helicopter ride, perhaps?

A great addition to my music collection.......2006-07-20

This CD takes the place of all my other Wagner music. VERY well done. Somehow I didn't realize that there were two cds in the package--what a pleasant surprise! Of the two cds, I like the first one best, but they are both good. I listen to this cd daily on my way to work. Stirring! I am so glad that I purchased this. Some purists might have a problem with the fact that some of the selections are not there in their entirety. I have no problem with that though. I recommend this to anyone who loves Wagner.

Quintessential Wagner.......2006-05-15

Okay, so I like Wagner. I LOVE "Ride Of The Valkyries". Do I want to go out and buy every single stinkin thing Wagner did? No. If you are a die-hard Wagner fan you probably will not think much of this collection.

But if you like Wagner and appreciate "Ride Of The Valkyries", and maybe require it in just a little more substance than what is included in "Apocolypse Now Redux", then this is what you want. The extra tracks are bonuses and are quite good. Meets my needs, presentation great, performance excellent. I recommend it for anyone that needs a Wagner fix.

Average customer rating:

Story Of Wagner In Words And Music

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
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

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Story Of Verdi In Words And Music
Stories Of Schumann And Grieg
Story Of Dvorák In Words And Music
The Story Of Brahms
Story Of Johann Strauss In Words And Music

ASIN: B000001KD3
Release Date: 1995-04-16

Tracks:

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

Average customer rating:

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

Wagner: Overture & Preludes

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Twilight of the Gods: The Essential Wagner Collection
The Best Of Wagner
Wagner without Words
Wagner: The "Ring" Without Words
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture/ Marche Slave

ASIN: B000001GLB
Release Date: 1995-02-14

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Amazon.com

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Average customer rating:

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

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

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Wagner: Orchestral Music
Wagner: Extracts from the operas
EMI Great Recordings of Century - Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4/Klemperer
Beethoven: Fidelio
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

ASIN: B00006I0AU
Release Date: 2002-09-17

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A definite in anyone's collection.

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

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

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

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

Wagner: Tannhäuser/Siegfried-Idyll/Tristan und Isolde

Average customer rating:

A touching farewell
great performances, for the most part
One of Karajan's finest achievements
Love and Death: Wagner, Von Karajan, Norman

Wagner: Tannhäuser/Siegfried-Idyll/Tristan und Isolde

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
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

Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Wagner: Orchestral Music
Schumann: The 4 Symphonies
Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures
Richard Wagner: Parsifal
Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / Kollo · Donath · Adam · G. Evans · Schreier · Hesse· Riderbusch · Karajan

ASIN: B000001G9H
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Overture
Siegfried Idyll
Tristan And Isolde: Vorspiel zum I. Aufsug
Tristan And Isolde: Isoldes Liebestod

Amazon.com essential recording

Karajan's appearance with Jessye Norman and the Vienna Philharmonic at the 1987 Salzburg Festival produced one of the great Wagner discs of all time, capped by a seething, compelling, white hot realization of the "Liebestod." Karajan knew he had something here, and listening to the performance is likely to leave you weak in the knees. As the account unfolds, everybody's on the edge of their seat--Norman comes in just that way, not sure of what volume to give it, halting, momentarily unsteady; then she cuts everything loose. Her singing is agitated and emotional, practically orgasmic if one must characterize it accurately. But Karajan has the last word, and it is a minute and 12 seconds of the most rapturous playing imaginable, a meditation on the opera's final word ("Lust") and the whole meaning of Tristan und Isolde. This was the payoff for an entire career spent in pursuit of the refinement of orchestral sound. On the same CD, Karajan presides over perhaps the best Siegfried Idyll on record, a lovely, spacious reading full of gentleness and radiance. The piece is exquisitely played by the VPO--very much as they did for Karajan in those final years, communing with him as much as performing the music for us. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

A touching farewell.......2005-10-02

This wasn't Karajan's last concert, but on records it could stand in for that, along with his New Year's Strauss concert and the Bruckner Seventh, all with the Vienna Phil. A rancorous rupture and sudden resignatio kept him from making similar late recordings in Berlin. In any event, this short (54 min.) CD is a touching farewell. As with Bernstein's last concert with the Boston Sym., also on DG but a few years later, the maestro can't be said to be in top form--there is a papable sense of declining powers--but this is compensated for by glowing orchestral textures and the shadow of mortality which makes every moment important.

All the pieces are played in a freer, more elaxed way than one is used to from this supreme technician. Each is very lovely, and een though Karajan was far from being beloved, particularly here in America, he was undoubtedly a very great conductor. ONe of his earliest reviews called him "Wunder Karajan," Karajan the miracle, which he remained almost to his dying day.

great performances, for the most part.......2002-10-12

The Overture to Act I of Tannhaeuser is played with great feeling and precision, and at just the right tempi. The cello section is extremely expressive. However, the horns can hardly be heard--a big loss in this piece.

The Siegfried-Idyll is also very well played--perfect conducting and execution.

The Act I Prelude to Tristan und Isolde starts out tentatively and seems unfocused, but gets better.

While I really like the rich tone of Jessye Norman's voice (and her emotive capacity), I don't care for other aspects of her singing of the Liebestod. She doesn't pronounce a lot of consonants, she swallows many words, and has difficulty controlling the volume of her high notes. But what really bothers me are the extra notes she throws in--especially on "Wonne klagend". She turns the melody into a bluesy major pentatonic run. This sticks out like a sore thumb--not exactly idiomatic. Of course, it might not matter to the listener who hasn't heard other versions of the piece, or who likes a little Porgy and Bess with their Tristan and Isolde.

One of Karajan's finest achievements.......2001-12-28

This outstanding recording of Wagner selections was made live at the 1987 Salzburg Festival. It certainly captured Karajan at his best. He is quite fabulous here; of course, he draws a glorious sound from the Vienna Philharmonic on top form, but here he is also infallible of pacing, and expressive and insightful of interpretation. This is one of his warmest recordings I know of. He is letting himself get caught up in the music, as he sometimes didn't.

The opening Tannhäuser Overture is nobler in the pilgrims' theme, more sensuous in the Venusberg music, more singing in Tannhäuser's song than any other recording. It is a magnificent performance. The only drawback I can find is that in the more energetic sections of the Venusberg music, Karajan sounds a little heavyweight: not as wild and fleet as Solti. In all other respects, though, this is an incredible performance, and makes you regret again that he never made a legitimate recording of the complete opera.

The Siegfried Idyll is, if anything, even more extraordinary. It is warmest performance I know, unfolding gently and sweetly in a glorious, beautifully rich carpet of sound from the Vienna forces. It is also helped by the clarity and transparency of the magnificent digital recording. It is an ideal reading, and alone is worth the price of the set.

The Tristan excerpts are also on this level. The Act 1 Prelude is magnificent. Emotion is conveyed more clearly than in Karajan's 1971 complete recording, and there is an added clarity of sound and orchestral texture. It is as fine a recording as any, and on the same level as (though very different in style from) Furtwängler's 1952 EMI recording. The Liebestod is gorgeous, one of the two or three greatest recordings of this stunning piece ever made. Jessye Norman is a glorious soloist, with her large, magnificently beautiful voice riding the waves of orchestral sound in a way few can. The climax is stunning, and dies away into rapturous lyricism from Karajan and the Vienna Philharmonic. The only other recordings I think are on this level are the 1952 Furtwängler/Flagstad and the 1971 Karajan/Dernesch. Comparison between the 1971 and 1987 Karajan versions is particularly interesting. The 1971 account is, strangely, more electric and intense, with Dernesch providing both a more beautiful, truly Wagnerian voice and singing more expressively than Norman. The climax at "In der Welt-Atems wehendem All" is the most shatteringly ecstatic on any recording. The 1987 recording is clearer and perhaps even more beautiful than the earlier account, but not as intense. Inevitably, more detail can be heard in the digital recording. Both are fabulous recordings, however; though in some ways the Furtwängler/Flagstad is the finest of all.

Overall, this is one of the finest recordings in recent memory. In my opinion, this is one of Karajan's finest recorded achievements and one that deserves to be in every collection of Wagner. Enjoy!

Love and Death: Wagner, Von Karajan, Norman.......2001-06-19

I saw part of the film "Karajan in Salzburg" on PBS about ten years ago. I was channel surfing and happened across Jessye Norman singing "Isoldes Liebestod" (the last track on this CD). I wasn't that familiar with Wagner at the time, had just worked my way through the Met's Ring Cycle, and had no notion of what Norman was singing. I couldn't understand her German. Yet I could feel the hair rising up on the back of my neck. By the time she had finished, I was crying.

That brief seven minute film clip was an epiphany for me. I fell desperately in love with Richard Wagner and Jessye Norman (Von Karajan was no slouch, either). I was elated when I came across this Deutsche Grammophon recording that was made during the filming of "Karajan in Salzburg." These four exerpts from "Tannhauser," "Sigfried," and "Tristan und Isolde" are Wagner at his most sublime. The climax is Norman's clear, tender 'Liebestod':

Tracks:

Die Walkure - The Valkyrie: Ride Of The Valkyries
Siegfried: Forest Murmurs
The Twighlight Of The Gods: Dawn And Siegfried's Rhine Journey
The Twighlight Of The Gods: Siegfried's Death And Funeral Music
Siegfried-Idyll
Tristan und Isolde: Vorspiel Und Liebestod

Tracks:

Die Meistersinger von Nurnbert - The Matersingers of Nuremberg: Act III Prelude
Parsifal: Act I Prelude
Parsifal: Good Friday Spell
Lohengrin: Act I Prelude
Lohengrin: Act III Prelude
Tannhauser: Ouverture Und Bacchanale

Customer Reviews:

Tantalizing hints of greatness.......2005-12-04

If you didn't know that this 2-CD Wagner miscellany was condcuted by Toscanini, you wouldn't find it extraordinary. Unlike Bruno Walter and Otto Klemperer, who lived to great old age and made some of their most sympathetic recordings after turning 75, the aged Toscanini has required special pleading. On the surface, the many recordings he made with the NBC Sym.--these Wagner pieces span 1949 to 1952--are often brusque, rigid, screechy in climaxes, dry to the point of unlistenability, and without expressive relaxation. This was great conducting?

Yes, devotees insisted, but you had to listen through the claustrophic sound and imagine the younger Toscanini thruogh the inflexible stick discipline. As the years went on, that became too hard to do, and despite his legendary status, Toscanini became a dead letter. The younger conductors he inspired--Szell, Leinsdorf, Solti--are dead, too, though in their prime they all made similar recordings in much beter sound than The Maestro.

This newly remastered "Immortal" series goes a long way to repairing the defective sound. It's now fuller and has audible air around the orchestra. You no longer feel you are suffocating in a closed box with a hundred trapped musicians. As for the interpretations, Wagner is a good place to start rehabilitating Toscanini for modern ears. Even in his late seventies and eighties, Toscanini remained an expansive Wagnerite. Several excerpts here, such as the Tristan Prelude and Love Death, the Parsifal Act I Prelude and Good Friday Music, and the Lohengrin Act I Prelude, are broad and contemplative. They radiate a serene inner beauty quite at odds with Toscanini's reputation for knife-edge tenseness.

But except for the Tristan Prelude--and then only the first half--I wouldn't call these readings great. Toscanini was famous for making orchestras play precisely, and he punished slackness with cruel invective and tantrums. Now, however, every major orchestra plays with more finesse and technique than the NBC Symphony. The crude trumpets bray painfully in the middle part of the Parsifal Prelude, the solo horn in Siegfried's Rhine Journey sounds as timid as a conservatory student, and we are reminded that Toscanini didn't have a totally first-rate ensemble at his command. On the other hand, the strings are radiant in the same Parsifal music, for the first time sounding sweet and inspirational.

To my ears there is only one great performance here, a rivetig Dawn and Rhine Journey from Gotterdammerung that blazes with intensity and conviction. Nothing else quite rises to that standard, and we are left to perform the difficult trick of imagining how much better this all would have been in Toscanini's heyday between the wars. I am not that imaginative, so I'd say this is an excellent portrait of Toscanini the elder, totally free of blemishes but not at a sublime level of musicianship.

Exceptional performances.......2004-06-16

Toscanini was a mercurial conductor, a force of nature and the performances of Wagner are filled with deep commitment , when you play Wagner you must notice the existence of several gravity centers you must keep in mind. Otherwise you can play a lineal Wagner and that would be a mess. The score and the dramatic sequence are so important and even more perhaps that the music itself . They work out as if they were twins , So if you want to win in Wagner you have to maintain in your mind the dyoinisiac and apolinean features in the performance .
Beethoven seventh is filled with histamine and powerful and overwhelming rhytm presence .
It's not my favorite Seventh I must confess but it has character , violence and rapture , and with these elements it's very difficult for you to fail the challenge.
One of the major achievements of the master Toscanini.

Toscanini and Wagner.......2003-10-22

Although Toscanini was usually associated closely with Italian opera, particularly the works of Verdi, he made it clear that he considered Richard Wagner the master when it came to musical drama. He had a long-standing appreciation of Wagner, which led him to conduct many of the composer's works during his long career. Furthermore, Toscanini was the first non-German conductor to be invited to conduct at the Bayreuth Festival, in 1930. The invitation came from no less than Siegfried Wagner, the composer's son.

Unfortunately, the only complete opera by Wagner that Toscanini ever recorded was "Meistersinger," during the Salzburg Festival in 1937. In Toscanini's many recordings with the NBC Symphony for RCA Victor, he recorded only excerpts from Wagner's operas. Nevertheless, the excerpts of Wagner's music are quite impressive.

One of the more memorable recordings was of the finale to Act I of "Walkure," recorded during a broacast concert in Carnegie Hall in February 1941 with soprano Helen Traubel and tenor Lauritz Melchior. Typically, the Maestro drove the orchestra relentlessly, maintaining intensity and excitement throughout. The same wonderful results can be heard in the 1952 recording of "The Ride of the Valkyries," a concert arrangement derived from "Walkure." This performance builds and builds as the valkyries ride.

Toscanini's recordings in the early 1950's tend to be rather "bright," since RCA was emphasizing the highs in "high fidelity," sometimes overshadowing the bass tones. Still, despite some tampering with the sound, such performances are absolutely amazing, given the fact that the Maestro was in his eighties at the time.

In all of the Wagner music he conducted, one is absolutely amazed at his fidelity to the composer's intentions. He may have come closer to what Wagner wanted than any other conductor.

An unfortunate incident came in Toscanini's final NBC broadcast concert, in Carnegie Hall on April 4, 1954, when his emotions over his impending retirement got the best of him. It has become legendary how he faltered during the "Venusburg" music of the Tannhauser overture (Paris version) and NBC temporarily replaced the broadcast with a recording of the Brahms first symphony. Adding to the misfortune of that concert is that it was one of the few times the NBC Symphony under Toscanini was recorded in stereo; despite excellent sound, the orchestra simply did not play its best that day. None of that happened in the 1952 studio recording of the same overture, also recorded in Carnegie Hall.

This compilation features the best of Toscanini's performances of Wagner and is definitely worth having. It is an opportunity to really appreciate the greatness of Wagner's music, even if his personal life was marred by his egotism and racism.

Clarity of sound...impeccable conducting...masterful..........2003-04-20

This review relates to the Toscanini recordings
of Wagner selections with the NBC Symphony
Orchestra, Vol. VII, in the BMG series, "Arturo
Toscanini: The Immortal"
In the enclosed brochure, the producers of the
recording tell about the new remastering which
has prompted the releasing of this particular
set of Toscanini recordings. "The recordings in
this new series were made using 20-bit recording
technology, UV22 (TM) Super CD Encoding, Cello
and Struder tape systems and were processed from
the original analog source tape masters at the
BMG/RCA Studios in New York."
All it takes is listening to the "Forest Murmurs"
selection from -Siegfried- to hear what the
"masterful" and "clarity" mean. The sound of
the French horns and glockenspiel are brilliant
and fascinating...the final orchestral chord
on each of these pieces is august. There is
no murkiness in these interpretations --
all is pristine, but the pace is not slow.
I was privileged to be able to preview
listen to the recordingbefore I bought the recording...just
hearing the first section of the "Ride of
the Valkyries" let me know that I wanted
the recording (2 CDs for the price of one).
My ears are perfectionist, so it takes a
lot of different elements combined to satisfy
my acutely sensitive ears and aesthetic
longings. The quality of the earphones or
playback system will, no doubt, affect
the quality of sound delivery. The earphones
at the sound was richer than the earphone
quality of a Sony Discman which I am playing
it on as I type this review. On the Discman
earphones, the sound is a bit too treble (though
those brasses still come through with full-
bodied energy and verve) and "boxy." One
of the recordings is from a live performance,
so be forewarned that you will hear a cough or
two. But, for the price, the mastery of
conducting and recording reprocessing, this
duo can't be bettered.
"Holder Sang/ singt zu mir her." ["Lovely
sounds/ ravish my ears."] -Das Rheingold-.

Stunning, Nontraditional Wagner.......2001-07-28

It is difficult in our time to think of the music of Wagner as a contemporary. But for Arturo Toscanini, who made his conducting debut in 1886, only three years after Wagner's death, that is exactly how it was. Toscanini was an early champion of Wagner's music, leading the first performance of Gotterdammerung by an Italian Opera Company in 1895, and performing orchestral excerpts long before it was fashionable outside of Germany. He continued to perform the composer's music in the United States, including during World War II, when it was out of favor due to the Nazi's use of the music--and Wagner's anti-Semitism--for propaganda purposes. Astonishingly, Toscanini lived long enough to conduct two all-Wagner concerts on television.

Toscanini's Wagner has long been criticized in some circles as superficial, fast, lacking in guts, and "Italianate"--an example of ethnic stereotyping which would not be tolerated in any other profession. The performances on these CDs strongly refute that assertion. They are nontraditional, to be sure--and all the more convincing for that.

Take, for example, Siegfried's Death and Funeral Music from Gotterdammerung: during the violin triplets leading to the March's climax, Toscanini does not accelerate through the figurations, as is usually done, but rather SLOWS the tempo, creating a greater sense of anticipation. The effect is stunning, greatly increasing the emotional impact of the music.

Toscanini was unafraid to move beyond the "popular" sections of Wagner's output. He conducted Parsifal at Bayreuth in 1931--the slowest performance of that opera ever given at Wagner's shrine up to that time. His 1949 recording of the Prelude and Good Friday Spell from that opera reveal a nobility which has nothing to do with bombast.

Tracks:

Overture - Orchestre Phillharmonique De Radio France
Prelude - Orchestre Phillharmonique De Radio France
Act I: Prelude - Orchestre Phillharmonique De Radio France
Act III: Prelude - Orchestre Phillharmonique De Radio France
Siegfried-Idyll - Orchestre Phillharmonique De Radio France
Act I: Prelude - Orchestre Phillharmonique De Radio France
Act III: Prelude - Orchestre Phillharmonique De Radio France
Dance Of The Apprentices - Orchestre Phillharmonique De Radio France
Finale - Orchestre Phillharmonique De Radio France

Tracks:

Kaisermarsch - London Symphony Orchestra
Eine Faust-Ouverture - London Symphony Orchestra
Huldigungsmarsch - London Symphony Orchestra
Overture - London Symphony Orchestra
Grosser Festmarsch (Centennial March), For The Centenary Of Indpendence Of USA. - London Symphony Orchestra
Overture - London Symphony Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

Very fine of orchestral highlights and rarities .......2004-08-10

This set, with Marek Janowski, offers the best disk of Wagner's early overtures and later occasional pieces that I know of, as well as a well-played disk of better-known "bleeding chunks" from the operas.

Disk One, with the French Radio Phil, offers mainstream Wagner excerpts: the _Tannhäuser_ overture, the _Tristan_ prelude, the preludes to _Lohengrin_ Acts I and III, the _Siegfried Idyll_ and the _Meistersinger_ overture, with orchestral selections from Act III. All of this is very well played, and towards the top third, let's say, of a very crowded and competitive field. That makes them very good indeed.

But disk 2, with the London Symphony Orchestra, offers some less common pieces, perhaps more enticing to the serious Wagnerian: the _Kaisermarsch_, the _Faust Overture_, the _Huldigungsmarsch_, the _Die Feen_ overture, the _American Centennial March_ and the _Das Liebesverbot_ overture.

The Janowski/LSO disk offers easily the best playing of most of this music that I've ever heard. The _Faust_ overture in particular shines, as perhaps the earliest piece of great music that Wagner wrote. As is often the case with early Wagner, it sounds a bit like unknown Beethoven, with additional orchestral flavouring from Weber, but for the first time you hear a new voice: Wagner's own. This comes in the form of a new richness and darkness in orchestration (though the version played here includes revised orchestration by the mature Wagner), plus a real and effective dramatic instinct, allied with strong and distinctive themes. Wagner said the _Faust_ overture is the piece with which he "became Wagner", and he is surely right.

Janowski even manages to convince me that there's some merit in the _American Centennial_ march, probably the worst music written by the mature Wagner, despite, as Cosima's _Diaries_ show, his sincere admiration for America. I've heard this piece in three other performances, in each of which it struck me as banal, emptily noisy, and interminable. But the London SO under Janowski work a miracle in finding some forward propulsion and argument, some contrasts of light and shade, and making the piece come quite close to working. It's only a small miracle, because even when brilliantly played this still isn't great music. But if you have to hear the American Centennial March_ at all, this is certainly the version to hear.

The _Kaisermarsch_ is perhaps beyond rescue, but again, Janowski offers as good and as committed a performance of this piece as one is ever likely to hear. He also offers the best _Huldigungsmarsch_ I know of, and excellent accounts of the _Die Feen_ and _Das Liebesverbot_ overtures. Though the very best performances of these operatic overtures that I've heard are the versions that open the Sawallisch complete sets of these two operas.

For very good versions of familiar orchestral excerpts from the mature operas, plus outstanding performances of some Wagner rarities, this disk is strongly recommended.

Cheers!

Laon

WAGNER: The Complete Overtures and Orchestral Music from the Operas

Average customer rating:

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

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

Average customer rating:

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

Wagner: Orchestral Favourites

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Wagner: Overtures & Preludes
Wagner: Overture & Preludes

ASIN: B00000422O
Release Date: 1994-10-11

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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