Wagner
Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (Testament)
Greater than the “Recording of the Century” [LD]
Rosa Ponselle: Songs and Arias (Naxos Great Singers)
(Déjà Review) We must be grateful for the opportunity to hear this great soprano [ABo]
Wagner: Parsifal (Marston)
The Holy Grail available complete at last: The 1938 Met Parsifal [PH]
Wagner: Lohengrin (Unitel)
Fully cooked singing in a half-baked production [ST]
The Eule Organ: Magdalen College, Oxford (Convivium Records)
Magdalen’s Eule organ: a monument to musical continuity and change [JF]
Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (Naxos)
Vocally flawed and dramatically inert; you can do much better with either a vintage recording or the recent Decca issue [RMo]
Wagner: Siegfried (Opus Arte)
This Siegfried definitely had me hooked from beginning to end [GF]
Ben Heppner sings Scenes from Wagner’s Ring (Deutsche Grammophon)
(Déjà Review) This is a coup for Mr. Heppner, a disc deserving of any number of awards [KS]
Wagner: Tannhäuser (Warner Classics)
A swings-and-roundabouts recording of the Dresden version of Tannhäuser – stick with Konwitschny and Solti [RMo]
Wagner: Götterdämmerung (Testament)
Keilberth ends Götterdammerung splendidly but that’s not enough – the world does not sound as though it is collapsing [DH]
Great Singers in Moscow: 1901-1913 (Nimbus Prima Voce)
A remarkably listenable and comprehensive survey, showcasing the extraordinary depth of vocal talent available in Moscow in the first decade of the 20C [RMo]
Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (Decca)
A fine Dutchman whose focus is firmly centred upon Lise Davidsen’s radiant Senta [RMo]
Lovro von Matačić (conductor) (Supraphon)
A tribute to a great and versatile conductor containing some superb and some less successful performances [RMo]
Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (Decca)
A tour de force from the leading dramatic soprano of the modern age [PH]
Etsuko Hirose: The Complete Denon Recordings (Danacord)
These remarkable discs have been hard to track down so it is wonderful to have them collected together and to hear Etsuko Hirose’s dazzling pianism [RCh]
Jascha Horenstein (conductor): Horenstein in Venezuela Vol 1 (Pristine Audio)
A specialist but intriguing release showing a great conductor working, as it were, off the beaten track [JQ]
Teatro La Fenice Opera Collection Vol 1 (Dynamic)
A mixed bag of operatic performances from La Fenice contains some unexpected riches, but the choice of repertoire is unusual [PCG]
Thomas Jensen (conductor): Legacy Vol 23 (Danacord)
An interesting and eclectic collection showcasing Thomas Jensen’s manifest conductorial gifts [RMo]
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]
