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Surprisingly, none of Furtwängler’s legendary “Ring”-performances fromBayreuth (or from other places in Germany) could be conserved. Only a few recordings from his triumphs of this monumental piece in Londonand two recordings from Italy have been preserved: In 1950 as a liverecording from the Scala in Milan and 1953 as a radio production inRome. The “Ring” from Rome plays a central role. At that time, Furtwänglerfound perfect conditions for this radio production: The orchestra of the radio station was supported by musicians from other orchestras,Furtwängler had more than a month time for rehearsals and themonumental work was performed in pieces in front of a small audienceto give the singers a break.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
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First thing to notice is the format... it's attractively presented, in a flat box roughly ten inches (26cm) square, (though people with restricted shelves may cavil). The four individual operas are in trays arranged side by side, and there's a decent booklet with detailed synopses (no libretti or translations).
I cannot comment on these transfers compared to to others, as I have never previously owned this set; when it was issued on LP in the 1970s I was a mere adolescent, infatuated with the thrills and spills and Sonic-Stage wonders of Solti/Decca, so I didn't bother with mono Wagner. Later I opted for the 1950 Scala Furtwangler Ring for the sake of Flagstad, because I had big problems with Martha Modl's voice.
Recently I've been put off the EMI transfer because of reports of dull sound and over-filtering, but at £11.99 I couldn't pass up giving this one a shot.
The sound is, to my ears, marvellous, nice and bright with lots of presence and what I call "face" to the voices.
From the first deep E-flat the Furtwangler magic asserts itself, the sense of continuous line- while still pointing up orchestral characterisation is a miracle. Time and again you notice things- e.g.,a curt string tremolando at Wotan's irritation with Loge's evasiveness which made me smile: Solti, for one, doesn't appear to have registered many of these little touches.
The whole of Walkure is wonderful, Windgassen at his very best, a more stoic Siegmund than the (for me) slightly self-pitying portrayal on the Knapperstbusch/ Bayreuth set. Hilde Konetzni is fine though she doesn't quite rise to "O hehrstes Wunder!". I understand now why my younger self couldn't get on with Martha Modl... acclimatised to the pingier hochdramatische sounds of Flagstad, Nilsson and Traubel, Modl's warmer more Germanic sound probably sounded alien. But, with the benefit of years of listening to Behrens, Dernesch, Evans and many others I have to say she's one of the great Brunnhildes for me. The second scene of Act Three with Frantz is incandescent, ecstatic, not to be missed. There's something of Callas about the intensity of her singing, she's completely riveting.
Frantz has one of the great Wotan voices, and if he's no Hotter when it comes to Wotan's introspection and soul-searching, he's very satisfying, as is Ludwig Suthaus' tirelesly heroic (though tender when needed) Siegfried. Only Julius Patzak's scrupulously well-behaved Mime grates with me. It's nice, I suppose, to hear all the notes sung so cleanly, but surely there has to be SOME vocal acting?? Too tame. Josef Greindl gives probably his greatest Hagen (he's in vinegary voice ten years later for Bohm/Phillips, if still imposing).
But the main reason for buying this bargain set is Furtwangler. I'm glad I took a long time to come to this set. For me, it really is "One Ring to Rule Them All", and probably, of the nine recorded "Rings" that I own, the Desert Island choice.!
I cannot comment on these transfers compared to to others, as I have never previously owned this set; when it was issued on LP in the 1970s I was a mere adolescent, infatuated with the thrills and spills and Sonic-Stage wonders of Solti/Decca, so I didn't bother with mono Wagner. Later I opted for the 1950 Scala Furtwangler Ring for the sake of Flagstad, because I had big problems with Martha Modl's voice.
Recently I've been put off the EMI transfer because of reports of dull sound and over-filtering, but at £11.99 I couldn't pass up giving this one a shot.
The sound is, to my ears, marvellous, nice and bright with lots of presence and what I call "face" to the voices.
From the first deep E-flat the Furtwangler magic asserts itself, the sense of continuous line- while still pointing up orchestral characterisation is a miracle. Time and again you notice things- e.g.,a curt string tremolando at Wotan's irritation with Loge's evasiveness which made me smile: Solti, for one, doesn't appear to have registered many of these little touches.
The whole of Walkure is wonderful, Windgassen at his very best, a more stoic Siegmund than the (for me) slightly self-pitying portrayal on the Knapperstbusch/ Bayreuth set. Hilde Konetzni is fine though she doesn't quite rise to "O hehrstes Wunder!". I understand now why my younger self couldn't get on with Martha Modl... acclimatised to the pingier hochdramatische sounds of Flagstad, Nilsson and Traubel, Modl's warmer more Germanic sound probably sounded alien. But, with the benefit of years of listening to Behrens, Dernesch, Evans and many others I have to say she's one of the great Brunnhildes for me. The second scene of Act Three with Frantz is incandescent, ecstatic, not to be missed. There's something of Callas about the intensity of her singing, she's completely riveting.
Frantz has one of the great Wotan voices, and if he's no Hotter when it comes to Wotan's introspection and soul-searching, he's very satisfying, as is Ludwig Suthaus' tirelesly heroic (though tender when needed) Siegfried. Only Julius Patzak's scrupulously well-behaved Mime grates with me. It's nice, I suppose, to hear all the notes sung so cleanly, but surely there has to be SOME vocal acting?? Too tame. Josef Greindl gives probably his greatest Hagen (he's in vinegary voice ten years later for Bohm/Phillips, if still imposing).
But the main reason for buying this bargain set is Furtwangler. I'm glad I took a long time to come to this set. For me, it really is "One Ring to Rule Them All", and probably, of the nine recorded "Rings" that I own, the Desert Island choice.!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
I was sceptical about the quality of this given the low price, but on listening to it all my doubts melted away - it is wonderful. A real bargain and some absolutely wonderful music.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Very good quality box set this and for an excellent price too, wonderful singing and superbly played music make this a real treat, Wilhelm Furtwangler conducts this radio production and conducts it expertly and with great passion.
If you are a lover of Wagner then don't miss out on this excellent version of The Ring Cycle in all it's glory, highly recommended.
If you are a lover of Wagner then don't miss out on this excellent version of The Ring Cycle in all it's glory, highly recommended.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good value
This is a fantastic recording for a good price. The only problem is that the tracks are .wav files with no metadata (tags). Read more
Published 1 month ago by W. Pantland
Same as EMI edition
Just bought this box-set, and this seems, at first hearing, the exact same recording as the last EMI edition, with all the same filtering and noise removed. Read more
Published 2 months ago by PEDRO A PEREIRA
Dreadful
I missed the fact that this was a 1953 recording when I purchased it and it sounds like one.
Great packaging giving the recording a deceivingly modern image. Read more
Great packaging giving the recording a deceivingly modern image. Read more
Published 2 months ago by C. L. Thomas
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