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Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Bayreuth, 1955) | Testament SBT141412

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen (Bayreuth, 1955)

£95.50

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Label: Testament

Cat No: SBT141412

Barcode: 0749677141226

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 14

Genre: Opera

Release Date: 1st November 2007

Radio 3 Building a Library First Choice

Contents

Artists

Hans Hotter
Gustav Neidlinger
Rudolf Lustig
Ludwig Weber
Astrid Varnay
Hans Hotter
Gre Brouwenstijn
Ramon Vinay
Wolfgang Windgassen
Paul Kuen
Josef Greindl
Hermann Uhde Chor
Orchester der Bayreuth Festspiele

Conductor

Joseph Keilberth

Works

Wagner, Richard

Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle) (complete)

Artists

Hans Hotter
Gustav Neidlinger
Rudolf Lustig
Ludwig Weber
Astrid Varnay
Hans Hotter
Gre Brouwenstijn
Ramon Vinay
Wolfgang Windgassen
Paul Kuen
Josef Greindl
Hermann Uhde Chor
Orchester der Bayreuth Festspiele

Conductor

Joseph Keilberth

About

The First Stereo Ring Cycle

Testament has released the first-ever stereo recording of The Ring Cycle with Hans Hotter, Astrid Varnay and Wolfgang Windgassen in this 14-CD boxed set at a special low price of 14 discs for the price of 9.

Thrillingly conducted by Joseph Keilberth (called by the late Astrid Varnay "a conductor with so much love, who was always there for you"), the cycle provides the opportunity to hear complete for the first time on commercial release the definitive performances of Hans Hotter (Wotan/Wanderer), Astrid Varnay (Brünnhilde), Ramon Vinay (Siegmund), Josef Greindl (Hagen) and Paul Kuen (Mime), in addition to the much-loved Siegfried of Wolfgang Windgassen, here heard in his prime.

These ‘live’ Bayreuth performances were taped by a Decca team led by Peter Andry and including the noted engineers Kenneth Wilkinson and Roy Wallace, with Gordon Parry as assistant. Using a new six channel mixer designed by Wallace, the team made both stereo and mono recordings of each opera. Three microphones were placed in the sunken orchestra pit and three hung from a lighting bridge about 20 feet above the stage. "This was brilliant; it worked beautifully", remembers Wallace. The company prepared for an expected release, but John Culshaw, recently returned to Decca, vetoed the project. He disliked ‘live’ recordings and already had plans for a studio Ring with Solti which began four years later. Decca’s recording vividly captures in wonderful stereo sound the unique acoustic and stage/pit balance of the Bayreuth Festival theatre with its sunken orchestra, in addition to preserving the leading singers from a Wagnerian golden age in ‘live’ performance.

The four individual operas have received rave reviews from the international press and this ‘Ring’ cycle is being hailed as ‘definitive’.


Richard Wagner
DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN
A Stage festival for 3 Days and a Preliminary Evening/Ein Bühnenfestspiel für 3 Tage und einen Vorabend/Un Festival scénique pour 3 jours et une soirée

Das Rhinegold
Hans Hotter; Gustav Neidlinger; Rudolf Lustig; Ludwig Weber

Die Walküre
Astrid Varnay; Hans Hotter; Gré Brouwenstijn; Ramón Vinay

Siegfried
Wolfgang Windgassen; Hans Hotter; Paul Kuen; Astrid Varnay

Götterdämmerung
Astrid Varnay; Wolfgang Windgassen; Josef Greindl; Hermann Uhde

Chor und Orchester der Bayreuth Festspiele
conducted by/Dirigent/direction:
Joseph Keilberth

Recorded/Aufgenommen/Enregistré: Festspielhaus Bayreuth 1955

Original sound recordings made by The Decca Record Company Limited.
Digital remastering © 2006 Testament.

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