Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (Excerpts) - Hotter, Varnay, Windgassen, Rysanek, Vickers, Gorr; Knappertsbusch. Bayreuth, 1958

$8.95

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The genius of Knappertsbusch's Ring Cycle is that he never got stuck on finding the definitive interpretation. Every year he would return to Bayreuth with a new take, new tempi and a sense of in-the-moment discovery. His approach is particularly text-driven, and he extracts from the orchestra something more important than dynamics and articulation - intention. The result is an orchestration that comes close to realizing Wagner's vision of a true Greek chorus.
After many years perfecting the role of Brünnhilde, Astrid Varnay has hit her stride and tackles the part with abandon and profound insight.
Hans Hotter is strong as the Rheingold Wotan, but the demands of the Cycle catch up with him in Walküre and Siegfried. Still, he remains committed and paints a balanced picture of a flawed man caught up in his own ambition.
Leonie Rysanek and Jon Vickers set the stage ablaze as Siegmund and Sieglinde.
This compilation is over 2-hours of some of my favorite excerpts. Some of the selections aren't exactly stand-alone pieces which makes for some abrubt fade-outs, but I think you will enjoy it.