Wagner Ring

Richard Wagner - Tannhäuser (Highlights/Höhepunkte)
Chor und Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele / Wolfgang Sawallisch
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 373 MB | Full Artwork: 28 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Philips "Wagner Edition" # 446 620-2 | Country/Year: Germany 1995, 1963
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic, Opera

Wolfgang Sawallisch (26 August 1923 – 22 February 2013) was a German conductor and pianist. (…) When he debuted at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus conducting Tristan und Isolde in 1957, he was the youngest conductor ever to appear there. (…) For thirty years, he was closely associated with musical events in Munich. Here he conducted practically all of the major Richard Strauss operas, Salome being the sole exception. He also conducted 32 complete Richard Wagner Ring des Nibelungen cycles and is credited with nearly 1200 opera performances in the city alone…

Richard Wagner - Tannhäuser (Highlights/Höhepunkte)
Chor und Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele / Wolfgang Sawallisch
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 373 MB | Full Artwork: 28 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Philips "Wagner Edition" # 446 620-2 | Country/Year: Germany 1995, 1963
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic, Opera

Wolfgang Sawallisch (26 August 1923 – 22 February 2013) was a German conductor and pianist. (…) When he debuted at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus conducting Tristan und Isolde in 1957, he was the youngest conductor ever to appear there. (…) For thirty years, he was closely associated with musical events in Munich. Here he conducted practically all of the major Richard Strauss operas, Salome being the sole exception. He also conducted 32 complete Richard Wagner Ring des Nibelungen cycles and is credited with nearly 1200 opera performances in the city alone…

Some have likened Herbert von Karajan's "chamber-music approach" to Wagner's Ring cycle in terms of his scaling down or deconstructing the heroic roles. This approach has less to do with dynamics per se than it does with von Karajan's masterful balancing of voices and instruments. He achieves revelations of horizontal clarity, allowing no contrapuntal strand to emerge with an unwanted accent or a miscalibrated dynamic. The texts are unusually pinpointed and distinct, although the singers don't convey the experience and dimension of Sir Georg Solti's cast on London. There are exceptions.

This 1950 performance is the only live complete recording of The Ring conducted by the legendary Wilhelm Furtwängler. Although it has been available on several labels in the past, this is its first appearance at budget price. At last, this “crucial, living document,” as opera critic Robert Levine called it, has been made affordable by Falcon Neue Medien!

Conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler already enjoyed a worldwide legendary standing during his lifetime - he was considered the German conductor and performances were greeted with rapturous applause. Today, more than 50 years after his death, Wilhelm Furtwangler is still an icon and his work has become an integral part ofthe music scene.

Richard Wagner’s “Ring” at the world-famous La Scala in Milan is a first-class musical experience featuring one of the greatest conductors of our time at the podium: Daniel Barenboim. Wagner’s tale about the power of the ring, the reign of gold and the battle between dwarves, giants, gods and mortals is picturesque, complex and deeply psychological. It is a demanding work for musicians, singers and the production team. In his stage production, the Belgian Guy Cassiers conveys the aesthetic quality and musical brilliance of this gesamtkunstwerk in dazzling imagery. The challenges of the music and dramatic performance are admirably mastered by renowned singers including René Pape, Waltraud Meier, Lance Ryan, Nina Stemme, Simon O’Neill, Iréne Theorin and many others. A veritable feast for the senses, a treat for all Wagner aficionados and a wonderful opportunity to revisit the legendary La Scala in Milan.