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Amazon.co.uk
This digitally remastered recording is from 1976, the year of English National Opera's mammoth and triumphant Ring cycle. The tapes were laid down during live performances in the Coliseum, home of ENO, and clearly have the qualities one would expect from a performance in that rather cavernous space--sometimes the orchestra balance sounds a little eccentric, and sometimes singers wander too far from the microphone and are simply swallowed up in the sound. But for almost unbearably sustained tension, passion and drama--and some outstanding singing--this is a wonderful set. Rita Hunter is a remarkable Brünnhilde, powerful yet vulnerable, and Norman Bailey sings Wotan with a gripping edge of despair. But ultimately this is Goodall's Ring, of course: he draws everything from savagery to delicacy from the ENO Orchestra, and is alive to every nuance of the drama, both on stage and in the pit. And as if that weren't enough, the translation is a masterpiece. --Warwick Thompson
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
As in my review of Rhinegold in this same series (sung in English), the main performance point that stands out is that the parts are beautifully sung. As in the previous instalment, there are times I wished a bit more bite, particularly in this set where Hunding's part is concerned, but the famous Valkyrie scenes do not disappoint, add to that the sense of being able to follow the drama, this makes a fantastic follow up to the first in the series (i.e. Rhinegold, which is where you should start in my opinion, as it is the prequel to the story and the essential part of setting the scene). The stand out section of this live performance, for me, unusually as it is probably the least well known due to lack of big tunes .... is the Fricka/Wotan exchanges that seal Siegmund's fate. The diction is so clear that being able to follow the plot while listening to the CD, makes this one of the most essential parts of the set, as it rightly should be, since it is one of the essential sections of the "plot" development.
The only cast criticism I have, is for Alberto Remedios. Whilst his heroic tenor singing is excellent, his diction is not so good and he is the one I found most difficult to follow. If I had not known the story beforehand and without the aid of the libretto in front, I would find it difficult to follow him as part of the drama. Luckily Sieglinde makes up for it when they're singing together so it is a diction shortcoming in this entire set which I am happy to put up with when listening again.
My benchmark in terms of ultimate performance and drama is the Solti/Nilsson German (original libretto) sung set and in terms of overall performance (the sung language aside) Solti is still difficult to beat for my tastes, but I am very happy to have the Goodall English set alongside, as they are different enough (with Goodall's slower more measured performances, vs Solti's more dramatic and brisker tempi) to appreciate depending on mood and ... time on your hands of course.
The only cast criticism I have, is for Alberto Remedios. Whilst his heroic tenor singing is excellent, his diction is not so good and he is the one I found most difficult to follow. If I had not known the story beforehand and without the aid of the libretto in front, I would find it difficult to follow him as part of the drama. Luckily Sieglinde makes up for it when they're singing together so it is a diction shortcoming in this entire set which I am happy to put up with when listening again.
My benchmark in terms of ultimate performance and drama is the Solti/Nilsson German (original libretto) sung set and in terms of overall performance (the sung language aside) Solti is still difficult to beat for my tastes, but I am very happy to have the Goodall English set alongside, as they are different enough (with Goodall's slower more measured performances, vs Solti's more dramatic and brisker tempi) to appreciate depending on mood and ... time on your hands of course.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By J. Deas
Format:Audio CD
Since becoming interested in Wagners Ring cycle last year i had heard a great deal of praise for this recording which having been deleted for some time has recently been re-mastered and reissued by Chandos records, and i fully agree that it is well worth getting. Reginald Goodall seems to have been criminally overlooked as a great Wagnerian conductor and hearing this work sung in English (which does work!) has made it more accessible to me. I eagerly await the remaining three operas which Chandos tell me will be released over the next few months. If English is your first language and you are thinking of buying one of the many many versions of the Ring Cycle that exist i think you could do no better than start here (i also have the Barenboim/Bayreuth Ring set which is superb but if this had been available last year i would have bought it instead!) Wotan rules ok.
Format:Audio CD
There is probably no point in fussing and squabbling over whether or not this opera should or should not have been produced in English; all of that seems a bit academic, and maybe petty. This particular version is astonishingly good. It is hard to choose the best bits. For me, the long nocturnal dialogue between Siegmund and Sieghilde is particularly moving; the highest peak however is probably the part where Wotan banishes Brünhilde because of her disobedience and for the compassion she has for Siegmund. Wotan himself is utterly broken after doing this. This is breath-taking `edge of your seat' stuff, even if you know the story. The music on this version is particularly beautiful. The only criticism, and this will be important for some, the background noise of almost ceaseless coughing and sneezing is excessive and sometimes disruptive. Still worth the five stars though.
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