Decca: Wiener Philharmoniker

Richard Wagner - Der Ring Des Nibelungen
Wiener Philharmoniker / Sir Georg Solti
14 CD Box | FLAC, EAC, LOG & CUE | Partial Artwork | Size: 4,62 GB
Label/Cat#: Decca 455 555-2 | Country/Year: Europe 1997 [1958, 1962, 1964, 1965]
Genre: Classical | Style: Opera, Romantic

This first complete studio recording of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, made between 1958 and 1966, was a groundbreaking technical and artistic achievement, the most ambitious and intricately involved opera recording project of the 20th century. Produced for Decca by John Culshaw, whose vision and untiring devotion brought the gargantuan project to completion, the 14 ½-hour release set a new standard for opera recordings. The details Culshaw lavished on the production, which included building new musical instruments, precisely calculating the placement and choreography of each singer to maximize the theatricality of each scene, and creating an array of fabulous special effects resulted in a landmark recording that has lost none of its power with the passage of time.

Christoph von Dohnanyi is one of those conductors, like Wolfgang Sawallisch, Rafael Kubelik and Josef Keilberth, who were relatively ignored by the journalist school of music critics and later, usually after they are dead, lauded to the skies as undiscovered geniuses of the podium. Well, Maestro Dohnanyi is alive and well and with us and still conducting, mostly at the Zurich opera, and it is a good thing that his performances are being filmed, if not recorded, for posterity because he is a giant of the operatic podium, especially in the operas of Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner.

Richard Wagner - Der Ring Des Nibelungen
Wiener Philharmoniker / Sir Georg Solti
14 CD Box | FLAC, EAC, LOG & CUE | Partial Artwork | Size: 4,62 GB + Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Decca 455 555-2 | Country/Year: Europe 1997 [1958, 1962, 1964, 1965]
Genre: Classical, Opera | Remastered | Hoster: Filepost/Filefactory

This first complete studio recording of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, made between 1958 and 1966, was a groundbreaking technical and artistic achievement, the most ambitious and intricately involved opera recording project of the 20th century. Produced for Decca by John Culshaw, whose vision and untiring devotion brought the gargantuan project to completion, the 14 ½-hour release set a new standard for opera recordings. The details Culshaw lavished on the production, which included building new musical instruments, precisely calculating the placement and choreography of each singer to maximize the theatricality of each scene, and creating an array of fabulous special effects resulted in a landmark recording that has lost none of its power with the passage of time.

Georg Solti’s readings of Wagner’s great operas are among the most thrilling experiences on record. The evenness and strength of the cast is balanced with the brilliance of the Wiener Philharmoniker and recorded with the renowned Decca clarity and richness with productions given the revered Decca/Minshull touch.

After more than forty years this remains the best recording of "Tannhäuser" for a number of reasons. Good recordings have never been thick on the ground and while this one is by no means perfect, it pretty much kicks everything else into touch by virtue of the extraordinary vibrancy and erotic ambiance of Solti's direction - I believe this to be his finest achievement in terms of pure conducting.

For many years, Willi Boskovsky led the Vienna Philharmonic during the famous New Year's concerts. Violinist and conductor, he had this "Viennese Blood" essential to understand the music of Strauss and know how to mark the dynamics in the most accurate way. Although recorded many years ago (60' and 70') the recording was thoroughly remastered, giving us a fresh sound clarity as if it was recorded during last year's New Year's Concert. The CD includes the most famous waltzes by Johann Strauss (the Blue Danube, Emperor Waltz, Tales of the Vienna Woods…), along with 2 other ones written by his younger brother Joseph (Spharenklange and Dorschwalben aus Ostorreich).