Customer Reviews

Wagner: Die Meistersinger (Excerpts), Gotterdammerung (Excerpts)

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This is an absolutely wonderful disk from BBC broadcasts that Stokowski conducted in 1967/68 when he was in his mid 80s . Stokowski was a master of orchestral color and drama and was in peak form in all of his many Wagner recordings. Although these are live performances, the sound quality is excellent and there is little if any noise to distinguish them from fine studio performances. The CD presents standard selections from Meiitersinger and Gotterdammerung, with the highlight of thre disk being a supremely dramatic immolation scene with Swedish soprano Berit Lindholm -- the last five minutes of the Ring Cycle combine incredible beauty and power. The disk rounds out with a rousing performance of the the overture to Rienzi. This is a great disk that is no way diminished by its being recorded nearly 40 years ago before live audiences.

Leoplold Stokowski was one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century. And, although he was great in a wide range of repertoire, he had a special genius for the music of Wagner. In fact, he was quite possibly the greatest Wagner conductor of the recorded era. The music contained on this CD is among the finest music Wagner wrote. You may not be an opera lover, but if you like gorgeous music from the Romantic period you will almost certainly like the mostly-orchestral excerpts presented on this CD. This is great music, conducted by a true genius. Please don't pass it up.

This is Wagner with Stokowski - one of the giants among conductors. Masterful playing - and with the Swedish dramatic soprano Berit Lindholm in an excellent final scene from Götterdämmerung. Stokowski liked Ms Lindholm so much that he toured with her all over the world, Lindholm singing the same music as on this disc. This was in the beginning of Lindholm's successful international career. Perhaps it can be of interest to know that a quite new record with Ms Lindholm has been published by Bluebell records and is available on Amazon. There is also a complete Ring with her as Brünnhilde, live in Stockholm 1975, Rudolf Kempe conducting. This was recorded when Lindholm was at the absolute top of her career. (Das Rheingold is missing).