Siegfried (Goodall Ring Cycle/Chandos Opera in English) [Box set, Original recording remastered]

Derek Hammond-Stroud (Performer, Composer), Norman Bailey (Performer, Conductor), Richard [Classical] Wagner (Composer, Orchestra), Reginald Goodall (Conductor), Sadler's Wells Opera Orchestra (Orchestra), Maurine London (Performer), Rita Hunter (Performer), Alberto Remedios (Performer), Gregory Dempsey (Performer), English National Opera (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Derek Hammond-Stroud, Norman Bailey, Maurine London, Rita Hunter, Alberto Remedios, et al.
• Orchestra: Richard [Classical] Wagner, Sadler's Wells Opera Orchestra
• Conductor: Norman Bailey, Reginald Goodall
• Composer: Derek Hammond-Stroud, Richard [Classical] Wagner
• Audio CD (February 27, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set, Original recording remastered
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Chandos
• ASIN: B000056KNC
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #231,920 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 1. Prelude

2. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 1. Scene 1. Wearisome labour!

3. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 1. Scene 1. Hoiho! Hoiho!

4. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 1. Scene 1. Well, there are the pieces

5. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 1. Scene 1. A whimpering babe

See all 13 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 1. Scene 3. Accursed light!

2. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 1. Scene 3. Hey there! You idler!

3. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 1. Scene 3. Have you not felt within the woods

4. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 1. Scene 3. Give me these pieces

5. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 1. Scene 3. Notung! Notung! Sword of my need!

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 2. Scene 2. Could I but know (Forest Murmurs)

2. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 2. Scene 2. See my mother - (Forest Murmurs)

3. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 2. Scene 2. Ha ha! At last with my call

4. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 2. Scene 2. Who are you, youthful hero

5. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 2. Scene 2. The dead can tell no tidings

See all 13 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 3. Scene 2. My woodbird fluttered away

2. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 3. Scene 2. Young man, hear me

3. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 3. Scene 2. Child, if you knew who I am

4. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 3. Scene 2. With his spear in splinters

5. Siegfried, opera, WWV 86c: Act 3. Scene 3. Here in the sunlight

See all 10 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

From International Record Review - subscribe now

This set is a triumph, even more than Chandos's recording of The Valkyrie (reviewed on page 121 of the November issue). Its most immediately appealing aspect, and one which I am inclined to feel has, even now, not been celebrated enough, is the singing and interpretation of Alberto Remedios in the title role. While he was active on the English stage he was regarded as a delightful presence, an attractive, musical singer, but nothing very special. Listening to his Siegfried again after about a decade, I was led to wonder how such damning with faint praise could have been possible. He doesn't exactly have a heroic tenor voice, but almost no one since Melchior has; Remedios is certainly as powerful as Windgassen, the most celebrated post-war heroic tenor, and he needed, at any rate when this recording was made, and for several years afterwards, to husband it much less than Windgassen, even in his prime. There is no sense that he is holding back during the immensely leisurely Forging Song; indeed, he sails over the orchestra with swaggering ease, and is almost never drowned anywhere in the work. If his voice doesn't suggest the sheer physical power that goes with Siegfried's heroic achievements, that is a small price to pay for the intense lyric quality, the poetic depth and the spontaneous charm which he brings to the part. If more Siegfrieds sang the role like this it might get a less hostile, more intelligent press. He is genuinely eager to find out about his parents from Mime, and his impatience with the dwarf's evasiveness seems reasonable, granted that he has had to put up with him, and therefore with it, for so many years. His exuberance is that of a frustrated adolescent, and when he finds that he can reforge his father's sword, the determination to channel his energies into something he finds worth doing is most attractive, as well as moving. Throughout the whole long act Remedios sings with scrupulous accuracy, makes the most of Andrew Porter's superb translation, and pulls out all the stops for a thrilling climax as the sword is finally forged. If one still has his interpretation of Siegmund in one's head, the contrast between the shared ecstasy at the end of Act 1 of The Valkyrie and the lonely joy of Siegfried, with the malevolent counterpoint of Mime, adds a further dimension of feeling. Gregory Dempsey is a ‘Mime who manages to whine' musically, quite without the fatiguing effect of Stolze and his ilk, and a character whose extreme unpleasantness doesn't mean that he is an ordeal for the listener. He conveys, too, what torment life is for this pitiful but loathsome creature. And, most striking of all, during the long passage in Act 2 when he tries to get Siegfried to drink the poisonous potion he has brewed for him, he varies his tone without lapsing into parody and keeps things moving along, so that what is potentially the least interesting section of the Ring is here riveting. His brother Alberich is perhaps the weak link in the cast: Derek Hammond-Stroud is exemplary in enunciation, has the right interpretative instincts, but a voice which is too small and too meagre in tone to convey the grandeur and menace of The Ring's agonized anti-hero. Alberich, after all, wins the argument with the Wanderer, but Norman Bailey's sonorous, enormously imposing singing of that grateful part leaves Alberich sounding nothing more than a peevish wimp. Bailey doesn't rely merely on the richness of his voice, though: he makes the most of the genial irony of his role, and in the climactic scene with Erda (intensely sung by Anne Collins) rises to great heights of pathos and visionary splendour. It's easy for Brünnhilde to make an effect after what, in this reading, is a full four hours of male-dominated music. Rita Hunter is just as concerned to work her way through Brünnhilde's pain at the prospect of becoming a mere woman as to greet the sun, light and day, and is also careful not to upstage Remedios, who briefly shows signs of tiring at the beginning of their scene, before getting his nth wind, and co-operating fully in sweeping things to their exultant conclusion. All these artists collaborate to the greater glory of the work, and in this drama in particular they are guided by the almost infallible hand of Goodall, who misses no trick. Only the great Prelude to Act 3 lacks something in elemental surge. Otherwise the score is treated with an understanding and love which makes it come more continuously alive than perhaps I have ever heard it. Even for people who, understandably, shrink from the thought of The Ring on disc in English, this is a quite special set, far too exciting and full of fresh perceptions to remain unpurchased. Michael Tanner

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than you might think...., March 17, 2002

By 

John Link (Blakeslee, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Siegfried (Goodall Ring Cycle/Chandos Opera in English) (Audio CD)

I had to think more than twice before purchasing this recording, especially since it isnt at a budget price, but I dont regret having done so. Wagner's original German language opera sung in English might seem more like a novelty recording (or a horrifying experience to hardcore Wagner fans) than a serious approach to the music, but surprisingly it works (for the most part). For the listener who doesn't speak and understand German this is a great way to understand Wagner's opera, as the connection between text and drama is made clearer--though I sometimes wish the singers diction and pronunciation were a bit clearer--but hey, its still opera and a complete English only libretto is included (along with a scene by scene summary of the drama, a summary of the preceding two operas, and an essay and photos of this particular project). Overall the orchestra and conducting is up to par and the sound is clear, balanced, and spacious, the only annoying thing being the audience clapping after the end of each act--its a live 1975 recording. While this is no substitute for the original in German, think of it as a great resource ... to understanding Wagner's opera cycle for listeners without the time or inclination to learn German.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely better than you think, the best of Goodal's Ring!, May 2, 2005

By 

D. J. Edwards "donaldjedwards" (Cheshire, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Siegfried (Goodall Ring Cycle/Chandos Opera in English) (Audio CD)

As good as his die Walkure is, Goodall's Siegfried is even better. For me this is the most difficult opera of the entire Ring and Goodall pulls it off with honors indeed. Remedios is a wonder! Wish we had had him in the Met Ring Cycles of the past decade. Hunter again is a wonder with beauty and strength of tone. Once more I enjoy Bailey. I found That Alan Blyth in Gramophone 5/01 and I seem to appreciate him. It would seem that Goodall gives this opera all the wonderful performance it needs. Not an easy show to pull off. This recording absolutely belongs in any Wagnerian's collection. Had I been at this live performance, I definitely would not have fallen asleep and would have regretted its coming to its inevitable end. And the orchestra rises to the occasion splendidly. From Siegfried's climb to Brunhilde's rock until the end of the duet, the orchestral playing is rich, very moving bordering on the monumental just because it is live and thus more of a risk than a studio recording. Hunter is nothing short of stunning. The duet alone makes the recording a must have. Too bad artists are not fully appreciated until we no longer have them around to enjoy. Thank God this is on CD to be enjoyed at the listener's command.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Siegfried in English, April 14, 2010

By 

T. Thompson (Philadelphia PA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Siegfried (Goodall Ring Cycle/Chandos Opera in English) (Audio CD)

The Reginald Goodall SIEGFRIED in an English translation by Andrew Porter is surely one of the finest of all Wagner recordings. It originated in live performances after much preparation and coaching at ENO. Porter's translation is a revelation, clarifying and in most cases, beautifying the archaic German that the composer adopted in writing his epic. The production was recorded during live performances and it crackles with dramatic electricity. Singing is constantly engaged and passionate, and especially in the case of the set's Wotan, Norman Bailey, it sometimes reaches greatness. What is consistently great is the majestic conducting of Goodall. Never has the prologue to the opera so atmospherically evoked the dark forests in which Siegfried lives. The opera is played in huge arcs of sound that move slower than seems possible but still retain tension and drive. The encounter between Wotan and Erda with its stormy prelude is breathtaking in its majesty and in the sheer golden brown buzz of Bailey's voice. No other recording of the opera has so persuasively argued that SIEGFRIED, the least popular opera of the Ring, is indeed a great dramatic work of art and music. A truly superb achievement