Great Verdian-Wagnerians

[umslopogaas]

#10 fhg, I have never thought of Maria Callas as a Wagnerian, I know of only one Wagner recording by her: she sang Kundry in a 1950 recording of Parsifal conducted by Vittorio Gui (Virtuoso 2699232 3CD set). That must have been right at the start of her career, and she presumably decided not to continue down the Wagner path. Shame in some ways, but on balance, I'm glad she made that choice, we might never have had those wonderful Italian opera performances if she'd decided to conquer the Germans. Do you know of any other Wagner recordings by her?

[verismissimo]

When Joan Sutherland hooked up with Richard Bonynge, the world lost a potentially outstanding Wagnerian, as her excerpts from The Mastersingers from 1957 with Jon Vickers clearly demonstrate.

[slarty]

Only one recording, but Callas did perform Isolde and the Walküre Brünnhilde in Italian at La Fenice in 1948-49 , before deciding to concentrate more on mainstream Italian and Bel Canto roles. There is a recording of her "Liebestod" in Italian.

Liebestod Rec.:

08.-10.Nov.1949 Dir. Basile, Arturo (Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della Radiotelevisione italiana) CD: Cetra CDO 104 and many others.

05.Aug.1957 Dir. Votto, Antonino (Athens Festival Orchestra) CD: EMI CDC 7 49428 2.

[slarty]

When Joan Sutherland hooked up with Richard Bonynge, the world lost a potentially outstanding Wagnerian, as her excerpts from The Mastersingers from 1957 with Jon Vickers clearly demonstrate.

That same season (1957) she sang 5 performances of Eva in the then new Meistersinger under Kubelik. (in german with Erich Witte as Walther)
She sang Woglinde in Rheingold and Götterdämmerung from 1954 until 1958. The woodbird in Siegfried in 1954 and 1958 and also Helmwige in Walküre. All at Covent Garden.
Their plans were to move her into bigger roles as time went on. Bonynge had other ideas. She loved and trusted him so much that she would take no other advice than his. Who is to say what might have been. I think, with hindsight, she took the right path, her voice would never have been big enough for a Brünnhilde and it may well have wrecked it. As is was , she became the greatest bel canto soprano of the twentieth century.

[verismissimo]

That same season (1957) she sang 5 performances of Eva in the then new Meistersinger under Kubelik. (in german with Erich Witte as Walther)
She sang Woglinde in Rheingold and Götterdämmerung from 1954 until 1958. The woodbird in Siegfried in 1954 and 1958 and also Helmwige in Walküre. All at Covent Garden.
Their plans were to move her into bigger roles as time went on. Bonynge had other ideas. She loved and trusted him so much that she would take no other advice than his. Who is to say what might have been. I think, with hindsight, she took the right path, her voice would never have been big enough for a Brünnhilde and it may well have wrecked it. As is was , she became the greatest bel canto soprano of the twentieth century.

I'm sure you're right, slarty.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

#10 fhg, I have never thought of Maria Callas as a Wagnerian, I know of only one Wagner recording by her: she sang Kundry in a 1950 recording of Parsifal conducted by Vittorio Gui (Virtuoso 2699232 3CD set). That must have been right at the start of her career, and she presumably decided not to continue down the Wagner path. Shame in some ways, but on balance, I'm glad she made that choice, we might never have had those wonderful Italian opera performances if she'd decided to conquer the Germans. Do you know of any other Wagner recordings by her?

There is a studio recording of the Liebestod, but other than that ... More a case of "what might have been", given the quality of the what she did. I completely agree that her Italian recordings are treasures of the recording repertoire - but, oh! For a complete Isolde instead of the re-recording of Tosca!

[slarty]

There is a studio recording of the Liebestod, but other than that ... More a case of "what might have been", given the quality of the what she did. I completely agree that her Italian recordings are treasures of the recording repertoire - but, oh! For a complete Isolde instead of the re-recording of Tosca!

There are actually two Liebestod recordings, one from 1949 and the studio one. I refer you to post #18

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

There are actually two Liebestod recordings, one from 1949 and the studio one. I refer you to post #18

Thanks, slarty; for some reason (it's more charitable not to speculate) I'd missed #18. I didn't know about Callas' Brunnhilde - a final scene of Gotterdammerung with Callas: now there's a fantasy recording for you.

[Prommer]

Surely the right way 'in' would be for Verdi singers to try some Wagner once the voice was trained and full? There are Wagnerians who do it the opposite way but often this is unsatisfying. But in reality, is this not what Jonas Kaufmann has done? He did a good deal of verismo and Italian opera before tacking Lohengrin.

We might also see more bel canto Wagner singing, which is what the Master always said he wanted (but didn't always facilitate in his composition)?