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 Wagner: The Valkyrie $48.98 Being properly the First Evening to Wagner's epic Ring Cycle, the Valyrie is the most famous out of the four operas, mainly because of its Ride of the Valkyries and the Magic Fire Music. This Valkyrie, conducted by Reginald Goodall and performed by the English National Opera, is worth listening to. It's true that Goodall has the slowest tempi ever for a Ring recording: a total of 16 hours and 50 minutes, two hours more than the average Ring recording! But it's not at all bad. Sometimes the slow pacing works, and sometimes it doesn't. "Wotan's Farewell" isn't taken at a slow pace at all, and I do miss the slower approach that James Levine took. "Ride of the Valkyries" is just right, but I do miss Karl Bohm's energetic storm. And let's not forget about the orchestra. I love the bass clarinet that plays after Wotan's cry of dismay in Act Two, Scene Two. The strings and brass in "Magic Fire Music" are astonishing, it's great! The low brass in "Annunciation of Death" makes the scene so much more tragic than in Georg Solti's "Annunciation". So the orchestra gets another point. The cast can only be described as "amazing." Norman Bailey, Alberto Remedios, and Margaret Curphy would be the ultimate Wotan, Siegmund, and Sieglinde for the English language. Rita Hunter is at her strongest here in "Valyrie" and she sings with her heart and soul perfectly. What I wouldn't give if I had a chance to see her live back in the 70's. Clifford Grant is a very good Hunding (just not the most impressive), while Anne Howard is a very believable Fricka. The Valkyrie cast are no match with Furtwangler and Bohm's cast, but they still can make the whole third act worthwhile. And so as the "Magic Fire Music" plays on, we get a little sense of what's going to happen in "Siegfried." The Box Set: Wagner: The Ring Cycle (Box Set) The Rhinegold (Part 1): Wagner: The Rhinegold Siegfried (Part 3): Siegfried (Goodall Ring Cycle/Chandos Opera in English) Twilight of the Gods (Part 4): The Twilight of the Gods (Goodall Ring Cycle/Chandos Opera in English) |
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