Wagner: Götterdämmerung - Varnay, Windgassen, Greindl, Uhde, Brouwenstijn, Madeira; Knappertsbusch. Bayreuth, 1956

$8.48

Listen to a Sample:

Astrid Varnay is astonishing in this performance of Götterdämmerung, equally mesmerizing in the sections requiring Wagnerian power as the softer, more inward moments. She sings with the musicality and phrasing of a great instrumentalist as well as the acute attention to the text you would expect from the greatest of actresses.
Josef Greindl owned the part of Hagen at Bayreuth for years and this performance shows why. There is an moral ambiguity to his performance that is captivating, leaving the listener unsure of whether Hagen is hero or antihero.
Once again Jean Madeira proves that there are no small parts as she weaves magic into Waltraute's monologue.
For reasons that are not entirely clear to me Astrid Varnay also sings the Third Norn. Not sure why, but I am definitely not complaining.