How Many Rings Do You Need?

[Biffo]

I've done a quick comparison of Leinsdorf (Walthamstow 1961) and Solti (Vienna 1966;remastered 1997), both recorded by Decca. Both sound fine, if anything, to my ears at least, Leinsdorf has a cleaner sound.

It was Decca practice at that time to move singers round the sound stage - there was a grid marked on the floor - it was supposed to give a more theatrical effect. It is most noticeable in Act I (Leinsdorf) where Vickers suddenly seems to jump about 15 feet backwards to pull the sword out of the tree but generally the movement is more limited for Leinsdorf. In the Solti version, Siegmund seems to enter about half-a-mile away, followed later by a similarly distant Sieglinde. John Culshaw (for Solti) was the real enthusiast for this sort of stuff. In her autobiography Nilsson is scathing about what she saw as Culshaw's obsession with gimmicks, particularly anvils.

[umslopogaas]

I've always chuckled at that story of how Nilsson, who also owned a string of hotels, put a Do Not Disturb sign on her breastplate to disconcert the approaching hero at the end of 'Siegfried'.

[Mr Pee]

I've done a quick comparison of Leinsdorf (Walthamstow 1961) and Solti (Vienna 1966;remastered 1997), both recorded by Decca. Both sound fine, if anything, to my ears at least, Leinsdorf has a cleaner sound.

It was Decca practice at that time to move singers round the sound stage - there was a grid marked on the floor - it was supposed to give a more theatrical effect. It is most noticeable in Act I (Leinsdorf) where Vickers suddenly seems to jump about 15 feet backwards to pull the sword out of the tree but generally the movement is more limited for Leinsdorf. In the Solti version, Siegmund seems to enter about half-a-mile away, followed later by a similarly distant Sieglinde. John Culshaw (for Solti) was the real enthusiast for this sort of stuff. In her autobiography Nilsson is scathing about what she saw as Culshaw's obsession with gimmicks, particularly anvils.

I find most of John Culshaw's ideas work very well, and really create a theatrical effect. They add atmosphere and make the whole experience more dramatic. And I don't understand why the use of Anvils would be described as a "gimmick". They're what Wagner specifies in the score!

[Biffo]

The Solti Ring still sounds amazing after all these years - a tribute in part to Culshaw. However, his moving singers around can sound odd rather than theatrical. Personally I can do without it. Some of his sound effects are definitely overdone, nmost notoriously Alberich's over-amplified laughter at the end of Act 1 - more pantomime than opera. The anvils are of course in the score but what amused Nilsson was the obsessive trouble taken by Culshaw and his belief; 'Culshaw writes...that he credits the forging of the anvils along with the fake thunder... for the tremendous sale of the recording..'.
Nilsson has more faith in Solti's capabilities for the success of the venture. It has to be said that she had a grudge against Culshaw for an event (a dispute over fees) that preceeded the Ring recordings but that he wrote about later.

[Ferretfancy]

umslopogaas,

jimmy Locke said that the day after the Phase4 team had been at work, his team had to spend half the morning getting the coffee out of the faders!

[Ferretfancy]

Biffo

The Decca / Solti Walkure was the last to be recorded, and they were using Dolby noise reduction for the first time. I've never liked the sound balance as much as that achieved in the rest of the Solti Ring, and the echo chamber effects seem very unnatural. If, as you say, the Leinsdorf has a cleaner sound, then maybe the particular mastering on my Italian set of CDs might have been tweaked in some way, as it sounds distinctly odd to me.

The use of a chequer board stage for placing the singers was not unique to Decca, and on the whole I think that their use of a soundstage was very effective. I attended some experimental sessions at the BBC Camden Theatre in 1959 which had Colin Davis conducting the opening scene of Don Giovanni, in which the death of the Commendatore was staged in this way.

The Solti Ring is still quite an achievement, but in sound terms then so is the Karajan / Price Tosca, or the Karajan / Corelli Otello. That whole period of opera recording was pretty remarkable.

[Karafan]

In studio, everyone wore squeak-proof tennis shoes."

Aah, I wondered why when both Solti and John Culshaw were pictured in the illustrated version of Ring Resounding both were so incongruously shod

Biffo: I have the 1960 Kna Meistersinger on Myto and the sound is very good.

K.

[Biffo]

When Solti recorded Act III of Die Walkure in 1957 it was one of the first occasions Decca tried out a 'chequer board sound stage'. I can see that having the Valkyries spread out and some entering from a distance is a lot more imaginative than having them stand in a line but some of the movement used by Smith (for Leinsdorf) and Culshaw (for Solti) just sounds silly and artificial.

I also think that Culshaw went too far with his sound effects. Having the dwarves pile up real gold ingots was definitely a gimmick/publicity stunt. Most recordings just leave you to imagine the tarnhelm but Culshaw had to have a sound effect and a rather feeble one at that. I don't think time has been kind to his cherished thunderclap either. It is still imposing but to my ears a least, the more expensive the hi-fi you listen to it on , the more artificial it sounds. Posibly digital remastering has affected it; the extra clarity now means that the different components of the effect are more clearly audible.

[Ferretfancy]

Critics at the time objected to the huge scream when Alberich dismisses his Nibelung slaves, but I still enjoy that, and Thor's hammer blow. Perhaps stacking the gold is a bit corny, but it's nothing compared to the idiocy of the ENO production in which Freia climbed into a bath in order to undergo the process, shower curtain tastefully drawn!

Incidentally, Rheingold was recorded using only a nine channel mixer, with very limited panning facilities. The anvils were set behind a curtain with the microphones in front, and this was slowly opened to create the effect they were looking for. The team also used an oscillator to boost the bass in that marvellous opening music.

[Karafan]

One of my cherished daydreams is to have been able to unobtrusively sit in on some of those famous Sofiensaal sessions. I adore that Ring cycle and that wonderful acoustic added so much to many a Decca recording.

Now, ten years since the catastrophic fire, plans are underway for the restoration of the ruined building, with mixed arts/residential use:

http://oe1.orf.at/artikel/272863

The Golden Ring BBC documentary with Humphrey Burton really ought to be released in bluray format. I often wonder whether there is still any unused footage around from those sessions - it would be fantastic if there was.

K.

[Karafan]

I briefly owned Knappertsbusch's 1960 cycle (with Vickers as Siegmund) but had to return it to MDC (RIP) because of a manufacturing fault. Sadly, they were never able to replace it, but I remember being impressed by it.

Mandryka: Did you mean 1958 for that Kna ring? I think I am right in saying that year was the last Ring cycle he conducted at Bayreuth.....

K.