Siegfried Wagner: Der Friedensengel / Head (1975) [Import]

Siegfried Wagner (Composer), Leslie Head (Conductor), Pro Opera Orchestra (Orchestra), Martin Isepp (Performer), Siegfried Koehler (Performer), Tajiro Iimori (Performer), Hanne-Lore Kuhse (Performer), Christopher Adams (Performer), David Bacon (Performer), Franklyn Whiteley (Performer), Raffaele Polani (Performer), Raimund Herincx (Performer), Valerie Hill (Performer), Valerie Morgan (Performer), Vivienne Bellos (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Martin Isepp, Siegfried Koehler, Tajiro Iimori, Hanne-Lore Kuhse, Christopher Adams, et al.
• Orchestra: Pro Opera Orchestra
• Conductor: Leslie Head
• Composer: Siegfried Wagner
• Audio CD (September 27, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Import
• Label: Living Stage
• ASIN: B000B0WOJE
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #585,365 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 1. Prelude

2. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 1. Heil dir, du gute Freundin

3. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 1. Hast du Wilfried geseh'n?

4. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 1. Nein! Mutter! Sprich es nicht aus!

5. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 1. Mama Kathrin! Wir kommen!

6. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 1. Ihr kommt g'rad recht! Ich hätt' Euch was zu fragen

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 2. O quam tritis et afflicta

2. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 2. Genug des Büßens! Der Zerknirschung!

3. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 2. In amando Christum Deum!

4. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 2. Betet nur in herber Pein! Ihr törichten Nonnen!

5. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 2. Friede! Freiheit! O beseligtes Atmen!

6. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 2. Wenn's den Bauern heut' nicht recht ist!

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 3. Introduction

2. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 3. Fahr' fort! Verschweige nichts!

3. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 3. Den Knecht jetzt zu erneutem Verhör!

4. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 3. Sie hat Recht! In der Beichte gestand sie die Wahrheit!

5. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 3. Noch heute Nacht werde der Sünder ausgescharrt!

6. Der Friedensengel, opera, Op. 10: Act 3. Ach Mutter! Wie kannst du es hindern?

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars musically rich..fascinating curio, May 1, 2011

By 

Eugene Schiller (Honolulu, Hi United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Siegfried Wagner: Der Friedensengel / Head (1975) (Audio CD)

The opera provides a superb vehicle for Hanne-Lore Kuhse, one of the great singers of her day, and can be recommended on that point alone. But, what of Siegfried Wagner's music? His debt to Humperdinck is apparent in all his operas, as is the occasional nod to Meyerbeer (e.g. the oath-taking in "Der Schmied von Marienburg" might recall for some the "benediction of the swords" from "Les Huguenots" in dramatic intent, if not musical substance.) He shows a complete mastery of his father's technique, in terms of orchestral sound and motivic transformation (particularly in the remarkable preludes and overtures.) He lacks not his father's talent, but his intensity. While his oeuvre boasts no such dramatic icons as Brunnhilde or Isolde, Siegfried nonetheless crafts scenes of extraordinary power and sensitivity for his heroines - (notably, Friedelind in "Der Schmied von Marienburg" and Mita in "Der Friedensengel"), though here, as elsewhere in Siegfried's music, it's a gentle passion which generally resolves itself in a soft, preternatural glow (see also, the finales of act 2("Bruder Lustig") and acts 1 & 3 of "Sonnenflammen." I'd go so far as to say, the two scenes for Mita and Friedelind, both approximately 20 minutes in length, offer the lead soprano (paging Renee Fleming, or Helen Donath!) music of more beauty and complexity than any comparable pages in "Meistersinger" or "Parsifal" - and less strenuous and more heartfelt than most Strauss, post-Ariadne. (I'll make an exception for the final scene from "Capriccio")
This recording of "Der Friedensengel" (from 1975) is a historic document - the first performance of an opera by Siegfried Wagner in over 30 years; also included is a recital of Siegfried's songs, superlatively done by Ms. Kuhse - best of all, the delightful "Ballad of Johnny Cake."
Other operas by Siegfried Wagner, recommended if you can find them: "Der Kobold" (London - Hanne-Lore Kuhse; Monica Sinclair); "Herzog Wildfang" (Munich-Anton De Ridder)- both available from private sources; from Marco Polo recordings - "Der Schmied von Marienburg" and "Bruder Lustig;"
also, an excellent orchestral disc from Dmitri Kitajenko and the Frankfurt Symphony, featuring selections from "Sonnenflammen," "Bruder Lustig" and the symphonic poem "Gluck."