Customer Reviews

Orchestral Music (Bruno Walter: The Edition)

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The first statement does not have to surprise anyone since Walter's name only is already a guarantee of precission and heart. The second really surprised me. Good stereo image, clearly identifiable instruments, and a particularly powerful and accurate brass section gives this album a full five stars in sound quality. Needless to say that Wagner is far to be the easiest composer to conduct and play, but the CBS Orchestra had, at that time -late fifties- an excellent lineup of professional players, besides an extraordinary conductor. And that was clearly stamped on this CD.

Sony has recently released these Wagner recordings and put them together with the complete recordings Walter made of Mahler and Bruckner! It's a bit pricey but an indispensable box set for every collector.

If you just want these Wagner recordings though, grab them as soon as you see them if you ever in life...as they are discontinued. It is some of the best Wagner I have ever heard, especially the Parsifal prelude...transendental.

Bruno Walter is one of those rare individuals from "Head-Quarters" as someone wise once told me, meaning his line of descent could be traced back to the great composers themselves. Other examples of individuals from "Head-Quarters" are Otto Klemperer, Arthur Schnabel, Wilhelm Kempf, Yehudi Menuhin, Fritz Kreisler...etc.

These are very special recordings to love and to cherish for a lifetime.

When I ordered this 2 CD set, I figured I'd listen to the Dr. Walter rehearsing the orchestra once but enjoy the complete selections many times. To my surprise I've listened to the rehearsals many many times and enjoyed them each time. It is wonderful to hear the gentleness of the maestro as he coaxes an exact expression for this lyric music. Simply beautiful.

Although Walter's performance/rehearsal of Siegfried Idyll is excellent, I would say the primary feature of this recording is the outstanding performances of the Meistersinger, Flying Dutchman, and Parsifal overtures. I have never heard any other interpretations that measured up to Walter's. Gorgeously and powerfully played, with an unusually strong sense of the overall structure and meaning of the works. Whatever you have to pay for this album, it's worth it for these three works alone!

These recordings of Wagner have long been among my favoraite -- unfortunately the set listed here at Amazon seems to have gone out of print. The good news is that these recordings are available as part of a larger set of Bruno Walter CBS recordings listed as Famous Mahler & Bruckner Symphonies. The Mahler/Bruckner set has 13 disks (I think), with the Wagner spread across disks. The set appears to be available here at Amazon used for $45, which is a great price for some wonderful recordings. It would be nice if the Wagner recordings were available on their own however, in that they really are some of the best out there -- the rehearsal of the Siegfried Idyll is an added gem of a great conductor at work.

GO OXY! Pretty sweet chorus on that last track, eh?