Reggie rehearsing Tristan in 1981

[ahinton]

Have you read the Lucas biography? It makes it clear that the Goodall of the 80s was the same man as the Goodall of the 30s - albeit with less energy and a certain degree of (acquired) tact.

That doesn't necessarily make it true to the letter, though, does it?

As to the politics influencing conducting style....I can remember a very intersting R3 programme back in the 90s about the 'nazification' of musical interpretation. The piece specifically referred to was Bruckner's Third Symphony. I'm afraid I can't remember the present or contributors but it demonstrated how certain conductors colluded in turning parts of the German symphonic repertoire into putattive Leni Riefenstahl soundtracks.

Pity, then, that Bruckner was Austrian. In any case, that amount of information hardly makes a specific case, let alone an all-embracing one.

[Conchis]

That doesn't necessarily make it true to the letter, though, does it?


Pity, then, that Bruckner was Austrian. In any case, that amount of information hardly makes a specific case, let alone an all-embracing one.

I would advise you to read the biography before commenting.

OK: AUSTRO-German repertoire, if you insist.

[ahinton]

Please re-read the thread from the beginning (if you've got the time) and you'll see where these 'attacks' started.

I'm quite happy to talk about Reginald Goodall. If you'd like to start a separte thread to specifically talk about me, I'll be very flattered - but a) I'm not a musician and b) I think it would be somewhat off-topic.

I confess to having no wish to do that and, like you, I prefer that this thread continue by addressing its subject.

[Richard Barrett]

Recorded evidnece is scant but I remember reading how the Bayreuth productions of the 30s (supervised by Winfred Wagner) were notorious for the emphasis they placed on the more 'brutal' leitmotivs - the 'sword motif' in the Ring and Siegfried's horn call. The stage designs were of piece with this approach.

Winifred was of course an admirer of Hitler to the end of her long life. I presume you know Brigitte Hamann's biography of her, it's a fascinating thing. And the best source I've come across for all aspects of German culture during the Third Reich is Fredric Spotts' Hitler and the Power of Aesthetics but I don't recall anything in it about a "Nazified" approach to musical performance of Wagner during the period though - where did you see that?

PS people - can we maybe stick to the subject?

[Conchis]

Winifred was of course an admirer of Hitler to the end of her long life. I presume you know Brigitte Hamann's biography of her, it's a fascinating thing. And the best source I've come across for all aspects of German culture during the Third Reich is Fredric Spotts' Hitler and the Power of Aesthetics but I don't recall anything in it about a "Nazified" approach to musical performance of Wagner during the period though - where did you see that?

PS people - can we maybe stick to the subject?

Not heard of that book. I think I recall reading about the Nazified Bayreuth in Robert Gutman's book Richard Wagner: The Man, His Mind & His Music. I have a coffee table version of this book which I keep for the illustrations. Gutman's style is hard to navigate: it reads like a book translated from another language, although it was in fact written in English.

[Richard Barrett]

I think I recall reading about the Nazified Bayreuth in Robert Gutman's book Richard Wagner: The Man, His Mind & His Music. I have a coffee table version of this book which I keep for the illustrations. Gutman's style is hard to navigate: it reads like a book translated from another language, although it was in fact written in English.

That's one I don't know, which isn't really surprising since I'm not much of an aficionado of Wagner literature. You don't sound like you're recommending it though!

[Conchis]

That's one I don't know, which isn't really surprising since I'm not much of an aficionado of Wagner literature. You don't sound like you're recommending it though!

The reviews are 'interesting', shall we say?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Richard-Wagner-Man-Mind-Music/dp/0156776154/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1512070324&sr=1-3&keywords=robert+w.+gutman

The version I have has some excelent photographs and 'inserted articles': it was issued for the Readers Digest edition of the Solti Ring, along with an excellent reprining of the Culshaw Ring Resounding book.

[Once Was 4]

What indeed.
Quite apart from the political issues any reminder of the great Menuhin is welcome.
You mention Handke who was presumably no longer with the BPO but there is a moustachioed horn player who could I suppose be emulating Charlie Chaplin, could it be Herr H.?

Being interested in these things I am trying to find out who some of the players are (by all accounts, only two of the BPO from that era were still alive a couple of years ago).

I think that the solo oboist may be Karl Steins who can also be seen on a film of the BPO playing to workers in a chemical factory in about 1943. Even for a concert like that they had doubled woodwind and Herr Steins (if that he be) was then playing what we would call 'bumper' 1st oboe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoU-...=RDFoU-iCT21fc

As to the mustachioed horn player - this may be Otto Machut who was still with the BPO in the 70s and James Galway related that he was one of the few BPO players to argue with Herbert von Karajan and get away with it.

Possibly the 1st horn is the great Martin Ziller who was still there, but down the line, in 1970.

[Barbirollians]

Like Richard B above Parsifal is not a work that appeals to me either but I am intrigued by WArner's release of a live 1950 account with the young Callas as Kundry .

[Conchis]

Like Richard B above Parsifal is not a work that appeals to me either but I am intrigued by WArner's release of a live 1950 account with the young Callas as Kundry .

https://youtu.be/XHm_TANh8Vs

[Barbirollians]

https://youtu.be/XHm_TANh8Vs

It is sung in Italian so no doubt Richard B won't be listening !

From the first 30 minutes even this Wagner refusenik was spellbound by the singing . No doubt not a library choice though.

[Richard Barrett]

It is sung in Italian so no doubt Richard B won't be listening!

I might give it a try to hear how it compares to Plácido Domingo's attempts to sing Wagner in German!

[Conchis]

I might give it a try to hear how it compares to Plácido Domingo's attempts to sing Wagner in German!

I thought Domingo's unidiomatic German worked quite well in Lohengrin (emphasising the remoteness of the character from the others) but it's definitely a handicap elsewhere.

[gradus]

Fortunately(?) my Deutsch is not good enough to notice unduly PD's appalling pronunciation!

[Prommer]

These arguments about dead musicians with poisonous views get nobody anywhere. (I'm never going to listen to Goodall's Wagner recordings because I insist on Wagner being performed in German; opinions may differ but personally I don't want to hear it any other way.)

You should still try some of his work at Covent Garden and for WNO then: these were in German.

So the ROH Parsifal in 1971; performances of Die Walkure in 1984 and Tristan at WNO in 1979 (the latter subsequently recorded). There was also a studio Parsifal with WNO forces, as somebody referred to before.