Wagner R
Wagner: Tannhäuser (Warner Classics)
After 64 years this recording remains a major contender despite a couple of flaws in the casting [MP]
Maria – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Warner Classics)
Callas’ voice restored for a film score; if you love her voice, maybe this is one for you [KT]
The Berliner Philharmoniker and Seiji Ozawa (Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings)
A great orchestra pays its tribute to a much loved conductor [PH]
Otmar Suitner (conductor): Live in Leningrad 1963 (Profil)
I cannot make a convincing case for this double set of live recordings conducted by Otmar Suitner [MC]
Wagner: Götterdämmerung (Pristine Audio)
All Wagnerians should consider this 1956 live Bayreuth Götterdämmerung [SB]
Willem Mengelberg (conductor) The Concertgebouw Telefunken Recordings Vol. 4 (Pristine Audio)
Further excellent performances and transfers in this ongoing series [PSt]
Wagner: The Wagner Project (CAvi-Music)
Once again, I find myself questioning the validity and purpose of such arrangements [RMo]
Wagner: Das Rheingold (Deutsche Grammophon)
A stunning new high resolution transfer of this classic recording [MP]
Michael Spyres (tenor): In The Shadows (Erato)
An interesting and enterprising recital but a question mark over the suitability of the voice for some of the material [PT]
Wagner: Parsifal (Deutsche Grammophon)
The best new Parsifal recording since Kubelik [SSc]
Mischa Elman (violin)The complete Victor recordings (1926-32) (Biddulph)
Elman’s glittering morceau (and some others) in splendid transfers [JW]
Wagner: Siegfried (Pristine Audio)
This third instalment of the Knappertsbusch Ring will not disappoint enthusiasts [SB]
Sommernachtskonzert Schönbrunn 2024 (Sony Classical)
An excellent souvenir [RWe]
Roberto Alagna (tenor): Roberto Alagna 60 (Aparté)
A vital and compelling celebration of Roberto Alagna’s 60th birthday [GF]
Günther Groissböck (bass) I live alone in my heaven (Gramola)
A profile of the singer Günther Groissböck – no revelations, but there’s always the voice [ST]
Wagner: Die Walküre (Pristine Audio)
This second instalment of Knappertsbusch’s 1956 Ring is very acceptable [SB]
Wagner: Siegfried (Profil)
Superlative singing whose impact is somewhat compromised by the disappointingly cavernous mono sound [RMo]
Christine Brewer (soprano) Great Operatic Arias (Chandos)
(Déjà Review) Chandos’s faith in Brewer has been justified, completely and utterly [CC]
Wagner: Das Rheingold (Pristine Audio)
This is a rewarding set, and fans of the singers, in particular, will be pleased [SB]
Wagner: Parsifal (Opus Arte)
(Déjà Review) If you come to terms with some controversial aspects, you could be watching one of the finest all-round operatic performances you will ever see [JL]
Olga Samaroff & Frank La Forge (piano): The Complete Recordings (APR)
Highly enjoyable playing by two pioneers of American pianism [RCh]
Wagner: The Complete Experience and its Meaning to Us (De la Porte Publishing)
Now a truly complete guide to Wagner’s operas, in a fine new edition [RWe]
Ernst Viebig (conductor) 1933: Les chefs proscrits (Forgotten Records)
A lesser light in German conducting flourishes in light overtures and waltzes in Weimar Berlin [JW]
Thomas Quasthoff (bass- baritone) Evening Star (Deutsche Grammophon)
A cunningly devised programme ideally showcasing Quasthoff’s vocal versatility and dramatic gifts [RMo]
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