Wagner: Die Walküre - Nilsson, Hines, Windgassen, Nordmo-Lovberg, Frick, Töpper; Kempe. Bayreuth, 1960

$12.95

Listen to a Sample:

This is the first time that the 1960 Die Walküre from Bayreuth is available featuring Birgit Nilsson who sang the rest of the run of Brünnhildes.
Nilsson is at her absolute prime and delivers a Brünnhilde that combines vocal power and youthful exuberance.
Jerome Hines spent most of his career as a Met "house bass". This performance of Wotan, however, reveals the remarkable scope of his talent and artistry.
Wolfgang Windgassen's delivers a sweet-toned Siegmund.
It is not easy to steal the show as Hunding, but Gottlob Frick nearly does so with his snarling bass voice and supreme connection to the text.
Hertha Töpper delivers an imperious and oddly seductive Fricka.

Compared with her colleagues, I found myself a little underwhelmed by Aase Nordmo Løvberg's Sieglinde. It is a shame they didn't take advantage of Ingrid Bjoner whose talents were wasted in the role of Helmwige.
The sound of the Walküre is not of the same quality as the rest of the cycle, although it is more than listenable.

In Mono

OD 11652-3