Customer Reviews

The Best Of Wagner

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This unassuming budget classic reissue is among the finest of its genre: The Wagner orchestral highlight album, and features the contents of 1973 LP recital the farthest thing from run-of-the-mill, spaciously recorded with the palpable feeling of the presence of the musicians, not merely an amorphously gorgeous orchestral sonority. The music unfolds without self-indulgent pointing, in a free-wheeling manner that is simply right.

The original Ormandy program is supplemented with a track by Robert Shaw doing a luscious rendering of the famous Bridal Chorus from <Lohengrin> with his divine women's chorus, a version as good or better than any ever anthologized or appearing in complete opera recordings, its 1959 atmospherically recorded sound barely showing its age.

My only caveat is that this stuff really merited more respectful packaging than this ersatz "Best of" series, but at the price, who should complain?

I did a test by listening to Szell, Klemperer, Karajan, Kubelik, Bohm, Jochum, Gerdes, Ozawa, Stokowski, and Ormandy play Wagner overtures and excerpts from "The Ring". My verdict: it's Ormandy. What can I say? I feel as is he's underrated, especially in the annals of Wagner worship. I like Stokowski's energy, but he plays around with scores (horrors!) too much. The Szell was great, but a tad limp. Other conductors have their high points, but Ormandy ranks consistently at the top. His conducting is full and rich and the orchestra always sounds great. I ranked the Szell orchestral music from Wagner at 5 stars, so Ormandy rates 6 stars.

The selections performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Ormandy are excellent. One of the best. Highly Recommended.

Richard Wagner rightly deserves his high reputation as a classical musician. Like many people, I don't care for Wagner's racial or religious views, but don't let that stop you from enjoying his music. The CD starts off with my favorites the Prelude from Die Meistersinger & Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walkure, followed by a fascinating rendition of the Bridal Chorus (a.k.a. "Here Comes the Bride") from Lohengrin. I won't recite the rest of the list, but there are 4 other compositions, all somewhat varied in style, but very good. Whether you are classical music buff or simply want an introduction to classical music this CD is a good place to start.

Of course, Richard Wagner is by far one of the greatest classical artists that ever existed. On this CD you get all of his great songs except for The Flying Dutchman. You get the greatest piece ever composed "Ride Of The Valkyries" and you get the great Funeral March Of The God's (Gotterdammerung)! This is a great CD and should be a great purchase for the classical music fan.

My husband and I did not know very much about Wagner, and this CD is a great introduction to his music. It certainly brings us in the mood to buy more of his CD's.

Great Wagner works including the flight of the Valkyries ("I love the smell of napalm in the morning"). These classics stir up a lot of emotion.

Wagner was a great composer. His music and use of orchestra are grand and masterful. I am repulsed by his political views, but as an artist he was a genius. This compilation of Wagner is probably the best there is. I listen to it from time to time. The breadth of the orchestral palette, the elevation, and grandeur have been imitated but never duplicated.

I don't usually listen to classical music all that much. I do occasionally however.

I have to say that Wagner definately was a genius as fas as music is concerned. Listen to the Ride of the Valkryies and you hear music at it's best.

For any classical music lover or even just someone like me who sometimes listens buy this CD.

I cannot write the review as we have not yet received the CD. I ordered it to be delivered to my father at his apartment and he tells me he has not received it. I have paid for it and would like to know how to track where it ended up. Please notify me.......bunrich44@yahoo,com