Yes, I think that the singing & orchestral playing is subsumed into the whole experience of being there - from the anticipation as the orchestra tunes, to seeing the action on the stage (not that there was much to look at, judging by the photographs), whereas on the radio it's all you have. I just felt that the whole thing lacked any spark & conviction, compared with recordings I've heard (unfair, I know, to compare CD recordings with a recording of a live performance). Donald Macleod said in his introduction that is less often done than Wagner's other operas. That could be because of the rather complicated history of its various versions, but perhaps also because it doesn't have the passion & depth of the others? I wonder if Wagner, despite the several revisions, was really much interested in it?
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