Wagner: Götterdämmerung (Recorded Live at the 1942 Bayreuth Festival)

Wagner (Composer), Karl Elmendorff (Conductor), Bayreuth Festival (Orchestra), Dalberg, Fuchs, Svanholm Koch (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Dalberg, Fuchs, Svanholm Koch
• Orchestra: Bayreuth Festival
• Conductor: Karl Elmendorff
• Composer: Wagner
• Audio CD (January 1, 2006)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 4
• Label: Music & Arts Program
• ASIN: B00004SCE8
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #530,389 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Gotterdammerung: Gotterdammerung: Vorspiel

2. Gotterdammerung: Die Erste Norn: Welch Licht Leuchtet Dort?

3. Gotterdammerung: Die Zweite Norn: Treu Berath'ner Vertrage Runen Schnitt Wotan

4. Gotterdammerung: Die Dritte Norn: Es Ragt Die Burg Von Riesen Gebaut

5. Gotterdammerung: Die Erste Norn: Die Nacht Weicht

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Gotterdammerung: Siegfried: Deinem Bruder Bot Ich Mich Zum Mann

2. Gotterdammerung: Siegfried: Blut - Bruderschaft Schwore Ein Eid!

3. Gotterdammerung: Siegfried: Frisch Auf Die Fahrt!

4. Gotterdammerung: Hagen: Hier Sitz'ich Zur Wacht

5. Gotterdammerung: Dritte Scene: Brunnhilde: Altgewohtes Gerausch Raunt Meinmem Ohr Die Ferne

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Gotterdammerung: Zweite Scene: Siegfried: Hoih! Hagen!

2. Gotterdammerung: Siegfried: Euch Beiden Meld'ich, Wie Ich Brunnhild' Band

3. Gotterdammerung: Siegfried: Durch Des Feuers Verloschende Lohe

4. Gotterdammerung: Dritte Scene: Hagen: Hoiho! Hoi Hohoho!

5. Gotterdammerung: Vierte Scene: Heil Dir, Gunther!

See all 20 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Gotterdammerung: Siegfried: Ein Albe Fuhrte Mich Irr, Dass Ich Die Fahrte Verlor

2. Gotterdammerung: Siegfried: Was Leid' Ich Doch Das Karge Lob?

3. Gotterdammerung: Die Rheintochter: Siegfried! Siegfried! Siegfried!

4. Gotterdammerung: Siegfried: Mein Schwert Zerschwang Einen Speer

5. Gotterdammerung: Zweite Scene: Mannen: Hoiho!? Hoiho?

See all 19 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An historic Gotterdammerung, June 22, 2001

By 

Erik Aleksander Moe "riddion" (Oslo, Norway) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wagner: Götterdämmerung (Recorded Live at the 1942 Bayreuth Festival) (Audio CD)

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Review written June 22, 2001
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This Gotterdammerung performance is some of the best I've heard. Set Svanholm as our hero is extremely good. He is heroic sounding and is never strained in the entire performance. Both of the male villains (Egmont Koch and Friedrich Dalberg) are also extremely good. Dalberg's Hagen isn't as terrifying and deep and Ivar Andresen or Emanuel List, but he is still glorious.

Martha Fuchs's tone isn't ideal for Brunnhilde, but her understanding of the text makes her as good as any of the best. She has a hard time with these high notes, but the lower notes are sung perfectly. Camilla Kallab as Waltraute and the 1st Norn is a little unsteady, but is also extremely good in Waltraute's long monologue in Act 1.

The chorous is good. But it is the conducting by Karl Elmendorff that really makes this a definitive recommendation. His pacing, balance of the orchestra and singers are something you don't hear from lesser conductors. Other conductors of lesser quality, like Solti, tend to bombard us with orchestral sounds that overshadows the solists. This is not the case with conductors of Elmendorff's calibre (e.g. Toscanini, Furtwangler, Walter, Knappertsbusch).

As for the sound. For a broadcast from 1942, is the sound extremely good. It does not have any noticable noises. The Music and Arts people have removed the noices that normally puts one off on recordings of this age. I have found out that the sound recorded from Bayreuth performances are almost always excellent. Even the Tristan und Isolde (also under Elmendorff) from 1928 issued by Preiser has a sound that is remarkable.

This one is highly recommended for anyone interested in an historic Wagner recording.

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Added December 19, 2004
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It is worth mentioning that this is probably the only recording where the original horns made to Wagner's specifications are used in the calling of the vassals. They have the most wonderfully exciting sound. The horns were unfortunately destroyed at the end of WW2.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wagner in 1942, August 12, 2000

By 

Felipe (Patagonia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wagner: Götterdämmerung (Recorded Live at the 1942 Bayreuth Festival) (Audio CD)

It's difficult to hear this interpretation without feel and think on those tragic days of 1942. The music is powerful. The surroungings sounds dramatic. This interpretation is part of our history!