BaL 18.05.13 - Wagner's Tannhauser

[verismissimo]

Wonderful Herbert Janssen from Bayreuth in 1930.

[gurnemanz]

Wonderful Herbert Janssen from Bayreuth in 1930.

I really only know him as a marvellous Lieder singer but have noticed that his Wolfram performance is coming my way on my "Wagner's Vision" box which I am working through. It is Disc 42 if I go through consecutively. I may have to jump forward.

[Bryn]

I'm no particular fan of Wagner (man or music) but I do just happen to have the Solti CDs of Tannhauser. I thought the suggestion that it was in one section of Tannhauser that Wagner came closest to "his great rival, Verdi". Can you imagine a Wagner Nabucco?

[LeMartinPecheur]

I'm no particular fan of Wagner (man or music) but I do just happen to have the Solti CDs of Tannhauser. I thought the suggestion that it was in one section of Tannhauser that Wagner came closest to "his great rival, Verdi".

Bryn: could you please clarify (complete?) your second sentence - it looks interesting!

Can you imagine a Wagner Nabucco?

Would it be fair to say that Verdi's operas are firmly of this world, however implausible the libretto, where Wagner's are always somewhere well off the planet? Meistersinger might be the nearest to real-world, but even then I'm not convinced it's really rooted.

[Bryn]

Bryn: could you please clarify (complete?) your second sentence - it looks interesting!

It was said during this morning's BaL.

[LeMartinPecheur]

It was said during this morning's BaL.

Sorry Bryn, my brain hadn't put on its reading specs the first time I read it<doh>

[Nick Armstrong]

Not a piece I know other than the highlights ... and I enjoyed this BAL greatly. JD did a good job clarifying a confused 'version' history, I thought, and made clear and cogent recommendations. I must say my ear was caught by the sheer drama and class of the older versions... Suthaus and Windgassen I was also reminded forcefully of my Gwynneth Jones allergy and why I have problems with opera - how often at least one singer lets the side down

[vinteuil]

... I always enjoy Deathridge.

A cheap day for me, 'cos I already had the ones that he was keen on

In the good old days, one might have expected Radio 3 to devote a whole - long, serious - programme to the difference between the various Paris versions and the Dresden version. I expect this BAL will be as much as we get on the subject in this anniversary year...

His plumping for Solti came fairly late in the programme, and was not really explained in detail - unless (like me) you are already convinced by Deathridges's take on the work.

I loved the 1930 Elmendorff, which is in the 'Wagner Vision' box.

[Black Swan]

I enjoyed the program as well. But it has left me in a quandary. I was hoping to find a DVD/Blue-Ray. When I went to Amazon the Mehta DVD has been given many bad reviews. I feel the Dresden version with Gwyneth Jones is the best alternative. Any suggestions guidance would be greatly appreciated.

[ARBurton]

May I suggest avoiding the EMI DVD with Welser-Most conducting at Zurich, unless one wants to spend the entire 187 mins looking at Peter Seiffert in extreme close-up...

The Naples production I quite liked (Werner Herzog staging, Kuhn conducting), and I have yet to track down a video copy of the 1982 Berlin production with Otmar Suitner conducting. Latest acquisition is Sebastian Weigle conducting in Barcelona (unfortunately Seiffert again...)

[Barbirollians]

I enjoyed Tannhauser at Covent Garden a few years back in a production where Christian Gerhaher stole the show as Wolfram .

I did not have a recording and have plumped for the Bayreuth Sawallisch a second hand copy for £5 rather than the still expensive Solti .

[BBMmk2]

I used to have the Solti. I’ll have to buy it again, methinks!