475 Jahre Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
Staatsopernchor Dresden
Staatskapelle Dresden
rec. 1923-2021, London, Berlin, Salzburg, Dresden, Germany
Profil PH23007 [10 CDs: 660]
The august Staatskapelle Dresden celebrates its landmark 475th anniversary this 2023/24 season. This 10 CD box collection commemorates that and loosely traces the development of its recordings. It also marks another significant anniversary: 100 years since the Staatskapelle produced its first recording using the Palast Hotel-Weber, Dresden, as its studio in 1923. These recordings form part of the ‘Edition Staatskapelle Dresden’, a series created in cooperation with Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR Kultur and MDR Klassik) the German Broadcasting Archive and Saxon State and University Library. The selections mainly originate from live concerts made for radio broadcast that were either known or discovered in broadcaster vaults and historical archives.
Now one of the world’s greatest orchestras, the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden is also one of the first to be founded. It was established in September 1548 by Prince Elector Moritz von Sachsen as the Hofkapelle, or court orchestra, to play for sacred liturgy in church and court activities. It is also the orchestra of the Sächsische Staatsoper (Saxon State Opera), performing opera and ballet. I have for a decade now, enjoyed attending and reporting from opera, ballet and concert performances in the Staatskapelle’s Semperoper home and occasionally in the Frauenkirche.
Among the principal conductors – known as Hofkapellmeisters – appointed throughout its long history were a number notable as composers in their own right, most famously Heinrich Schütz, Johann Adolf Hasse, Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner. Since recordings began, all the principal conductors or general music directors bar one are represented in this set: Fritz Busch, Karl Böhm, Karl Elmendorff, Joseph Keilberth, Rudolf Kempe, Franz Konwitschny, Otmar Suitner, Kurt Sanderling, Martin Turnovský, Herbert Blomstedt, Hans Vonk, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Bernard Haitink, Fabio Luisi and Christian Thielemann, principal conductor since the 2012/13 season, who will leave the role in 2024 when Daniele Gatti will take over. The only one missing is Lovro von Matačić (1956-58).
After Vonk, Hiroshi Wakasugi served as a ‘permanent conductor’ and was elected as the next music director, but that decision was annulled at the time of German reunification. Wakasugi did make recordings with Staatskapelle, but none are contained here. Other Staatskapelle recordings here are conducted by regular guest conductor Richard Strauss, honorary conductor Sir Colin Davis and first principal guest conductor Myung-Whun Chung.
The first CD is a mixed bag containing nine works by six composers. As mentioned in the booklet notes, in the recording process ‘Stroh’ violins placed the weaker, wider, more dispersed sound of regular violins; it is a self-amplified instrument whereby the sound is directed from its large funnel into the horn of the recording phonograph. There were also versions of the ‘Stroh’ for other stringed instruments such as viola and cello. The recordings were produced by Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft, using the label name Kapelle der Staatsoper. The general music director at that time was Fritz Busch, a native of Siegen, Germany, who served 1922-33 until he was hounded out by the Nazis.
Today, we take for granted the ease of production and quality of live recordings for issue on CD and increasingly via download streaming. In 1923, Busch conducted the Staatskapelle in Richard Strauss’s Minuet in G major from the orchestral suite Der Bürger als Edelmann (Le bourgeois gentilhomme). This very short work, taking two and a half minutes, is the Staatskapelle’s first gramophone recording made in the later years of the acoustic era when a mechanical phonograph horn was used. Players of the pared-down Staatskapelle would have gathered closely around the horn and the sound is understandably problematic: the shrieky violins sound like piccolos and flutes, and background noise and distortion intrude.
The advent of electrical recordings in 1925 brought some improvement in the reduced level of background noise and in 1926, Busch recorded Verdi’s overture La forza del destino in the Hotel-Weber; it is still rather muddy. In 1932, he recorded a dramatic performance of the overture to Wagner’s Tannhäuser, albeit in poor sound. That recording was used in the soundtrack to the cinema documentary film part of the series Das Weltkonzert by Comedia-Tonfilm GmbH.
In 1936, the touring Staatskapelle Dresden was recorded live in concert by the BBC at the Queen’s Hall, London, where Richard Strauss conducted his own tone poem Don Quixote. Strauss had a 60-year association with the Staatskapelle, conducting them many times. Reich broadcasting obtained the London recording, and it was broadcast throughout Germany. The BBC recording was produced ‘using a radio disc cutter on 19 heated wax discs’ resulting in sound quality acceptable for its age.
Next, comes Karl Böhm, the Staatskapelle GMD 1934-43, conducting the Holzschuhtanz (Clog Dance) from Albert Lortzing’s comic opera Zar and Zimmermann (Tsar and Carpenter). Recorded in 1935, this work formed part of the first set of recordings made in the Electrola studio, Berlin. The same year, Böhm conducted Brahms’ short Hungarian Dance No. 5 as part of a second set of Electrola recordings from the Semperoper. It’s an exciting performance, but the sound quality is no more than adequate.
The next recording date jumps to 1942; by this time Reich Broadcasting had started using magnetic tape and the improvement is marked, allowing me to focus more on the music rather than the problematic sound of the recording. This type of magnetic tape recording changed the face of broadcasting transmissions and functional stereo recorders became available. Under Böhm, the overture to Bizet’s Carmen was recorded in 1942 in the Semperoper, ‘one of the first radio recordings on magnetic tape’. It is an improved account, although the drums sound much heavier than those usually encountered.
Renowned Wagner conductor Karl Elmendorff was the Staatskapelle GMD 1943-44 and made a 1944 magnetic tape recording of the overture to Auber’s opera Fra Diavolo in the Semperoper during its wartime closure. It’s an impressive performance, the sound acceptable for its age. That year, he also conducted Wagner’s Feuerzauber (Magic Fire Music) from Die Walküre. Once again, he conductssplendidly but the sound blares uncomfortably in the forte passages. A projected recording of a complete Die Walküre was never completed.
Compared to the recordings from the acoustic era those on magnetic tape from 1942 using the AEG Magnetophon were a significant improvement, making a considerable impact on broadcasting transmissions. Although the sound of the early recordings has been enhanced with digital mastering, to me they remain primarily of curiosity value.
In February 1945 Allied bombing raids almost completely destroyed the city of Dresden with many thousands killed. The Semperoper, the usual home of the Staatskapelle, like most Dresden theatres, was in ruins. Other venues suitable for use as concert and recording venues were sought out.
A personal favourite conductor, particularly in core Austro-German repertoire, is Joseph Keilberth, who became Staatskapelle principal conductor and GMD 1945-50. Included on CD 2 are three of his recordings from 1948: the overture from Fidelio and the Prelude from Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, both recorded in the Großer Haus, a theatre known as the Schauspielhaus that had survived the bombing of Dresden virtually undamaged. In addition, Richard Strauss’ Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome was recorded in the Steinsaal of the German Hygiene Museum. Each work was recorded by the Dresden station of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR).
The era around the late 1950s and 60s is when I became comfortable with the recorded sound. Next are five works conducted by Rudolf Kempe, Staatskapellmeister and GMD 1949-53, and a native of Dresden. All these accounts benefit from the improvement in recording technology. The Prelude from Wagner’s Lohengrin is a 1949 radio recording from the Steinsaal of the Hygiene Museum, and Wagner’s Prelude and Isolde’s Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde is from a live concert in 1956 in the Großes Haus, given to celebrate the 750-year anniversary of the city of Dresden. In 1950, Kempe conducted two separate radio recordings by the Dresden station from the Steinsaal, Hygiene Museum. First, the short Introduction to Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier and secondly the Transformation from Daphne using Richard Strauss’ own orchestra-only arrangement for the concert hall. Jumping forward over 20 years, the final track on CD 2 is Kempe’s 1972 account of Josef Strauss’ waltz Sphärenklänge (Music of the Spheres) splendidly recorded in the Lukaskirche, Dresden for Eterna, the former East German state-owned label. Still underrated, Kempe was a conductor of real note, one of the great exponents of the standard Austro-German repertoire. For example he conducted with the Staatskapelle an outstanding studio set of Richard Strauss’ Complete Orchestral Works recorded in 1970-76 in the Lukaskirche which is both on EMI and in the reissued 9 CD set from 2019 on Warner Classics.
Franz Konwitschny was principal conductor 1953-55 and Otmar Suitner was GMD 1960-64; both had noticeably short tenures. Konwitschny in 1958 conducts an engaging performance of Richard Strauss’ Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks recorded in the Hygiene Museum by Eterna. Suitner is a conductor that I much admire and on this set he is represented by three works. The first from 1961 is an engaging performance of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 the ‘Great G minor Symphony‘ recorded live by Rundfunk der DDR in the Dresden station at Hygiene Museum. Next, is the overture to Die Entführung aus dem Serail, a 1960 Dresden Radio recording used as part of the programme ‘Opera Gala’ a 1972 broadcast by Rundfunk der DDR. In 1962 Suitner conducts four excerpts from the Smetana opera Die verkaufte Braut (The Bartered Bride), Eterna radio recordings from the Lukaskirche, beginning with the overture, the Act 2 Opening Chorus and Furiant, and from Act 3 the Dance of the Comedians. Located in the centre of Dresden the Lukaskirche began to be used increasingly by the Staatskapelle and gained renown as a recording studio.
On CD 4, the Staatskapelle is well recorded by two of its principal conductors Kurt Sanderling, 1964-67 and Martin Turnovsky, 1966-68, a native of Prague. For Eterna in 1960, Sanderling successfully performs the Tchaikovsky fantasy overture Romeo and Juliet, Borodin’s In the Steppes of Central Asia and the Symphony No. 2 all in the Hygiene Museum. In 1968, Martin Turnovský is represented by two radio accounts of Janacek’s Moravian dances and Dvorak’s Festival March, standard performances both recorded in the Großes Haus by the Deutschlandsender network.
With CD 5, this set moves into the era of commercially, digitally recorded audio and by around 1982 CDs were becoming available. Two first-class live concert recordings by the Rundfunk der DDR at Dresden Station are conducted by Herbert Blomstedt who served as Staatskapelle principal conductor 1975-85; these were recorded in the newly built Kulturpalast, which had opened in 1969. A renowned Brucknerian, in January 1981 Blomstedt conducted the Symphony No. 4 ‘Romantic‘ and later that year a well-known studio recording of the Bruckner ‘Romantic‘ recorded in September 1981 in the Lukaskirche on Denon and Eterna. For inclusion on this set, Blomstedt chose the live Kulturpalast recording from January 1981 by Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv. Johann Gottlieb Naumann was a native of Blasewitz, Dresden and worked for the Dresden court; included here is Blomstedt conducting of his Te Deum Laudamus for choir and orchestra in a live concert broadcast from 1980 in the Kulturpalast. The partnership of Blomstedt with the Staatskapelle and the Staatsopernchor makes a strong case for the score.
Dutch conductor Hans Vonk, 1985-90, is represented by recordings of five short pieces by Carlo Maria von Weber, composer and court music director at Dresden1817-26. The selections are overtures and a couple of choral scenes from his operas Oberon, Euryanthe and Preciosa with the Jubel Concert Overture. Vonk’s recording in 1986 was a live concert broadcast made by the Rundfunk der DDR in the Semperoper that had reopened the previous year after its destruction by bombing in 1945. These are uplifting and well recorded, and the Staatsopernchor sings gloriously.
Italian maestro Giuseppe Sinopoli, 1992-2001, was renowned for his unstinting energy in supporting young musicians and his legacy includes Die Giuseppe-Sinopoli-Akademie (The Giuseppe Sinopoli Academy). Sinopoli died while in the post well before his time, aged only 55. Contained here is a bold and noble account of Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, a live 1994 radio broadcast by MDR Kultur from the Semperoper.
CD7 is one of the finest discs in this set, containing two works under principal conductor Bernard Haitink, 2002-04, both live radio broadcast recordings from the Semperoper in 2004 by MDR Kultur: Béla Bartók’s six-movement Dance Suite, a nervy and highly rhythmic work, bucolic and mysterious by turns and Strauss’ celebrated tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra. This is stunning playing from Staatskapelle under Haitink in an account notable for its thrilling opening and thunderous climaxes.
Principal conductor Fabio Luisi, 2007-10, in 2009 conducts Richard Strauss’ Eine Alpensinfonie, a colossal work requiring an augmented orchestra. The Staatskapelle premiered a number of Richard Strauss’ works but not this one, even though Strauss dedicated the score to the orchestra. Clearly relishing Luisi’s direct approach, the Staatskapelle is in admirable form, taking the listener on an inspiring adventure.
Haitink, who conducted many Staatskapelle performances both as principal conductor and also as a guest, is also represented here in addition to CD 7. From 1999, is Schumann’s Manfred Overture, which I consider to be a reliable, rather standard account.
Conductor laureate Sir Colin Davis and principal guest conductor Myung-Whun Chung (the first to hold that title) both conducted the Staatskapelle on numerous occasions. This CD contains a pair of works recorded live in the Semperoper for MDR Kultur. South Korean maestro Chung’s 2004 recording of three symphonic episodes Lever du jour, Pantomime and Danse générale from Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé, undoubtedly assisted by the skill of the sound engineers, is a most atmospheric account in glorious, crystal clear sound whereby each orchestra section and solo instrument can be easily heard.
Sir Colin Davis first conducted the Staatskapelle in 1981 and made a number of recordings. As part of the ‘Edition Staatskapelle Dresden’ series, is a ‘Special Edition’ 6 CD box set devoted to his recordings. He is represented here by his 1998 recording of Sir Edward Elgar’s Symphony No. 1. He conducts a performance of real stature of this demanding work, displaying sensitivity, passion and a sense of nobility.
Comprising of all-Wagner works, CD10 was recorded live at three separate concerts all conducted by Christian Thielemann. First are top-drawer accounts of the overtures to the operas Der fliegende Holländer and Rienzi, recorded in May 2013 and taken from the Wagner-Geburtstagskonzert (Wagner Birthday Concert) in the Semperoper, marking the bicentenary of Wagner’s birth and recorded by MDR Kultur. I was in the audience and reported from this compelling all-Wagner bicentennial concert that also contained additional opera overtures and great tenor opera scenes, sung by celebrated Bavarian tenor Jonas Kaufmann (review).
In October 2021 Thielemann conducted the Winterstürme-Konzert (Winter Storms Concert) in the Festspielhaus, Salzburg and here are live recordings of four notable excerpts from Wagner’s Götterdämmerung by ORF Radio Ö1. The Salzburg Easter Festival 2021 was held back until October due to the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic. It was then described as the Osterfest im Herbst (Easter Festival in Autumn); Thielemann and his players give outstanding performances. Dramatic soprano Anja Kampe is soloist in Brünnhilde’s celebrated Immolation Scene, giving a convincingly dramatic and impassioned performance.
The final recordings on CD 10 are a pair of excerpts from Wagner’s rarely performed Das Liebesmahl der Apostel (The Holy Supper of the Apostles). Wagner set his own text for this ‘biblical scene’ for bass soloists, multiple male choirs and large orchestra. Its premiere was given in 1843 in the original Frauenkirche, Dresden, employing around 100 musicians and a choir of some 1200. Although their forces are not as large as those used in the 1843 premiere, Thielemann and the Staatskapelle are accompanied by twelve bass soloists as the apostles and seven separate male choirs in total some 200 strong, engaged from Dresden, Brno, Prague and Leipzig. The Liebesmahl takes almost thirty minutes to perform and for this anniversary collection two excerpts have been chosen: the Stimmen aus der Höhe (Voices from on High) and Die Apostel (The Apostles).
Included in this box set is a 168-page booklet with German/English bilingual text with essays which are both a valuable source of information and an interesting read. No texts for the sung works are provided.
Not surprisingly this collection essentially comprises of core Austro-German orchestral works from the Romantic era. There are also some French, Russian, Italian, English and Czech works, a small number of works with chorus and a single sung opera scene. Although the many volumes of the ‘Edition Staatskapelle Dresden’ series contain numerous concertos, none has been chosen for inclusion in this collection. Schubert and Mahler are the composers most obviously absent and Johann Gottlieb Naumann is surely the least-known. With such poor sound quality, the earliest few examples interest me only for the emerging recording processes used. The remastering process throughout the series has been undertaken by Holger Siedler in his THS-Studio, Dormagen. This fascinating collection contains many first-class performances and I’m sure Staatskapelle Dresden admirers and collectors of historical orchestral recordings will relish it.
Michael Cookson
Buying this recording via a link below generates revenue for MWI, which helps the site remain free.
Contents
CD 1 [80]
Richard Strauss
1. Minuet in G major from Der Bürger als Edelmann-Suite (Le bourgeois gentilhomme), op. 60b
Staatskapelle Dresden / Fritz Busch
Recorded June 1923 by Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft, at Palast Hotel-Weber, Postplatz, Dresden
First gramophone recording by the Staatskapelle Dresden
Giuseppe Verdi
2. La Forza del Destino, Overture
Staatskapelle Dresden / Fritz Busch
Recorded 1926 Palast Hotel-Weber, Postplatz, Dresden
Richard Wagner
3. Tannhäuser, Overture
Staatskapelle Dresden / Fritz Busch
Recorded c. 1932 Semperoper, Dresden
Richard Strauss
4-17. Don Quixote, op. 35
Staatskapelle Dresden / Richard Strauss
Recorded live, 1936 BBC concert, Queen’s Hall, London
Albert Lortzing
18. Holzschuhtanz (Clog Dance) from Zar and Zimmermann
Staatskapelle Dresden / Karl Böhm
Recorded 1935 Electrola studio, Berlin
Johannes Brahms
19. Hungarian Dance No. 5
Staatskapelle Dresden / Karl Böhm
Recorded Electrola, Semperoper, Dresden 1935
Georges Bizet
20. Carmen Overture
Staatskapelle Dresden / Karl Böhm
Recorded Semperoper, Dresden 1942
Daniel-Francois-Esprit Auber
21. Fra Diavolo Overture
Staatskapelle Dresden / Karl Elmendorff
Recorded Semperoper, Dresden 1944
Richard Wagner
22. Feuerzauber (Magic Fire Scene) from Die Walküre
Staatskapelle Dresden / Karl Elmendorff
Recorded Semperoper, Dresden 1944
CD 2 [71]
Ludwig van Beethoven
1. Fidelio Overture op. 72 (recorded 1948)
Staatskapelle Dresden / Joseph Keilberth
Recorded live by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, 22nd September 1948 Dresden station.
Festive inauguration, at the reopened Großes Haus, Staatsschauspiel, Dresden
Richard Wagner
2. Prelude from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Staatskapelle Dresden / Joseph Keilberth
Recorded live by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, 24th September 1948 Dresden station.
Gala concert to mark 400th anniversary of the Staatskapelle Dresden during the
celebrations for the inauguration of the reopened Großes Haus, Staatsschauspiel, Dresden
Richard Strauss
3. Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome
Staatskapelle Dresden / Joseph Keilberth
Recorded by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, 22 December 1949, Dresden station in the
Steinsaal, German Hygiene Museum, Dresden
Richard Wagner
4. Prelude from Lohengrin
Staatskapelle Dresden / Rudolf Kempe
Recorded by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, 20th May 1948 Dresden station in the
Steinsaal, German Hygiene Museum, Dresden
5. Prelude and Isolde’s Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde
Staatskapelle Dresden / Rudolf Kempe
Recorded Live by Rundfunk der DDR, June 28th 1956 in Großes Haus, Staatsschauspiel, Dresden to celebrate 750 years of the City of Dresden
Richard Strauss
6. Introduction to Der Rosenkavalier (short orchestral excerpt from the opera) [3:19]
Staatskapelle Dresden / Rudolf Kempe
Radio recording by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, 23rd December 1950 at the Dresden station in the Steinsaal, German Hygiene Museum, Dresden
7. Daphne’s Transformation from Daphne
Richard Strauss’ arrangement for the concert hall.
Staatskapelle Dresden / Rudolf Kempe
Radio recording by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, 7th December 1950, Dresden station in the
Steinsaal, German Hygiene Museum, Dresden
Josef Strauss
8. Sphärenklänge (Music of the Spheres), Waltz, op. 235
Staatskapelle Dresden / Rudolf Kempe
Recording for Eterna label, December 1972/January 1973, Lukaskirche, Dresden
CD 3 [61]
Richard Strauss
1.Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, op. 28
(in Rondo form for full orchestra)
Staatskapelle Dresden / Franz Konwitschny
Recording for Eterna, 7th August 1958 in the Steinsaal, German Hygiene Museum, Dresden
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
2-5. Symphony No. 40, K550
Staatskapelle Dresden / Otmar Suitner
Recorded Live 21st September 1961 by Rundfunk der DDR, Dresden station,
in the Conference Hall, German Hygiene Museum, Dresden
6. Overture, Die Entführung aus dem Serail KV 384
Staatskapelle Dresden / Otmar Suitner
Recorded excerpt from the programme ‘Opera Gala’ (broadcast by Radio DDR
on 21stMay 1972) from a Dresden Radio recording of 1960
Source Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv DRA
Bedrich Smetana
7. Overture, The Bartered Bride
8. Opening Chorus, act 2, The Bartered Bride
9. Furiant, act 2, The Bartered Bride
10. Dance of the Comedians, act 3, The Bartered Bride
Staatsopernchor Dresden,
Staatskapelle Dresden / Otmar Suitner
Radio recordings for Eterna, May 1962 in the Lukaskirche, Dresden.
CD 4 [71]
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
1. Fantasy overture Romeo & Juliet
Recording for Eterna, November 1960 Steinsaal, German Hygiene Museum, Dresden
Alexander Borodin
2. In the Steppes of Central Asia (excerpts)
3-6. Symphony No. 2
Staatskapelle Dresden / Kurt Sanderling
Recording for Eterna, November 1960 Conference Hall, German Hygiene Museum, Dresden
Leos Janacek
7-11. Moravian dances
Antonin Dvorak
12. Festival March, op. 54
Staatskapelle Dresden / Martin Turnovský
Radio recording by Deutschlandsender network, 13th February 1968 Großes Haus, Staatsschauspiel, Dresden. Source: Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv DRA
CD 5 [79]
Anton Bruckner
1-4. Symphony No. 4 ‘Romantic’ WAB 104
(1880 (aka 1878/80) – ed. Robert Haas, 1936)
Recording: Live capture of concert broadcast 29th January 1981 by Rundfunk der DDR, Dresden station in Kulturpalast, Dresden. Source: Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv DRA
Johann Gottlieb Naumann
5. Te Deum, for choir & orchestra
Staatsopernchor Dresden,
Staatskapelle Dresden / Herbert Blomstedt
Recording: Live capture of concert broadcast 18th December 1980 by Rundfunk der DDR, Dresden station in Kulturpalast, Dresden. Source: Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv DRA
CD 6 [73]
Carlo Maria von Weber
1. Overture from opera Oberon
2. Introduction & Chorus ‘Dem’ Frieden Heil’ from opera Euryanthe
3. Overture from songspiel Preciosa
4. Choral scene from opera Preziosa: ‘Die Sonn Erwacht’ and ‘Es blinken so lustig die Sterne’
5. Jubel Overture, op. 59 (Written for the golden jubilee of King Friedrich August I of Saxony on 20th September 1818)
Staatsopernchor Dresden
Staatskapelle Dresden / Hans Vonk
Recording: Live capture of concert broadcast by Rundfunk der DDR, 20th November 1986 in Semperoper, Dresden. Source: Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv DRA
Johannes Brahms
6-9. Symphony No. 2, op. 73
Staatskapelle Dresden / Giuseppe Sinopoli
Recording: Live capture of a radio broadcast by MDR Kultur 11th April 1994 in the Semperoper, Dresden. Source: Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv DRA
CD 7 [56]
Bela Bartok
1. Dance Suite, Sz.77 (1923)
Recording: Live capture of a radio broadcast by MDR Kultur, 25th August 2004 in the Semperoper, Dresden
Richard Strauss
2. Also sprach Zarathustra, op. 30
Staatskapelle Dresden / Bernard Haitink
Recording: Live capture of a radio broadcast by MDR Kultur, 28th October 2004 in the Semperoper, Dresden
CD 8 [61]
Robert Schumann
1. Manfred Overture, op. 115
Staatskapelle Dresden / Bernard Haitink
Recording: Live capture of a radio broadcast by MDR Kultur, 22nd September 1999 in the Semperoper, Dresden
Richard Strauss
2. Alpensymphonie, op. 64
Staatskapelle Dresden / Fabio Luisi
Recording: Live capture of a radio broadcast by MDR Kultur, 1st September 2009 in the Semperoper, Dresden
CD 9 [69]
Maurice Ravel
Symphonic fragments from Daphnis and Chloé:
1. Lever du jour – Pantomime – Danse générale
Staatskapelle Dresden / Myung-Whun Chung
Flute solo: Sabine Kettel
Recording: Live capture of a radio broadcast by MDR Kultur, 28th November 2004 in the Semperoper, Dresden
Sir Edward Elgar
2-5. Symphony No. 1 in A flat major, op. 55
Staatskapelle Dresden / Sir Colin Davis
Recording: MDR Kultur, 12th January 1998 in the Semperoper, Dresden
CD 10 [77]
Richard Wagner
1. Overture: Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman), WWV 63
2. Overture: Rienzi, WWV 49
‘Wagner Birthday Concert’ to mark the bicentenary of Wagner’s birth.
Recording: Live capture of a concert by MDR Kultur, 21st May 2013 in the Semperoper, Dresden
‘Winterstürme-Konzert’ Concert of excerpts from music drama Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods), WWV 86d
3. Dawn
4. Siegfried’s Rhine journey
5. Siegfried’s Funeral march
6. Starke Scheite schichtet mir dort (Pile high the logs), Brünnhilde’s Immolation Scene
Anja Kampe, soprano (Brünnhilde)
Salzburg Easter Festival 2021
Recording: Live recording of a concert by ORF Radio Ö1, 31st October 2021 in the Grosses Festspielhaus, Salzburg
Das Liebesmahl der Apostel (The Holy Supper of the Apostles)
A biblical scene for male voices and large orchestra, WWV 69 (1843)
Two excerpts:
7. Stimmen aus der Höhe (Voices from on high), (sung from the dome of the Frauenkirche). Mässig langsam – Andante moderato
8. The Apostles: Finale – Allegro (sung from the body of the Frauenkirche)
The 12 Apostles (basses):
Sebastian Gantert, Christian Grygas, Andreas Heinze, Insoo Hwoang, Niccolo Paudler, Oliver Pitt, Bryan Rothfuss, Martin Saul, Philipp Schreyer, Martin Schubert, Holger Steinert, Johannes Wollrab,
7 Male Choruses:
Chorus of the Dresden State Opera
Czech Philharmonic Chorus
Symphony Chorus of Dresden
Czech National Chorus of Prague
MDR Radio Choir Leipzig
Philharmonic Chorus of Dresden
Dresden Chamber Choir
‘Wagner Birthday Concert’ to mark the bicentenary of Wagner’s birth.
Recording: Live capture of concert by MDR Kultur, 21st May 2013 at Frauenkirche, Dresden
Staatskapelle Dresden / Christian Thielemann
