Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Depending upon how one feels about the conducting of Herbert von Karajan, this performance is either Karajan's poem to himself--all indulgence and smoothness and beauty and lushness for their own sakes, with turgid tempi to match--or a genuinely thought-provoking performance. It is undoubtedly beautiful, but in a museum-like way. Helga Dernesch might seem uncomfortable from start to finish as Isolde, but it would be hard to live without Jon Vickers's Tristan. The latter is so full of conflict, desire, loyalty, joy, and despair, with Vickers using every color in his vocal palette, that one can't help being touched--indeed, overwhelmed--by the performance. Ludwig and Berry are good, and Ridderbusch is fine as King Marke. The Berlin forces play rapturously. This recording, then, really is a matter of taste. --Robert Levine
Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde, Music, Richard Wagner, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutschen Oper Berlin Chorus, Walter Hagen-Groll, Herbert von Karajan, Walter Berry, Helga Dernesch, Jon Vickers, Christa Ludwig, Classical, Classical Music, German/Austrian Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta
Average customer rating:
- Can't go wrong
- Most Famous???
- Only one song knew well
- The Most Famous Opera Duets
- Good selection of opera highlights
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The Most Famous Opera Duets
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
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Amazon.com
This is a misnomer--not all of these duets are all that famous--but it's a fine compilation nonetheless. You'll hear selections from Bizet's The Pearl Fishers (Nicolai Gedda and Ernest Blanc at their most elegant French), Madama Butterfly (Carlo Bergonzi and Renata Scotto--an impassioned pair), Lucia di Lammermoor (a classy Alfredo Kraus and Edita Gruberova), the lovely Lakme duet, The Presentation of the Silver Rose from Der Rosenkavalier (with the earnest Christa Ludwig and the other-worldly Teresa Stich-Randall), and a fine Trovatore "Miserere" (with Leontyne Price and Franco Bonisolli singing up a storm). There are many others, too--a veritable cornucopia of couplings--and a treat for the opera lover. --Robert Levine
Customer Reviews:
Can't go wrong.......2007-07-14
This is a really great CD for the price. It has many of the famous Arias on it and although the singers may not be the best out there they are certainly very good. This is cheaper than the price of a take away lunch; you can't go wrong with this CD.
Most Famous???.......2007-05-14
The title of this cd is misleading and I found myself wondering whose list did they use. That is not to say that there aren't some real treasures included here. The duet from Lakme is lovely in every way, Mady Mesple in particular, very beautful and very french, and far superior to Sutherlands hooty approach. Scotto and Bergonzi are superb, the Tristan and Isolde of Vickers and Dernesch truly other worldly, and the presentation of the rose duet with the young Ludwig and the astonishing Teresa Stich- Randell had me playing it over and over and I still can't believe it, but the most famous??? This cd is definitly worth buying, and I hated giving it only 3 stars but if you're talking most famous you could fill a couple of cd's with Puccini, not to mention Verdi, Mozart, etc. before Bizet's Les Pecheurs des perles, beautiful as it is, made the most famous list.
Only one song knew well.......2007-05-14
I should have done more research. The last song is the only one I could easily recognize. Live and learn.
The Most Famous Opera Duets.......2007-01-05
This seller truly makes a purchaser confident in the product as well the time in which is promised.
Thanks again!!!!!
Good selection of opera highlights.......2006-11-04
Super performances by famous opera artists of the 20th century, most of them no longer performing and some of them deceased. I enjoy having their voices available at home.
Average customer rating:
- masters of classical music
- A good basic collection
- An excellent introduction to classical music
- Very Beautiful!!!!!1
- Still Stuck on Beethoven
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Masters of Classical Music (Box Set)
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
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Release Date: 1990-10-25 |
Tracks:
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- Serenade, K 375: Menuetto - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
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Tracks:
- Overture No. 4 In Major: Rejouissance - J.S.Bach
- Overture No. 3 In D Major: Air - J.S.Bach
- Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 In F Major: I. Allegro - J.S.Bach
- Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - J.S.Bach
- Overture No. 2 In B Minor: Menuet & Badinerie - J.S.Bach
- Prelude In C Major - J.S.Bach
- Toccata And Fugue In D Minor - J.S.Bach
- Prelude In C Minor - J.S.Bach
- Overture No. 1 In C Major: Passepied - J.S.Bach
- Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 In F Major: II. Adagio - J.S.Bach
- Kommst du nun, Jesu vom Himmel herunter, Chorale - J.S.Bach
- Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 In G Major: II. Allegro - J.S.Bach
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- Minuet - Ludwig Van Beethoven
- Symphony No. 8 In F Major: Allegretto scherzando - Ludwig Van Beethoven
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- The Sleeping Beauty: Introduction - Peter Tchaikovsky
- The Sleeping Beauty: Pas d'action - Adagio - Peter Tchaikovsky
- The Sleeping Beauty: Waltz - Peter Tchaikovsky
- Capriccio italien Op. 45 - Peter Tchaikovsky
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- The 4 Seasons: Concerto No. 1 In E Major: Spring - VIVALDI, Antonio
- Siciliano - VIVALDI, Antonio
- Concerto In D Minor:: (Allegro Assai) Cologne Concerto - VIVALDI, Antonio
- The 4 Seasons: Concerto No. 2 In G Minor: Summer - VIVALDI, Antonio
- Oboe Sonata In B Flat Major, RV 34: Adagio - Allegro - Largo - Allegro - VIVALDI, Antonio
- The 4 Seasons: Concerto No. 3 In F Major: Autumn - VIVALDI, Antonio
- Oboe Concerto: Allegro non tasto - Largo - Allegro non molto - VIVALDI, Antonio
- Concerto In D Minor: (Largo e spiccato) Cologne Concerto - VIVALDI, Antonio
- The 4 Seasons: Concerto No. 4 In F Minor: Winter - VIVALDI, Antonio
Tracks:
- Scherzo No 1 In B Minor, Op. 20 - Frederic Chopin_
- Three Nocturnes, Op. 9: No 3 In B Major - Frederic Chopin_
- Twelve Etudes, Op. 10: No 5 In G Flat Major - Frederic Chopin_
- Twelve Etudes, Op. 25: No 10 In B Minor - Frederic Chopin_
- 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 13 In F Sharp Major - Frederic Chopin_
- 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 14 In E Flat Minor - Frederic Chopin_
- 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 15 In D Flat Major 'Raindrops' - Frederic Chopin_
- 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 16 In B Flat Minor - Frederic Chopin_
- 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 17 In A Flat Major - Frederic Chopin_
- 24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 18 In F Minor - Frederic Chopin_
- Scherzo No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 31 - Frederic Chopin_
- Waltz In E Flat Major, Op. 18 - Frederic Chopin_
- Nocturne In C Sharp Minor, Op. Posth. - Frederic Chopin_
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- Ave Maria - Franz Schubert
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- 'Rosamunde': Entr'acte No. 1 - Franz Schubert
- Moment Musical In A Flat Major - Franz Schubert
- 'Rosamunde': Entr'acte No. 2 - Franz Schubert
- Moment Musical No. 3 In F Minor - Franz Schubert
- 'Rosamunde': Ballet Music No.2 - Franz Schubert
- Symphony No. 8 In B Minor 'Unfinished': Allegro moderato - Franz Schubert
Tracks:
- Nabucco: Overture - Verdi, Giuseppe
- Nabucco: Va pensiero, sull'ali dorate - Verdi, Giuseppe
- Aida: Prelude - Verdi, Giuseppe
- II Trovatore: Verdi! le fosche notturne (Gypsies' Chorus) - Verdi, Giuseppe
- II Trovatore: Or co' daddi, ma fra poco (Soldiers' Chorus) - Verdi, Giuseppe
- Aroldo: Overture - Verdi, Giuseppe
- La Traviata: Prelude - Verdi, Giuseppe
- La Traviata: Noi siamo zingarelle - Verdi, Giuseppe
- La Traviata:: Libiamo ne' lieti calici - Verdi, Giuseppe
- La Traviata: Di Madride noi siam mattadori - Verdi, Giuseppe
- La forza del destino: Overture - Verdi, Giuseppe
Customer Reviews:
masters of classical music.......2007-03-26
A nice collection for the classical listener. Great variety of composers and the music quality of the cds are very good.
A good basic collection.......2006-11-10
With selections from numerous composers, it is an easy way to familiarize oneself with some of the most popular classical works and excerpts. A pleasant listen for the initiated too.
An excellent introduction to classical music.......2006-10-18
This is an excellent introduction to classical music. Well performed and presented.
Very Beautiful!!!!!1.......2006-10-05
If you are a fan of classical music then you better get this set. Not only is it very cheap, 10 Discs for about 2$ per disk. Now where are you gonna find a deal like this. I actually found mine chaper, $20.00 even and the music is outstanding. If you had a very bad day and very stressed out, just put in one of these cds, lay down, dim down the lights and just relax. It really helped me out.
Still Stuck on Beethoven.......2006-08-22
I just recently started listening to classical music so I'm certainly not one to compare or critique the quality of this set. However, I do have a few comments...
My interest started in this genre of music because I'm researching my ancestry in Prussia and this is the music of those times. Never mind my ancestors were poor peasants who probably never got the chance to hear such wonderful music... when listening to these CDs, I'm taken back in time... to a royal court in Europe... to another place in time. The music is inspiring, relaxing, invigorating.
I have yet to listen to all the CD's in the set. I'm stuck on Beethoven! Wasn't he AWESOME!?!
I think this set is a wonderful introduction to classical music!!!!!
Average customer rating:
- Wonderful collection and price!
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- A great addition to my music collection
- Quintessential Wagner
|
Twilight of the Gods: The Essential Wagner Collection
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
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Release Date: 1998-08-11 |
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- 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:
- Hey this set was $60 for almost 20 years!
- The BEST Tristan to date. Furtwangler's magic!
- I don't have 10 stars!
- A Great Reading... A Great Recording!
- Twilight of the god and goddess
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Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
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- Wagner: Lohengrin
- Beethoven: Fidelio
- Tristan Und Isolde
- Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Ring Cycle) / Sir Georg Solti
- Mozart: Don Giovanni
ASIN: B00005NW0D
Release Date: 2001-09-11 |
Tracks:
- Act I: Prld - Wilhelm Furtwangler
- Act I, Scene 1: Westwarts Schweift Der Blick
- Act I, Scene 1: Brangane, Du? Sag - Wo Sind Wir?
- Act I, Scene 1: O Weh! Ach! Ach, Des Ubels, Das Ich Geahnt!
- Act I, Scene 2: Frisch Weht Der Wind Der Heimat Zu - Rudolf Schock
- Act I, Scene 2: Mir Erkoren, Mir Verloren
- Act I, Scene 2: Hab Acht, Tristan! Botschaft Von Isolde - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
- Act I, Scene 2: Darf Ich Die Antwort Sagen? - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
- Act I, Scene 3: Weh, Ach Wehe! Dies Zu Dulden!
- Act I, Scene 3: Wie Lachend Sie Mir Lieder Singen
- Act I, Scene 3: Von Seinem Lager Blickt' Er Her
- Act I, Scene 3: O Wunder! Wo Hatt' Ich Die Augen?
- Act I, Scene 3: Da Friede, Suhn' Und Freundschaft
- Act I, Scene 3: O Susse, Traute! Teure! Holde! Goldne Herrin! - Blanche Thebom
- Act I, Scene 3: Ungeminnt Den Hehrsten Mann
- Act I, Scene 3: Kennst Du Der Mutter Kusnte Night?
- Act I, Scene 4: Auf! Auf! Ihr Frauen! - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
- Act I, Scene 4: Herrn Tristan Bringe Meinen Gruss
- Act I, Scene 4: Nun Leb Wohl, Brangane!
- Act I, Scene 5: Langsam - Wilhelm Furtwangler
- Act I, Scene 5: Begehrt, Herrin, Was Ihr Wunscht
- Act I, Scene 5: Da Du So Sittsam, Mein Herr Tristan
- Act I, Scene 5: Nun Will Ich Des Eides Walten
Tracks:
- Act I, Scene 5: War Morold Dir So Wert
- Act I, Scene 5: Ho! He! Ha! Am Obermast Die Segel Ein!
- Act I, Scene 5: Du Horst Den Rut?
- Act I, Scene 5: Auf Das Tau! Anker Los!
- Act I, Scene 5: Tristan!...Isolde!
- Act I, Scene 5: Was Traumte Mir Von Tristans Ehre?
- Act I, Scene 5: Schnell, Den Mantel, Den Konigsschmuck!
- Act II: Prld - Wilhelm Furtwangler
- Act II, Scene 1: Horst Du Sie Noch?
- Act II, Scene 1: Der Deiner Harrt - O Hor Mein Warren!
- Act II, Scene 1: O Lass Die Warnende Zunde
- Act II, Scene 1: Und Musste Der Minne Tuckischer Trank
- Act II, Scene 2: Isolde! Geliebte!...Tristan! Geliebter!
- Act II, Scene 2: Das Licht! Das Licht!
- Act II, Scene 2: Der Tag! Der Tag!
- Act II, Scene 2: O Eitler Tagesknecht!
- Act II, Scene 2: In Deiner Hand Dne Sussen Tod
- Act II, Scene 2: O Nun Maren Wir Nacht-Geweihte! - Ludwig Suthaus
- Act II, Scene 2: O Sink Hernieder, Nacht Der Liebe
- Act II, Scene 2: Einsam, Wachend In Der Nacht - Blanche Thebom
- Act II, Scene 2: Lausch, Geliebter!
- Act II, Scene 2: Unsre Liebe? Tristans Liebe? - Ludwig Suthaus
Tracks:
- Act II, Scene 2: Doch Unsre Liebe
- Act II, Scene 2: So Sturben Wir, Un Ungetrennt
- Act II, Scene 2: Habet Acht! Habet Acht!
- Act II, Scene 2: O Ew'ge Nacht, Susse nacht!
- Act II, Scene 3: Rette Dich, Tristan! - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
- Act II, Scene 3: Tatest Du's Wirklich? - Josef Greindl
- Act II, Scene 3: Wozu Die Dienste Ohne Zahl - Josef Greindl
- Act II, Scene 3: Dies Wunderhehre Weib - Josef Greindl
- Act II, Scene 3: Nun, Da Durch Solchen Besitz Mein Herz - Josef Greindl
- Act II, Scene 3: O Konig, Das Kann Ich dir Nicht Sagen - Ludwig Suthaus
- Act II, Scene 3: Wohin Nun Tristan Scheidet, Willst Du, Isold', Ihm Folgen? - Ludwig Suthaus
- Act II, Scene 3: Als Fur Ein Fremdes Land - Kirstan Flagstad
- Act II, Scene 3: Verrater! Ha! Zur Rache, Konig! - Ludwig Suthaus
- Act III: Prld - Wilhelm Furtwangler
- Act III, Scene 1: Shepherd's Pipe Song - Wilhelm Furtwangler
- Act III, Scene 1: Kurwenal! He! Sag, Kurwenal! - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
- Act III, Scene 1: Od' Und Leer Das Meer!.../Shepherd's Pipe Song/Die Alte Weise - Wilhelm Furtwangler
- Act III, Scene 1: Wo Du Bist? In Frieden, Sicher Und Frei! - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
- Act III, Scene 1: Dunkt Dich Das? Ich Weiss Es Anders - Ludwig Suthaus
- Act III, Scene 1: Isolde Noch Im Reich Der Sonne - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Tracks:
- Act III, Scene 1: Noch Iosch Das Licht Nicht Aus - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
- Act III, Scene 1: Mein Kurwenal, Du Trauter Freund! - Ludwig Suthaus
- Act III, Scene 1: Shepherd's Pipe Song/Noch Ist Kein Schiff Zu Sehn! - Wilhelm Furtwangler
- Act III, Scene 1: Nein! Ach Nein! So Heisst Sie Nicht! - Ludwig Suthaus
- Act III, Scene 1: Der Trank! Der Trank! Der Furchtbare Trank! - Ludwig Suthaus
- Act III, Scene 1: Mein Herre! Tristan! Schrecklicher Zauber! - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
- Act III, Scene 1: Das Schiff? Siehst Du's Noch Nicht? - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
- Act III, Scene 1: Wie Sie Selig, Hehr Und Milde - Ludwig Suthaus
- Act III, Scene 1: Shepherd's Pipe Song/O Wonne! Freude! Ha! Das Schiff! - Wilhelm Furtwangler
- Act III, Scene 2: O Diese Sonne! Ha, Diesser Tag!
- Act III, Scene 2: Ich Bin's, Ich Bin's Sussester Freund!
- Act III, Scene 2: Die Wunde? Wo? Lass Sie Mich Heilen!
- Act III, Scene 3: Kurwenal! Hor! Ein Zweites Schiff - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
- Act III, Scene 3: Tot Denn Alles! Alles Tot! - Josef Greindl
- Act III, Scene 3: Sie Wacht! Sie Lebt! Isolde! - Josef Greindl
- Act III, Scene 3: Mild Und Leise Wir Er Lachelt
- Act III, Scene 3: Heller Schallend, Mich Umwallend
Amazon.com essential recording
It's not surprising that this sublime performance of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde has remained on the market for so long: Wilhelm Furtwängler's reading of the tale with Ludwig Suthaus, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and Kirsten Flagstad is probably definitive. The conductor is peerless at achieving a strong sense of direction throughout the epic length. Carlos Kleiber's controversial version with the Dresden State Orchestra might boast orchestral fireworks (abetted by modern recording technology), but if you're looking for a Tristan in which the singing takes center stage, this is the recording to buy. Newly remastered with Abbey Road Technology as part of EMI's Great Recordings of the Century series. --Joshua Cody
Customer Reviews:
Hey this set was $60 for almost 20 years!.......2007-06-04
I listened to it at the library in the 80s, but you couldn't turn it up very loud. I'll bet this issue will suppress sales of all other performances!
The BEST Tristan to date. Furtwangler's magic!.......2007-02-05
This is the best version of Tristan I have EVER heard. The sound quality is good but the performances are just thrilling. The duets are stunning. If you buy one Tristan make it this one. For those of us who do not speak German read up on the plot first and then enjoy. Fantastic.
I don't have 10 stars!.......2007-01-20
The maximum! The very best version of all times
A Great Reading... A Great Recording!.......2006-11-22
It's hard to imagine that anything can be better. So don't try. This is the best-recorded version of this amazing opera I have ever heard. A truly unmatched achievement in sound direction and vocal virtuosity.
"Classic" or "Legendary" recordings turn off some people due to the fact that they never know what kind of sound quality they will receive. Let me tell you as an audiophile, conductor, composer, musician and long time music listener: This is not what you think! It is a wonderfully clear, bold and warm recording with great dynamic influx and solid resonance that will fill any room on a good set of speakers. There is no better way to enjoy this great masterpiece! Bravo EMI! Bravo Furtwangler! This is without a doubt one of the 20th century's greatest sound recordings!
Twilight of the god and goddess.......2006-06-29
Certainly one of the greatest opera recordings ever, if not the greatest. It hardly matters that this Tristan and Isolde was recorded circa 1950; this true classic, remastered, its glory intact, is a musical marvel for the ages that is nearly outside of time in its magnificence. Conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler (my all-time favorite conductor name--so Germanic!), was at the height of his conducting powers here, just as the great, legendary soprano Kirsten Flagstad, who also soars. Does she ever! Flagstad is known of course for her 1930s Metropolitan Opera Wagner performances, as well as appearances at Covent Garden in the late 1940s. Isolde was perhaps her greatest role. Usually she was paired with Lauritz Melchior (reportedly replaced at the last minute here by the sublime Ludwig Suthaus as Tristan due to Melchior's illness). Flagstad gave us her greatest Isolde at the twilight of her career. The entire cast and recording crew deserve great praise. Furtwangler delivers no less than the penultimate Tristan and Isolde. Aged and ill he may have been in faltering physical health, but his spirit was obviously never more vibrant. Together he and Flastad created a musical treasure that will live on forever. Five stars? More like a thousand!
Average customer rating:
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Strauss: Four Last Songs; Wagner" Excerpts from Tristan und Isolde & Götterdämmerung
Manufacturer: Testament UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
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- Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs
- Songs by Mahler, Handel & Peter Lieberson
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ASIN: B000O59Z0C
Release Date: 2007-06-12 |
Tracks:
- I. Beim Schlafengehen
- II. September
- III. Fruhling
- IV. Im Abendrot
- Prelude
- Mild Und Leise Wie Er Lachelt
- Dawn And Siegfried's Rhine Journey
- Starke Scheite Schichtet Mir Dort
Average customer rating:
- A well-kept secret
- Essential Wagner
- Excellent Wagner from a surprising source ... or maybe not!
- Go For Boult
- Memorable and dramatic- A must have for Wagner fans
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Wagner: Overtures & Preludes
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
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London Philharmonic Orchestra
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ASIN: B000002S08
Release Date: 1992-09-29 |
Tracks:
- Tannher: Overture
- Tannher: Grand March
- Der Fliegende Holler: Overture
- Tristan und Isolde: Prelude to Act 1
- Tristan und Isolde: Prelude to Act 3
- Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Overture
- Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Prelude to Act 3
- Lohengrin: Prelude to Act 1
Tracks:
- Lohengrin: Prelude to Act 3
- Parsifal: Prelude to Act 1
- Parsifal: Act 1 Transformation scene
- Parsifal: Prelude to Act 3
- Parsifal: Good Friday Music
- Das Rheingold: Entrance of the Gods
- Die Walkure: Ride of the Walkyries
- Siegfried: Forest murmurs
- Gotterdammerung: Siegfried's Rhine Journey
- Gotterdammerung: Siegfried's Funeral March
Customer Reviews:
A well-kept secret.......2007-05-18
Everyone wants to have a crack at the "bleeding chunks" eventually, and while I love the flashier Stoky and Furtwangler approach, I wouldn't want to be without the Boult. He's a great Wagnerian, strange as it may seem. Who could blame him for not wanting to go down in history merely as the finest Holstian? As long as this stays in print, Ormandy will still be considered the least sexy conductor. (I heard CBS researchers found an Ormandy fan once!)
Essential Wagner.......2006-06-17
As a child, this set was my first experience of Wagner's music, and it made quite an impression on me. However, as I grew older and began to collect the full operas I felt I could surely do better than Adrian Boult and the British for a collection of the preludes, overtures, and orchestral music from the operas. I was wrong. I have yet to here any recordings that can match the power and intensity as demonstrated in these discs from Boult and the LSO (and LPO). The Meistersinger prelude alone is worth the price, and the only version of the prelude to Tristan which outdoes the one here is Bohm's live 1966 Tristan. The Solti, Karajan, and Klemperer highlight discs have their moments (and truthfully, I do prefer Solti and Karajan for the "Ring" highlights), but their contributions are greatest in the full operas, and overall, they simply can't muster the power and intensity that Boult brings to these preludes, overtures, etc.
Even if you have other compilations of Wagner's music in "bleeding chunks", I can assure you they don't come close to this one; and with two discs (the second containing mostly music from Parsifal and the "Ring") at 14 bucks, there is absolutely no excuse not to have this essential recording. So go ahead and buy this disc, never buy another Wagner compilation again, and with the money you save get started on the more important task at hand: the full operas.
Excellent Wagner from a surprising source ... or maybe not!.......2004-09-27
Does Sir Adrian Boult conjure up of images of Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughn Williams, but not Wagner? You're not alone! Nevertheless, this is a double CD set not to be missed! Many years ago, I was listening to a classical radio music station in NYC that was playing the music of Wagner. The performance was so good, that I wouldn't leave the radio until I found out the name of the conductor. When the announcer said the conductor was Sir Adrian Boult, I was quite surprised. I had recordings of English music from Sir Adrian on Angel/EMI, but I never associated that conductor with Wagner. Having been blessed with a friend who had knowledge of classical music way beyond his years, I gave him a call to find out more about the recording. He told me that, Boult had solid expertise in the area of Germanic music, but, in England, had been overshadowed in that repertoire by Otto Klemperer. He told me not to be surprised about Boult's very fine Wagner, it was an excellent recording to purchase and, indeed, search out Sir Adrian's wonderful performance of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (now available on Vanguard). Fast-forward many years and I find myself browsing through Amazon for a recording of Wagner's Overtures and Preludes. Like everyone else I know, I foolishly jettisoned my LPs in the 1990s and have been "back-filling" ever since. Well, I was able to obtain this splendid set for less than $7 per CD! There are a total of 18 selections covering most of Wagner's operas including five excerpts from the Ring Cycle. The performances are excellent coming from no less than three British orchestras, and the sound is top-shelf EMI. Sir Adrian's pacing is measured and his vision is broad and sensitive, highlighting the beauty and grandeur --rather than just the fire-- of this glorious music. I heartily recommend this two-CD set, and at this price, I think it's a steal.
Go For Boult.......2003-07-08
Sir Adrian Boult is best known for his recordings of the British repertoire, and his performances, particularly of Holst's "The Planets" and Elgar's Symphonies and Orchestral Works, are legendary. But Boult was also an excellent conductor of Beethoven, Brahms and Wagner, and this 2-CD set collects the Overtures and Preludes of the latter German titan. These stereo recordings from the early to mid-1970s with the New Philharmonia Orchestra, and London Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras are truly first rate. EMI's set compares nicely in terms of price, quality and musical offerings with competing sets by DG (Bohm, Kubelik, et al) and Sony (Ormandy & Szell). You might have reservations about getting German music conducted by a Brit, but you really can't go wrong with Boult.
Memorable and dramatic- A must have for Wagner fans.......2000-03-20
I bought this cd for the following reasons: 1 I'm a Wagner fan, 2 the cover looks exquisite and 3 I wanted to hear a "prelude" since it sounds fancy and never heard one. The result is great cd. The Tannhauser overture, Tristan and Isolde prelude and Lohengrin Prelude to act 3 are all very excellent. Excerpts from the Ring of the Nibelunge aren't as good as I had anticipated but are still enjoyable. The music speaks the tales of Wagner's operas. Just hear it, as slow and irksome as they maybe, these preludes make you feel the tragic love of Tristan and Isolde, the epic odyssey of Lohengrin and the holy, heavenly spirit in Parsifal as he discovers the Holy Grail. Buy this CD and you won't regret it. Except that one bit from Gotterdammerung, Siegfried's Funeral March. It does'nt quite have the feel of grand disaster as it did in John Boorman's film Excalibur. If you're hoping to find that version(which is better) stick with the Classics Go To The Movies Vol 2 cd. But all the other pieces on this CD are excellent. Go and buy this CD- now !
Average customer rating:
- Highest Recommendation Possible
- Great Music At Any Price!
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Wagner: Tristan und Isolde/Parsifal/Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg/Lohengrin/Tannhäuser
Manufacturer: Seraphim
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Similar Items:
- Wagner: Overtures & Preludes
- Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto Op35; Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Op77
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- The Best Of Wagner
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ASIN: B000000UW7
Release Date: 1995-10-17 |
Tracks:
- Tristan Und Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod
- Parsifal: Prelude to Act I
- Parsifal: Good Friday Music
- Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg: Prelude to Act III
- Lohengrin: Prelude to Act I
- Tannhauser: Overture
Customer Reviews:
Highest Recommendation Possible.......2007-02-04
I have been ravenously studying classical music for about the last two years non stop. It has been a fantastic voyage. Out of everything by everyone, to me, this is among the very best CDs. The music is beautiful, mighty and majestic. On top of that, the CD is very inexpensive, considering it's quality.
Great Music At Any Price!.......2004-03-14
The original EMI Seraphim budget CD line has to be the greatest value for the money in the history of music. For half the price of other so-called budget lines, including the new version of EMI Seraphim and the Sony Essential Classics series, you get first-rate performances from the golden age of stereo by some of the greatest conductors of the century. On this particular title you get brilliant Wagner performances by Rudolf Kempe and Sir Adrian Boult. This was my first disc of Wagner Orchestral Music, and I liked it so much that I eventually upgraded in order to get more terrific Wagner performances by Kempe and Boult (see my reviews). You see, Boult has a two-disc mid-priced set collecting his Wagner recordings on EMI, while Kempe has two full-priced discs on the Testament label, which licensed his EMI recordings. Granted, most will not want to pay as much as I did for their Wagner, and if you don't, just buy this title with the loose change in your pocket.
Average customer rating:
- A masterpiece always to remember
- The best in it's own way
- The most Theatrical Tristan und Isolde...my personal favorite!
- Alone in the top
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Tristan Und Isolde
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Similar Items:
- Wagner: Lohengrin
- Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / Kollo · Donath · Adam · G. Evans · Schreier · Hesse· Riderbusch · Karajan
- Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
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- Mozart: Don Giovanni
ASIN: B000001GXS
Release Date: 1997-11-11 |
Tracks:
- Tristan und Isolde: Prelude
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Westwarts schweift der Blick'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Frisch weht der Wind der Heimat zu'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Weh, ach wehe! Dies zu dulden'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Auf! Auf! Ihr Frauen! Frisch und Froh!'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Herr Tristan trete nah!'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Begehrt, Herrin, was Ihr wunscht'
Tracks:
- Tristan und Isolde: Prelude
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Horst du sie noch?'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Isolde! Geliebte! - Tristan! Geliebter!'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'O sink hernieder, Nacht der Liebe'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Einsam wachend in der Nacht'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Lausch, Geliebter! - Lass mich sterben!'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Doch unsre Liebe, heisst sie nicht Tristan und - Isolde?'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'So starben wir, um ungetrennt'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Rette dich, Tristan!'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Tatest du's wirklich? Wahnst du das?
- Tristan und Isolde: 'O Konig, das kann ich dir nicht sagen'
Tracks:
- Tristan und Isolde: Prelude - Mig Langsam
- Tristan und Isolde: (Man hoert einen Hirtenreigen)
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Kurwenal! He! Sag, Kurwenal!'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Hei nun! Wie du kamst?'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Noch losch das Licht nicht aus'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Noch ist kein Schiff zu seh'n!'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Bist du nun tot? Lebst du noch?'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'O diese Sonne! Ha, dieser Tag!'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Ha! Ich bin's, ich bin's, suessester Freund!'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Kurwenal! Hoer! Ein zweites Schiff!'
- Tristan und Isolde: 'Mild und leise wie er lachelt'
Amazon.com
Recorded in performance, but one act at a time so that the principals could sing full-out, this is one of the most electrifying opera recordings of the stereo era. Birgit Nilsson blazes as Isolde, and Wolfgang Windgassen's Act-III evocation of the delusional Tristan is heart-wrenching. Karl B"hm inspires transcendent playing from the Bayreuth forces, and the sound is stunning. --Ted Libbey
Customer Reviews:
A masterpiece always to remember.......2007-02-11
For all you Wagner haters out there; please listen to these five excerpts of this recording and you will be convinced otherwise:
1. Christa Ludwig's Brangane: Act II - "Einsam Wachend in der Nacht..."
2. Birgit Nillson's & Wolfgang Wingassen's Isolde & Tristan: Act II - "O sink hernieder..."
3. Wolfgang Windgassen's Tristan: Act III - " Dunkt dich dass, Ich weiss es anders..."
4. Eberhardt Wachters Kurwenal: Act III - "O wonne, nein, ..."
5. Birgit Nilsson's Isolde: Act III - "Mild und leise..."
Thanks
The best in it's own way.......2005-11-11
For me, the SECOND-most important aspect of Tristan und Isolde is the power, both from the orchestra and from the singers. In that respect, this is probably the very best recording out there of Tristan und Isolde. The singers are all powerful, both in sheer sound and in conveying strong emotions, and the conducting is extremely exciting. Birgit Nilsson is absolutely incredible: she just sings at the top of her lungs, and the sound of her voice remains gorgeous nonetheless! The power of her anger in Act I is, in my experience, unequalled elsewhere on opera recordings (though maybe some Callas recordings and perhaps some Del Monaco recordings would be candidates for Second Prize).
However, the MOST important aspect of Tristan und Isolde, in my opinion, is the harmonic language, which creates a very special atmosphere, an atmosphere that is spooky, exotic, very erotic but also somehow calm and calming.
This recording is not a TOTAL failure in that respect, but I would say there are MANY other recordings that bring out the above-mentioned atmosphere better than this one does.
Here, Bohm's conducting sometimes "runs over" those harmonic nuances, not to mention many dynamic nuances and little (momentary)tempo changes that are missed.
In addition, Windgassen's singing took a lot of getting used to, for me. He has power, but not beauty of voice. He has a powerful interpretation, but not really beautiful operatic phrasing (Fritz Uhl, the Tristan in Solti's set, has the opposite: a beautiful sound and beautiful bel-canto style phrasing, but not nearly enough power, vocally or emotionally).
To sum up: This is THE exciting Tristan, but for me, other recordings of this work bring out the real essence of the piece better. My favorite is Karajan's studio recording, followed by Solti's (the latter also features Birgit Nilsson, who is ALMOST as exciting there as she is here, but not quite).
The most Theatrical Tristan und Isolde...my personal favorite!.......2005-11-04
It is very hard to try to write a recommendation for a perfect recording of Tristan und Isolde, since each set has its own set of pros and cons. However, of all the Tristans I have listened to, Karl Böhm's recording made at 1966 in Bayreuth seems to be the one that I come back to the most. There was a time when I could not appreciate Böhm's conducting because I felt that he rushed through the lucid and erotic qualities of the score. When I listen to this now, with fresher ears and having listened to the majority of Tristan recordings on the market, I find that his conducting gives Tristan an electricity that cannot be found in other recordings. There is a passion and energy that you can find in Böhm's conducting that you cannot hear in Karajan's or Solti's interpretations, and this set definitely tops Berstein's and Kleiber's recording in many respects. The orchestra plays beautifully under his direction, just as they did in the Ring for Böhm exactly a year later. I would say that the conductor's reading of the score is full of energy, passion, eroticism, forward propulsion and movement, and pathos. The conductor's somewhat Mozartian/ classical treatment of the Romantic and chord-saturated score gives it a lift and an elegance without sacrificing the Wagnerian ethos that make it so special. I would say that this is the most masterfully conducted Tristan, and adding to that the special Bayreuth sound and you have one of the most orchestrally captivating experiences you'll ever hear.
However, the one factor that places this Tristan above all other recordings is the amazing cast assembled in this massive project. Birgit Nilsson, in my opinion, is the greatest Isolde...period. Her first act Isolde is a powerhouse of rage with the jealousy, love, revenge, sadness, resignation and all other of Isolde's character aspects that make her such a complex heroine. Her second act Isolde is meltingly tender, and she is able to scale down her voice to make the love duet sound like silk. Her third act Liebestod is an apotheosis of years of learning this role, and only Nilsson can sing it with the rapture and beauty that it deserves. I was wrong to find her too steely. Not many voices like hers come in our lifetime, and how lucky we are that she came during a time when voices can be captured in their greatest performances.
Below this towering standard is the Tristan of Wolfgang Windgassen. Although he does not have the beautiful timbre of Placido Domingo, the haunting voice of Vickers, or the reticent ease of Lauritz Melchior's voice, he offers drama and intensity that would never be matched by any tenor before or after him. His phrasing is exemplary, and his intelligence makes his Tristan one of the most compelling accounts on record. In fact, after Vickers, he is perhaps the most intense Tristan ever to have sung the part, albeit the fact that his voice is taken to its limits in the third act delirium. I don't know how I would live without his Tristan, as Birgit herself said that "Wolfie" saved her many a time when she got lost in the extremely exposed and difficult lead roles.
The supporting cast is perhaps the best on records. Christa Ludwig is the most beautiful and theatrical Brangäne, and Eberhard Wächter is a youthful, yet testosterone induced Kurwenal. You must hear Ludwig's calls from the tower...I think that alone is the price of this landmark recording. Their respective interaction with the leads is a must-hear--especially Ludwig's interactions with Nilsson in Act I. Martti Talvela sings the part of King Marke with a nobility and the kind of gravitas I've only heard again in Rene Pape, and he should be referred to as a reference for this short, yet pivotal role. The smaller parts in this opera are taken by Peter Schreier, Gerd Nienstedt, and Claude Heater--all of whom are great Bayreuth artists.
Of course, you must still hear other recordings of Tristan. I could recommend Karajan's 1952 Bayreuth account, or Kleiber's 1976 La Scala, or Pappano's studio recording with Domingo. You should also try Reiner's set with Flagstad and Melchior, but for the complete Tristan experience, this set is the one that you should return to if you want to hear a true Wagnerian epic taking place in your living room. Bravi tutti!
Alone in the top.......2005-10-06
OK fellows I don`t know Furtwangler celebrated recording. But having listened to this it is difficult not to accept this is THE ULTIMATE TRISTAN. Why? Look at the conducting. Like a storm. Not a weak moment. Truly propulsive. Look at how balanced is the orchestra. In the Liebestodt at the end Isolda`s high notes are matched with the glorious brass section instead of the usual "soup" sound of our usual orchestra. See how resonant brass are and then try the same passage with the same singer under Solti: it's like replacing chocolate for soup. For me Bayreuth sound is the real "period" sound for Wagner. And with the intensity we have here. So it must be very difficult to listen to slower recordings like Furtwangler, specially when the approach I just have described sounds to me so definitive. Sound is excellent.
About the cast: Brangane very vibratoed but good, also is Wachter. I don't like Marke's voice (the singer uses a voice that sounds "broken" sometimes, an awfull effect). Windgassen may not have a strong voice but sounds so human ... great. Then there is the other only reason to buy and keep this recording appart from Bohm: Nilsson. In what planet was she born? For she is really superhuman. Listen to her seductive voice and well, Callas was such a great artist, but in my humble opinion, standing next to Nilsson, in vocal matters Callas is SO WEAK ... If an extraterrestrial listened only to 1 single recording of human voice (speaking of this) would think Nilsson was the best singer in history. It would be very difficult to change its mind.
Bayreuth at its best.......2005-08-18
I was lucky enough to be present at the last outing of this Wieland Wagner production with essentially the same cast - the curtain calls went on for more than 45 minutes!
Undoubtedly, this is a totally exceptional performance - one of those live performances that catches fire from the first enigmatic rise and fall to the famous 'Tristan' chord and never lets you go until long after the last note of the Liebestod has died away. Bohm (often accused of being kapellmeisterish at the time) is electric - the music ebbs and flows with the passion of the protagonists, at times whipped up to almost hysterical proportions (Tristan's Act 2 arrival and the height of his dementia in Act 3 for example), at others achingly lonely (Marke's monologue or the shepherd's piping come to mind).
The singing, too, is unsurpassed. Nilsson and Windgassen are in superlative form throughout - Windgassen tired in Act 3? His character is dying, for God's sake - and he certainly rises to the excitements of Isolde's arrival and the ripping of the bandages from his wound. Christa Ludwig sings Brangane's warnings from the tower with a haunting rapture that matches that of the lovers downstage. The much-missed Martti Talvela sings his (presumably huge) socks off as Marke, turning a character who can be a bore into, for his moment, the most sympathetic and moving person in the opera.
I've never got it with Furtwangler and Flagstad by the time of that performance sounded too maternal for my taste. Bernstein is brave and at times fascinating but his cast aren't as good. Karajan is too overcooked and Vickers - often a great Tristan on stage - was too self-indulgent here. Kleiber (who I also heard, magnificently, at Bayreuth) conducts wonderfully and has a beautifully sung Isolde in Margaret Price, but his Tristan is the rather pedestrian Kollo.
For me, this Bohm recording is the yardstick Tristan and a great example of Bayreuth at its absolute best. The engineers capture the unique Bayreuth sound well, too.
Average customer rating:
- An excellent classical CD
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- Wagner's Grandeur
- Ormandy is underrated!
- Excellent Recordings
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The Best Of Wagner
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Similar Items:
- Twilight of the Gods: The Essential Wagner Collection
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- Wagner without Words
- Wagner: Tristan und Isolde/Parsifal/Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg/Lohengrin/Tannhäuser
ASIN: B000003F4J
Release Date: 1991-06-06 |
Tracks:
- Die Meistersinger: Prelude
- Die Walkure: Ride Of The Valkyries
- Lohengrin: Bridal Chorus
- Siegfried: Forest Murmurs
- Gotterdammerung: Dawn & Siegfried's Rhine Journey
- Die Walkure: Magic Fire Music
- Tristan und Isolde: Liebestod
Customer Reviews:
An excellent classical CD.......2007-01-28
Richard Wagner rightly deserves his high reputation as a classical musician. Like many people, I don't care for Wagner's racial or religious views, but don't let that stop you from enjoying his music. The CD starts off with my favorites the Prelude from Die Meistersinger & Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walkure, followed by a fascinating rendition of the Bridal Chorus (a.k.a. "Here Comes the Bride") from Lohengrin. I won't recite the rest of the list, but there are 4 other compositions, all somewhat varied in style, but very good. Whether you are classical music buff or simply want an introduction to classical music this CD is a good place to start.
A hidden diamond.......2001-10-03
This unassuming budget classic reissue is among the finest of its genre: The Wagner orchestral highlight album, and features the contents of 1973 LP recital the farthest thing from run-of-the-mill, spaciously recorded with the palpable feeling of the presence of the musicians, not merely an amorphously gorgeous orchestral sonority. The music unfolds without self-indulgent pointing, in a free-wheeling manner that is simply right.
The original Ormandy program is supplemented with a track by Robert Shaw doing a luscious rendering of the famous Bridal Chorus from
with his divine women's chorus, a version as good or better than any ever anthologized or appearing in complete opera recordings, its 1959 atmospherically recorded sound barely showing its age.
My only caveat is that this stuff really merited more respectful packaging than this ersatz "Best of" series, but at the price, who should complain?
Wagner's Grandeur.......2001-08-24
Wagner was a great composer. His music and use of orchestra are grand and masterful. I am repulsed by his political views, but as an artist he was a genius. This compilation of Wagner is probably the best there is. I listen to it from time to time. The breadth of the orchestral palette, the elevation, and grandeur have been imitated but never duplicated.
Ormandy is underrated!.......2001-02-08
I did a test by listening to Szell, Klemperer, Karajan, Kubelik, Bohm, Jochum, Gerdes, Ozawa, Stokowski, and Ormandy play Wagner overtures and excerpts from "The Ring". My verdict: it's Ormandy. What can I say? I feel as is he's underrated, especially in the annals of Wagner worship. I like Stokowski's energy, but he plays around with scores (horrors!) too much. The Szell was great, but a tad limp. Other conductors have their high points, but Ormandy ranks consistently at the top. His conducting is full and rich and the orchestra always sounds great. I ranked the Szell orchestral music from Wagner at 5 stars, so Ormandy rates 6 stars.
Excellent Recordings.......2000-11-08
The selections performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Ormandy are excellent. One of the best. Highly Recommended.
Average customer rating:
- Great Cover
- Szell's Magical And Terrific Wagner Album
- Fabulous Wagner!
- Szell has not fallen!
- Precise, clinical performances in dated sound
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- Wagner: The "Ring" Without Words
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- Chopin: Twenty Four Préludes Op.28
ASIN: B000002763
Release Date: 1991-07-01 |
Tracks:
- Das Rheingold: Entrance Of The Gods Into Valhalla
- Die Walkure: Ride Of The Valkyries
- Die Walkure: Magic Fire Music
- Siegfried: Forest Murmurs
- Gotterdammerung: Dawn - Seigfried's Rhine Journey
- Gotterdammerung: Siegfried's Funeral Music - Final Scene
- Tristan And Isolde: Prelude - Love-Death
- Die Meistersinger: Prelude To Act I
Customer Reviews:
Great Cover.......2007-06-06
This same album has had at least 2 identical incarnations except for the cover art. So if you have bought some of his Wagner orchestral suites before, beware and be aware! You just may be making a redundant purchase. This version has by far the best cover artwork.
I have several of Wagner's Orchestral suites lps (Szell, Stokowski, Klemperer, Ormandy, Karajan) They all sound just peachy, so do not ask me to choose based on the music. I like the Stokowski best merely because it is on the great sounding Phase 4 label plus it has art work similar to this Szell cd and it has substantial liner notes. But as far as the music goes, a pair of Klemperers/Szells will just about beat any hand.
If you are new to Wagner, this is a wonderful intro. Then you can rent some of his music drama operas thru Netflix and take advantage of the best thing since sliced bread, English subtitles.
If you are looking for the Wagner symphony section at Amazon, there aint any! These orchestral suites are as close as you will get. Look instead to his disciples, Bruckner for symphonies and Richard Strauss for symphonic poems.
Szell's Magical And Terrific Wagner Album.......2007-05-21
This was Cleveland's most prominent condutor, the late George Szell's only Wagner album. True, he was at home conducting the music of Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Dvorak and all the brand-name, top classical music, but he was, at the same time, a gifted interpreter of Wagner. While Szell's name is not mentioned in the same sentence as Herbert Von Karajan nor was he a conductor of opera, this album showcases the skill and artistry he achieved while conducting the score to Wagner's most important operas - The Ring of the Nibelungen and Tristan and Isolde. The Cleveland Orchestra is at the height of its powers and the music you will hear on this album overflows with passion, dignity, grandeur and beauty, all the elements that Wagner's larger-than-life operas are made of. The first track is the Entrance Of The Gods Into Valhalla, the final scene in Das Rhinegold, the first of the four Ring operas. Pity this album does not begin with the beautifully mysterious and spiritual Rhinegold Overture, which would have been more appropriate, as the music segues into the Entrance of the Gods. But even as it is, it's wonderful. The music describes the vainglorious Odin, his wife Freya and the other Norse gods ascending into the glittering golden palace of Valhalla, pride and downfall of the gods. The music is bombastic and grand, just like one hears it at the opera, a melage of trumpets and brass. But the music is also composed of melancholy strings (violins) describing the lament of the Rhinemaidens, bemoaning the loss of the Ring and foreshadowing the coming tragedy. Track 2: Ride Of The Valkyries: This famous war march has been heard in films (such as Apocalypse Now) and occurs toward the end of "Die Walkure". It's a militaristic, noisy, ebullient battle cry. In the opera, Brunhilde, Odin's immortal daughter, has rebelled against him and takes to the air on winged horses with her fellow Valkyries. This interpretation is quite different than others you'll hear because Szell discovered an additional bit of music that Wagner intended to be played but for the most part is not heard. If you're quick, you'll catch it. It's a repetition of the battle cry "Hojo-to-ho" on the trumpet, occuring toward the last portion of the piece. 3: Magic Fire Music: This "magical" music, mostly for strings, serves as the score to the final scene in "Die Walkure" in which Odin has cast a sleeping spell on Brunhilde and puts her in the middle of a ring of fire, where she will await the kiss of the hero Siegfried. The tristesse of the piece represents a father's grief for the loss of his most belove daughter. Track 4 and 5 Forest Murmurs and Siegfried's Journey: This music is taken from various moments in the opera "Siegfried" which relates the hero's adventures. He awakens the sleeping Brunhilde who has become mortal, slays the fearsome dragon Fafnir and wields as magical sword. The Forest Murmurs takes place in the immense forest where Brunhilde lies sleeping. Endowed with the gift of communicatin with nature, a bird tells Siegfried where he can find Brunhilde. If one does not overanalyze the music, merely strings and flutes, one can clearly feel the word-painting and characterization in the piece. The flute is the bird or birds and the forest itself, the more powerful chords represent Siegfried and the brief "Valkyrie" motif stands for Brunhilde. In "Rhine Journey" we hear the strings become the flowing river and we can see Siegfried journeying to a dangerous adventure, one which costs the hero's life. In "Siegfried's Funeral March" Siegfried has been betrayed and is slain by the Giants. The funeral music is dark, primal and powerful in its depiction of nobility and downfall. As it ends, we hear Brunhilde's love theme which then appropriately takes us to the Immolation Scene. Brunhilde, distraught over the death of her beloved, summons her horse and leaps over Siegfrie'ds burning funeral pyre, a grand act of love and sacrifice, the first hint of humanity and compassion in otherwise dark drama filled with greedy and wicked characters. This leads to Valhalla's demise by fire and water and the world ends. Only the Rhinemaidens remain, taking back the ring which had long been stolen from them. Though these are only portions of music from the supremely lengthy score, it is enough to entice the listener to seeing the Ring, the biggest feast of opera one can ever undertake. The Overture to Tristan and Isolde summarizes the work itself. It's a high romantic tragedy concerning the knight Tristan, the King he serves and Isolde the Queen, whom he falls in love with. Their love is doomed but the magic and transient bliss is perfectly captured in the luminescent Overture, which begins softly and mysteriously with the "Tristan Chord" and culminates with a ravishing rush of strings. The Liebestod, the Love Death, is Isolde's swan song, as she dies of love for the fallen knight. Szell does not play this too fast or too slow. It's done right, and it's heartbreaking, ethereal and magnificent, perhaps even at the level of Karajan's famous interpretations of it. The final track is the grand overture to Die Mastersanger Von Nuremberg, a lengthy paean to Mediveal chivalry, all grandeur and pomp.
Five Stars Well Deserved. Make this your first intro to Wagner. The music will seduce you into watching Wagner operas. Dreamy, romantic, grand, sad, larger than life, Szell has captured the essence of Wagner in a single album. Buy it now. It's cheap and affordable. It's highly recommended. Enjoy.
Fabulous Wagner!.......2006-10-07
This is certainly very good music-making, falling just a little short in the colors department - for which the Berlin under Karajan or the Philadelphia under Ormandy are the ticket. But that aside it's difficult to accept all this Szell bashing. People still listen to the Cleveland recording of the Dvorak Slavonic Dances and will for years to come. And unless you have to have original instruments it's tough to beat Szell and the Cleveland orchestra's brio and attention to detail in Mozart and Haydn.
Of course some of this carping may be the result of a little bit too much self-esteem and not enough appreciation for just what it takes to lead an orchestra at such a level. I remember in college I happened to be at a small gathering of literary people including a few novelists and poets and one critic,the august Edmund Wilson. Not knowing any better I walked right up to a stern-looking older man looking every bit the serious 'Dean of American Critics' and blurted out how much fun I had reading his story "The Man who Shot Snapping Turtles." Apparently this gushing adolescent accolade softened him a bit, and he talked with me for a couple of minutes. The last question I asked him was what did he consider the most important thing in writing criticism. Mr. Wilson blurted out bluntly, "Get it right!"
Over the years I have always thought there was a world of truth in that rather journalistic maxim. The reviews here are a perfect example. One could write and gush about this and that, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter how many names you drop, or airs you put on, if you cannot recognize quality you're no better than the crook in Gatsby whose idea of a small town where one could safely pass counterfeit bonds over the counter was Detroit.
In the Great Gatsby the crook passing false currency for real is picked up by the police. Unfortunately Amazon readers are easily mislead by glowing praise or, in the case of some of the reviews of the Wagner here, cold dislike. People react to harsh words, and especially when they are well written and sound based on experience. Let me assure you - no one is always right, and there are some people who, for whatever reason, have skewered taste.
The Szell Cleveland Wagner CD here is a series of showpieces, played very very well by the Cleveland orchestra. What sets this apart from many Wagner collections is the astonishing orchestra playing. Szell's orchestra, supreme in Dvorak, brings to Wagner's music a clarity rarely achieved by other orchestras. Superbly balanced, the virtousity of the players is on full display. It's a joy to actually hear all the myriad instrumental sounds in Wagner's score - Wagner played in tune, what a shocking concept. And particularly Wagner devoid of bathos! Tovey used to cite Wagner as perhaps the best of all orchestrators; here we have the Cleveland at the pinnacle of their glory days, a wonderful momento. Writing nasty dismissive words about performances of this caliber says more about the reviewers than it does about the recording.
This has been remastered for SACD and if you have a machine that will play SACDs then that is the one to purchase.
Szell has not fallen!.......2006-01-14
I quote from a previous review: "Perhaps no eminent conductor has fallen so far after his death as George Szell". To this comment, I say "Baloney". One great thing about Amazon is their sale of deleted CDs by independent sellers. When George Szell/Cleveland Orchestra CDs suddenly disappear, their price by the independent sellers skyrockets. As for the present CD, I have bought it on LP, cassette and CD and cherished it for years. The playing is sensational, the performances have plenty of passion and the sound is great. The Die Meistersinger and Tristan excerpts were recorded earlier than the Ring and have a little more spontanaiety but the Ring excerpts are also outstanding.
Precise, clinical performances in dated sound.......2005-10-29
Perhaps no eminent conductor has fallen so far after his death as George Szell. He was treated with enormous respect during his long tenure with the Cleveland Orchestra, and he couldn't appear in Carnegie Hall without getting raves from the New York critics (his reviews were much better than Bernstein's). On the evidence of this cold, unfeeling CD of Wagner excerpts, mostly from the Ring, one wonders why. Every excerpt is treated to the same strict, unyielding approach; there is no rubato or romanticism. In addition the sound is thin and full of hiss (Szell's LPs on Epic were infamous for their bad sound, and Sony hasn't bothered to improve things on their digitual reissue.)
I will remember Szell fondly from my formative years in the Sixties, but he has become a dead letter in the intervening decades.
Track Listings:
- Robert Fayrfax: Missa Albanus & Aeternae laudis lilium
- Robert Schumann: Szenen aus Goethes Faust
- Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Vivaldi: Concerto for mandolin & strings in C
- Satie and the Four-Handed Piano
- Schubert: Symphony No. 10 and Other Unfinished Symphonies
- Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 39; 12 Gedichte, Op. 35
- Shostakovitch: Complete String Quartets The Shostakovitch Quartet 5CD Box Set
- Street Song
- Symphonies 8 & 9
- Tavener - Total Eclipse · Agraphon / Rozario · Harle · Robson · Gilchrist · AAM · Goodwin
Track Listings
track listings
Track Listings
Best of Sheena Easton [Extra tracks] [Import]
Dulces Exuviae
Damned Damned Damned (Limited Edition)
16 Most Requested Songs
Before L'Apericlub
Ellie My Love [CD-single] [Import]
Contact: Music from the Broadway Show [Cast Recording]
Duos for Classica Accordions
Discover [Import]
Classic Cole
Crystal Reflections
Cafe Con Aroma de Mujer
El Rey Y la Reina del Merengue