Wagner collections - 8 June 2013

[verismissimo]

I hope the local Rhinemaidens were there to receive it

[Thropplenoggin]

I agree, both about the choice of extracts and the expertise of the presenter both as a Wagnerian and as a broadcaster: he repeated himself rather more often than is ideal, got lost occasionally, and seemed thrown by the simplest question if it took him away from his prepared script. But his enthusiasm was endearing.

Melchior's reputation suffered for a long time when he was regarded as bringing not much more to the works than stamina and volume: a famous (though possibly apocryphal) story tells of his habit, during the long act one Grail ceremony scene in Parsifal when he was supposed to stand silently and watch the proceedings, of slowly edging sideways to the point of disappearing into the wings and then going out for a bite to eat, returning just before the end. But these days, the release of more early recordings reveal a certain subtlety and dramatic presence, served by quiet singing as well as the polar opposite.

Nyom nyom nyom!

--

The comments above inspired me to listen to Melchior on YouTube: Wow!

This Melchior set seems good value - £9.99 for 10 discs: http://www.amazon.co.uk/King-Size-He...words=melchior

but no details of contents.

[RobertLeDiable]

Greindl did not sing Amfortas, he sang Gurnemanz, and was the main Bayreuth Gurnemanz for many years beginning in 1954 and ending in 1969.
This Wagner collection can be found at Amazon with the ASIN B00B7UOOA4. It is the recent Great Wagner Singers from DGG.
There are one or two quite rare recordings to be found here.
As for only using the 1923 Melchior recording, all of his later commercial recordings were made for RCA which is now under the Sony umbrella, I think.
The collection is much more worthwhile for the recordings of the many stalwart german singers of the post war era that only recorded with DGG when it was more or less a domestic label.
It is worth checking out.
slarty

Quite right. Of course Greindl sang Gurnemanz - my apologies. But it's not true that all Melchior's post-1920s recordings were for RCA. The Bruno Walter/VPO Walkure Act 1 with Lotte Lehman and Melchior is on EMI Great Recordings of the Century - and Melchior's Siegmund is certainly by far the greatest I've ever heard.

[amateur51]

This Melchior set seems good value - £9.99 for 10 discs: http://www.amazon.co.uk/King-Size-He...words=melchior

but no details of contents.

http://www.mdt.co.uk/melchior-laurit...nts-10cds.html - behold!

[gurnemanz]

http://www.mdt.co.uk/melchior-laurit...nts-10cds.html - behold!

Tempting .... Hotter also coming up in the same series.

[gurnemanz]

PS. Melchior only £7.99 post-free at Sainsbury's

[slarty]

Quite right. Of course Greindl sang Gurnemanz - my apologies. But it's not true that all Melchior's post-1920s recordings were for RCA. The Bruno Walter/VPO Walkure Act 1 with Lotte Lehman and Melchior is on EMI Great Recordings of the Century - and Melchior's Siegmund is certainly by far the greatest I've ever heard.

Quite Right, but still not available to DGG.
DGG as it was then was not one of the big players internationally in the 20's and 30's.

They would have been better just leaving out the little Melchior that they used, they had a great deal of other material which would have fitted into the collection much better.

[amateur51]

Tempting .... Hotter also coming up in the same series.

Many thanks for the alert, gurney

[BBMmk2]

What do people think of Hans Knappersbusch's recordings of Wagner's operas?

[slarty]

That's a grand question. It merit's a new thread.
on you go.

[RobertLeDiable]

Quite Right, but still not available to DGG.
DGG as it was then was not one of the big players internationally in the 20's and 30's.

They would have been better just leaving out the little Melchior that they used, they had a great deal of other material which would have fitted into the collection much better.

?? I never mentioned DGG. It's on EMI.