Customer Reviews

Wagner: Tannhäuser ~ Domingo, Studer, Baltsa, Salminen, A. Schmidt; Sinopoli

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Tannhäuser has been recorded surprisingly rarely: I believe the only studio recordings are Solti's from 1971, and this Sinopoli from 1988. Neither recording is ideal, but I believe this recordings virtues are slightly greater than those of the Solti.

First and foremost is Plácido Domingo, whose silvery, ringing voice is ideal for the title role. His German is eccentric, but he is forgiven for the excellence of his voice. He is far superior to Kollo for Solti. Cheryl Studer sings a beautiful, well-characterized Elisabeth, but is not always ideally steady and is no match for the radiant Helga Dernesch (Solti). Agnes Baltsa characterizes well, but similarly does not have an ideal voice and is inferior to Christa Ludwig. Andreas Schmidt, though, is a beautiful, velvety Wolfram, singing beautifully in his Act III solo. Matti Salminen sings well but is rather uneven. The rest of the cast is excellent, and the Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden contributes inspired choral work. Sinopoli directs the Philharmonia Orchestra warmly and lyrically; his interpretation is more flexible than Solti's sometimes stiff, cold account. Sinopoli takes the Overture rather more slowly than usual, which is a little strange at first, but gradually gets better. Sinopoli also controls the transitions excellently. Superb liner notes and a libretto are included. The digital sound is fabulously clear and rich. In the end, the virtues of this recording outweigh the drawbacks. This is as fine a recording as the work has yet received.

This is probably the best recording of Tannhauser that is out there, of which there are a fair number. First the positives. Domingo's voice is excellent for the title role with very smooth and with clear annuciation (impressive, considering it is not one of his main languages). He also inparts his professional sense of passion to all of his music, Italian or German. He also does not "overdo" his singing of the role as some do (specifically Kollo's in Solti's recording). Sinopoli's direction of the Philharmonia Orchestra is very good. I actually enjoy the Overture at a slower pace, such that it is not rushed as in some recordings (i.e. Levine with the MET on DVD). He also makes sure that the orchestra does not overwhelm the singers at any point. The Philharmonia is always technically excellent as well. Andreas Schmidt is also wonderful as Wolfram. Now for the negatives. Neither of the female leads (Studer or Baltsa) are as impressive as the male characters. The other complaint that I would have is that the Chorus of the Royal Opera House as they are technically okay, but don't seem to have much passion for the music. I can't recall a Pilgrim's chorus that was tame as this one. However, all in all, this recording is probably the best that is out there because of the orchestra and male leads.

This 80's studio recording of Wagner's Tannhauser is not largely considered "Wagnerian" because all the talents behind it are not German, but it is a beautifully rendered opera and very moving. It stars Placido Domingo as Tannhauser, Cheryl Studer as Elisabeth, Agnes Baltsa as Venus, Matti Salminen as Hermann, Andreas Schmidt as Wolfram Von Eschenbach and Barbara Bonney as a Young "hirt". Italian conductor Giuseppe Sinopoli conducts. Other than the principal singers, the rest are German singers. Sinopoli conducts with great texture and subtleties. Dramatic climaxes are all in their respective place and most importantly of all, the music never drowns out the singers but, like bel canto, accompanies them well. Placido Domingo sings with passion, elegance and wonderful dramatic abilities. He has portrayed Tannhauser on stage and he fits the character well. The poet-musician who has lived with Venus, renouncing his Christian faith and love- Elisabeth- only to realize the folly of his ways is a wonderful vehicle for Domingo. Domingo is a versatile singer and one whose voice is glorious, simply beautiful and energetic. Sure, let the critics have their field days about how he can't sing Wagner. I say he can and best of all he is not "bitten" by the Bayreuth bark and is a welcome change from all the Wolfang Windgassens, Jon Vickers, Rene Kollos and James Kings on studio recordings. Mezzo soprano Agnes Baltsa as Venus is sensual, mellow and calculating. She sings with great beauty and never sounds edgy or erratic. She is wonderful and proves her own versatility as she has sung a number of roles from Dona Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni, La Cenerentola from Rossini's opera to Verdi's wicked heroine Eboli in Don Carlo and Queen Elisabeth in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda among many other roles. Matti Salminen's voice is noble and grand and Wagner goes well on him. It is a gorgeous voice, with a healing quality to it. I've seen Matti on stage and he has a regal presence. The only weak link in this cast is, unfortunately, Cheryl Studer as Elisabeth. There is no sense of true Wagnerian musicality here. Even Domingo has that. Studer sings the role with no real emotion or warmth, and sounds as if she were singing Marguerite in Faust or Donizetti's Lucia. She has a beautiful voice but it's not suited to Wagner. It's an experiment from her part to sing the role of Elisabeth. Also, she takes the "sweet and dull girlfriend" approach to the part. I like to think that Elisabeth had some spine. Yes, she represents the Christian woman, but she should be seen as a fighter, she is fighting to save Tannhauser's soul. She is a warrior of God, an angel with the weapon of love. But very few sopranos sing her as a fighter. Normally, Elisabeth is mellow, sweet and lackluster next to the more fiery and passionate Venus. But Elisabeth ought to have some passion too. I have enjoyed Studer in other roles but she does not impress as Elisabeth. But not even this is a drawback. This is a fine recording with great moments of beauty and drama.

Tannhäuser is one my favourite operas, and it is sad to say that it is probably the least and worst recorded of all Wagner operas. This was my first recording of Tannhäuser, and though far from perfect, I think it surpasses some famous and valued ones (especially Solti's).

The main problem is the scarce Wagner sound here. We could say it is an "international" recording: apart from Schmidt, the rest of the main roles are sung by Spanish, American, Greek and Finnish singers, the conductor is Italian, orchestra and chorus are British. There is no real Wagner sound here. None of the singers is a true Wagnerian, the conductor either. Hence, the "flavour" is anything but wagnerian.

Once this is said, Domingo tries his best with the title role. His German is bad, but he's a great artist and stands as the second best Tannhäuser (behind Windgassen). Studer has a very grateful voice and she's a consumate actress. Baltsa is a great singer as well, the best Venus after Ludwig, really sensual and provocative. Schmidt sings in the line created by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (his teacher), and lacks a bit of spirit. Salminen is just acceptable. Sinopoli makes a very good reading of the score, tempi are slightly slower than usual and the result is seductive. But, as said above, his big mistake (or incapacity) is to keep away from the German tradition: that makes the recording to lose a good deal of interest.

The only recording than is clearly above this one is Sawallisch's Bayreuth rendition, with Windgassen, Silja, Bumbry, Greindl and Wächter. The whole cast (apart from Bumbry) is German, conductor, chorus and orchestra are German as well. There is real and genuine Wagner perfum here: the score sounds "wagnerian". Apart from that, the cast sings marvellously, conductor, chorus and orchestra are superb. Add the typical Bayreuth sound and you'll get an excellent recording.

One last word: avoid Solti's Tannhäuser. The only great value is Ludwig's Venus; the rest of the cast is mediocre: Kollo is simply inadequate, he lacks volume, expression, voice, etc; Dernesch is a yelling Elizabeth; Braun a very very poor Wolfram; Sotin a forgettable Landgrave. Solti made a great Wagner recording, the Ring, but he could never reach the same with any other Wagner opera recording. His interpretation is falsely dramatic, he didn't know the true wagnerian world and the opera sounds strange, as if composed by anyone else.

For a recording over ten years old, the small number of reviews here is surpising. I think Domingo and Studer make this a superb recording, singing with full, sonorous voices without a hint of strain. Their voices ring. Domingo triumphs in acts one and three and Studer owns Act two. The sound is rich and full and Sinopoli brings passion and drama a plenty to the recording. I fail to see how this is an "awful recordng". But we listeners all come with our own expectations. The recording certainly deserves to be heard and it is the only recording of Tannhauser tha I own and plan to own. I hope more people will at at least hear the recording and review it. I think that this recording in particular makes more lamentable Sinopoli's recent death. Balsta definitely falls short of Ludwig's peformance. Schmidt sings well doing justice to his song in act three and the chorus is top notch. Gramophone, Opera Now, Penguin Guide, Opera News, Stereo Review (in the olf format) gave the recording good to raving reviews. That many peole can't be totally wrong. Give the recording its due.

The great tenor Jon Vickers once said that he would never play the role of Tannhauser since the character was so despicable. He believed that his deep religious faith would not allow him to play this role, even though he would only be singing and acting. Wagner's music is so beautiful, it hardly befits such a character, yet when we look at issues such as sin and grace, goodness and evil, how often are we reminded that evil is often disguised as beauty. Perhaps this is one reason why this opera is so intriguing.

Tannhauser is a story of sin and redemption that combines the world of myth and Christianity-a popular theme in the works of Wagner. In this opera, Tannhauser visits the goddess Venus and enjoys her allurements of the flesh. He then returns home where he is greeted by the pure and chaste Elizabeth. Just as Venus embodies all that is corrupt, Elizabeth embodies all that is good. Elizabeth is loved by two men, the good Wolfram and the evil Tannhauser. Wolfram is worthy of a woman such as Elizabeth, and certainly she deserves to be loved by such a good and descent person. However, the one she loves is Tannhauser. At a singing contest in the great hall, Wolfram sings a genuine song and Tannhauser tells of his visit to Venus, which shocks the audience. He is told of his version of love is blasphemy and such a grave sin can only be forgiven by the Pope. Tannhauser will only know if he has been forgiven if the staff of the Pope grows leaves. He then joins a pilgrimage to Rome. Elizabeth stays behind and prays so hard that she dies. Her death coincides with the moment that Tannhauser realizes that he is forgiven.

The Sinopoli recording with Domingo in the starring role was my first Tannhauser recording, and it is this recording that made me fall in love with the opera. Though Domingo is primarily known for his renditions of the Italian repertoire, when he does venture into other areas such as French and German opera, he often does an outstanding job due to his musical gifts. Though I enjoy the Solti recording with Rene Kollo, Domingo is a very convincing Tannhauser. Gueseppi Sinopli does a good job conducting, and Sinopli's handling of the score in on par with many of his other great recordings,
but the remainder of the cast does not have the abilities of the Solti recording. Certainly Domingo fans will want this recording in their collection, and those who are new to Wagner and familiar with Domingo's masterful interpretations will feel safe stepping into this territory with such a familiar and beloved voice.

I belong to the reviewers who like this work. I don't think that it is the worst of wagnerian recordings at all!!It's exaggerated.

Perhaps many radical wagnerians can think that Domingo isn't the more adequated voice for the title role because he isn't a true heldentenor, but just think who other would have sang without shrill or with more force in his generation?. For example in Solti's recording Rene Kollo hasn't neither the volume nor the enough force to face the difficulties of the role!

Maestro Sinopoli conducts beautifully a great orchestra complemented by the good singing job from Studer(at her prime), Schmidt(the closer voice to Fischer-Dieskau style)and Baltsa.

Just listen to enjoy, forget the wrong advices!

This is an Italinate opera, early for Wagner, who at this time was in the young German revolution of the arts movement, which did not stop him from admiring Bellini's Norma and other things bel canto,,all shining bright in this opera and in this recording. Cheryl Studer is excellent here, unlike the bad things that she sang later. Palcido Domingo out does all others in this role, especially the hard -to- listen-to Rene Kollo in the Solti recording for Decca. The balance of the cast is superb.. Baltsa is electrifying as Venus, withj her feverish high notes, and weird shifts from voice to voice.

Sinopoli's conducting catches all of the old world beauties and the newer Tristan investitures in the score(revised later by W in Paris, long after the initial premeiere). This is not "out of tune" nor the worst of anything. That reviewer has a bad CD player and should buy a new one.

Buy this and see why so many prefer Domingo in Wagner over the shouting of German tenors that have plagued the Wagner repertoire for ages. Vickers is the one exception.

No complaints. My first thought on hearing the overture was, "why so slow?" But it picks up steam and turns into a very convincing performance. Then right in to the fabulous first scene (this is the Paris Version of "Tannhauser"). Domingo sounds great here, the orchestra and all else are top notch. Fine sound too. A winner in a not-too-crowded field.

This is a first rate recording of Tannhauser. Arguably Wagner's most lush and easily accessible opera, this recording features excellent singing, notably by Placido Domingo, excellent orchestral work, and excellent chorus work. Gorgeous music, fine performances, and an uplifting treatment of the recurrent Wagnerian theme of salvation through selfless love. What more can you ask?