Customer Reviews

Wagner: Opera Arias & Duets

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This CD contains a collection of Wagner recordings made in 1958 by Birgit Nilsson, to many of us the greatest Wagnerian soprano of the twentieth century, at the prime of her steely and inimitable voice. Leopold Ludwig conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra, and Hans Hotter joins in two scenes from Der Fliegende Holländer and Die Walküre.

The first items on the disc are all worth hearing: a splendid and exuberant rendition of Elizabeth's Greeting from Tannhaüser (Dich, teure Halle...), Senta's Ballad and the colossal love-duet from Dutchman (Wie aus der Ferne), and Elsa's Dream from Lohengrin (Einsam in trüben Tagen). They show off Nilsson's versatile and accurate voice to excellent effect.

The ultimate gem of the piece, however, once available (along with the Dutchman scenes) on a Seraphim LP, but hitherto unavailable on CD, is the recording of Act III, Scene 3 of Die Walküre. It's only a single scene, but it makes one wish that Ludwig had recorded a whole Walküre or a whole Ring.

The final scene of Die Walküre is, of course, a powerful and affecting one both dramatically and musically, if you are at all responsive to the Ring, and even a passable recording is capable of packing a real punch. But this one is justly regarded by many aficianados as the single finest Wagner recording ever made by anyone, anywhere. And while I haven't kept up on all the recent releases of the Ring, I would have to say that so far I have not heard a better, nor could I intuit how anyone could improve upon it. Both Hotter and Nilsson (who joined forces on the legendary London Ring under Georg Solti) are here in slightly better voice, apparently better temper, and (meaning no disrespect for Sir Georg) working with a conductor capable of greater subtlety and emotional range -- on a par with Knappertsbusch at his best. Each of the scene's cascade of moods -- from apprehension to outrage, regret to the transcendent reconciliation and the quietly reflective finish, all are perfectly nuanced. The recording quality is not up to today's best, but the technology for good stereo sound was in place by 1958, and the disc has been digitally remastered to recover the best it has to offer.

I first heard this recording in 1971, the day after I graduated from high school, and almost thirty years later it remains the favorite recording in my collection, bar none. That it is now available in a clean CD version is extremely gratifying.

This is the Birgit Nilsson equivalent of Joan Sutherland's "The Art of Prima Donna". It is one of Birgit Nilsson's best recording ever!! Here are the reasons I say that this is one of Birgit Nilsson's best ever:

1. This recording was produced by Walter Legge. This one sentence is enough reason. Walter Legge was legendary as a perfectionist. He spent hours trying to get his singers to sing characterfully. Karajan, who worked with Legge used to get fed up with Legge's perfectionistic ways. Legge's influence is apparent here. Many people have criticized Birgit Nilsson for her shortcomings in characterization. Well, this recording shows otherwise. Here, Birgit Nilsson is in freshest voice and (apparently prodded on by Walter Legge), her singing here is more characterful than usual. As an example, this is her best "Abscheulischer!" aria (Fidelio) on record. There are a few recordings of this aria - 2 with Decca, 1 with Gala (Bernstein) and 1 with Koch Schwann (Erich Kleiber). But this is the best!! In some of her recordings with Decca, she is a bit careless in the singing. But here everything is sung with extreme care. Birgit Nilsson is truly one of the greatest Leonores. By the way, this is also her first recording.

2. Decca likes to balance their singers backwards, thus in the Decca sets, her voice loses a bit of impact. In these recordings, Nilsson is balanced forward so that the full impact and glory of her voice is more truthfully captured. It also makes the recording more thrilling.

3. This is the young Birgit Nilsson. She is eager to do her best. Her voice is at its freshest. All notes are attacked with breathtaking cleanness - every note is hit right-on, dead center - no under-the-note attack.

4. The stereo sound is superb. With all the technological improvements, the sound here still beats recent digital recordings hands down. It goes to show that it is not enough that technology improves. The most important thing is that people must UNDERSTAND how to do recordings. And Walter Legge was legendary in this respect - witness his Fidelio, Zauberflote, Don Giovanni, Cosi Fan Tutte, Le Nozze di Figaro.

5. Hans Hotter captured in his prime in this recording before his vocal decline.

And if you like these recordings, you must get Nilsson's Elektra with Solti (Decca), her Die Frau Ohne Schatten with Bohm (DG), her Salome with Solti (Decca), her Isolde with Bohm (DG), her Brunnhilde with both Solti (Decca) and Bohm (Philips), her Venus and Elisabeth with Gerdes (DG).

I have always loved Nilsson, and when I saw her in performance, I have to say, I was more than stunned! Her voice literally has your own head vibrating with the power of the flood of sound. It is a super loud voice, but not only loud, it is one of those voices that literally fill the space no matter how quietly she sings. Would that we had more voices like this today, voices that thrilled the soul because they filled the theatre.

For me, and this is just me, Nilsson is WAGNER. I have heard her sing Puccini (turandot), and Aida (which is better presented by more Italianate singers). The German wing of the world of opera is well served by Nilsson.

The first thing that struck me about this recording was that it was closer (though none of her recordings come that close) in capturing the real grandeur of her singing, and her sound. Recordings seem to capture a "stuck in the throat" sort of sound at times that simply is never heard in performance. Each selection is masterly sung, and I have to say, masterly conducted as well. Wagner is orchestra as well as singing, and a badly conceived orchestral presentation only ruins him, no matter how great the singing. This orchestra is brought to its very best, and the magic of the music is there in full. The lyrical nature of Wagner is very present as well. That is a good thing, as often he is conducted as if he is nothing more than a sea of sound, and the real lyrical beauty of his music is lost. Sometimes even the singers "bark" rather than sing his phrases and we are left wondering why he is considered music at all.

Well, in this recording there is none of that. It is highly lyrical, and very well balanced. Some may think Nilsson is recorded too close, but actually, I am not sure that is the case, for when she performed live the orchestra often became quite subdued in comparison to her voice.

Now, I have to say, Nilsson is not the only revelation when listening to this disk, her partner in the various scenes she sings is simply unbelievable. Now that is the best bass singing I have ever heard. The interpretations are riviting, and the quality of the voice is truly grand, touching, and moving.

This is well worth the money. I would buy it anytime if I were a lover of fine music and fine artistry.

Hi everybody!!

This is a stunning set of Wagner pieces. You must get it!!! I very very highly recommend it because Birgit Nilsson and Hans Hotter are incredible - just pure incredible!!! Talk about power! This is nuclear power. And beautiful nuclear power too!!

This is a superb achievement by Birgit Nilsson, Hans Hotter and Walter Legge. The Philharmonia plays gorgeously and my goodness, listen to Birgit Nilsson sing!! Absolutely nobody today can sing like Nilsson!! You don't know what you are missing out if you haven't listened to this.

Besides this, you should get the Solo CD by Birgit Nilsson- another superb achievement.

This is, in my opinion, the finest SINGLE DISC compilation one can ask for. The selections here are not cut from opera's that we all have on our shelves but were recorded specifically. So that means we have Nilsson and Hotter in their primes(especially HOTTER who sounds fresher and and as in control of his voice as i have ever heard...which is saying a lot!). The highlight is suredly the Walkure Act III scene III, done in its completion and turns out to be one of the finest I have ever heard. I cant say enough how great Hotter sounds and how Nilsson turns in the most satisfying act III scene III's I have ever heard. It makes me all the more sad that so many judge Hotter on his Solti Wotan when he was too far gone(though still pretty amazing). This, and Krauss and the Keilberth and KNA56 are how he should be judged.
This is a wondeful intro to Wagner. You get Senta's Ballad, Elsa's dream, and the entire Act III scene III from Walkure, in addition to other Hotter specialties.
For Wagner enthusiasts-this is an absolute must. Ludwig and the Philharmonia are wonderful counterparts to their stars, especially in the Walkure.
BRAVO TO ALL WHO ORCHESTRATED THIS RELEASE!!!!

This is an exemplary recording, both in terms of the superior performance and the high quality of the recording itself. Nilsson and Hotter deliver masterful performances here. Highest recommendation.