Ehrlicher

Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) is one of the most remarkable achievements in all music, and Siegfried, the third in the cycle, contains some of the greatest moments in Wagner s entire output. Wagner conceived Siegfried as a heroic man of the future, and his fantastical tale is one in which the human dramas of treachery and violent struggles for power become magnified in a world of gods, dragons and magic. The previous opera in this cycle, Die Walkure, was acclaimed in The Guardian as thrillingly vivid… easily maintains the high standard and promise of Das Rheingold. (Naxos NBD0049).

The Hallé completes its highly regarded Ring cycle, with the live recording of its acclaimed Bridgewater Hall performance under Sir Mark Elder.

Der einstige Weltenlenker Wotan ist zu einem machtlosen Wanderer geworden, der aus der Ferne verfolgt, wie sein Enkel Siegfried bei dem Zwerg Mime heranwächst. Unbekümmert, doch ohne jegliches Geschichtsbewusstsein aufgezogen, schlägt er furchtlos alles nieder. So erhofft sich Mime, durch Siegfried den Ring von Alberich zurückzuerobern. Doch Siegfried rebelliert gegen seinen Ziehvater, entlockt ihm das Geheimnis seiner eigenen Herkunft und zieht aus, um das Fürchten zu lernen. Geleitet allein durch seine Intuition findet er die in ewigen Schlaf versetzte Brünnhilde. Als "leuchtende Liebe, lachender Tod" feiern die beiden schließlich ihre Vereinigung. Es scheint, als hätte die Macht der Liebe die Gier besiegt.

Following the 2015 release of "The Rhinegold" – the Vorabend or „preliminary evening“ of Richard Wagner's "The Ring of the Nibelung" – and of "The Valkyrie" in 2019, BR-KLASSIK is now releasing "Siegfried" as the second day of the enthusiastically received tetralogy under Sir Simon Rattle - recorded live on February 3 and 5, 2023 at Munich's Isarphilharmonie im Gasteig. With "The Rheingold", Rattle had already decisively refuted the longstanding claim that he and Wagner were not a good match, and with "The Valkyrie", he dispelled any remaining doubts.

Following the 2015 release of "The Rhinegold" – the Vorabend or „preliminary evening“ of Richard Wagner's "The Ring of the Nibelung" – and of "The Valkyrie" in 2019, BR-KLASSIK is now releasing "Siegfried" as the second day of the enthusiastically received tetralogy under Sir Simon Rattle - recorded live on February 3 and 5, 2023 at Munich's Isarphilharmonie im Gasteig. With "The Rheingold", Rattle had already decisively refuted the longstanding claim that he and Wagner were not a good match, and with "The Valkyrie", he dispelled any remaining doubts. His recent performance of “Siegfried” – with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and a first-class lineup of Wagner singers – proves yet again how well the conductor understands and is able to interpret Wagner's music. Now, just a few months after the live event, this powerful and immensely popular music drama has been released on three outstanding CDs.