Wagner: Die Walküre - Ligendza, Adam, Jones, Brilioth, Reynolds, Ridderbusch; Stein. Bayreuth, 1971
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The wonderful thing about casting at Bayreuth in the 1970s was that there seemed to be an appreciation of having voices that still had the ability to convey a certain amount of youth. This is aided by the wonderful acoustics of the hall and the covered pit which allow singers to actually sing Wagner's beautiful lines as opposed to bellow them. Catarina Ligendza in the title role brings all the requisite steel to Brünnhilde as well as an innocence that one almost never gets to hear in Wagner. I can recall no other Brünnhilde who conveys the frightened despair of Brünnhilde in Act III as well as she does. Theo Adam's baritonal Wotan conveys a youthful father, still at the age where he can impart fatherly wisdom but also engage in child's play. Gwyneth Jones and Helge Brilioth must have looked gorgeous on stage as Siegmund and Sieglinde. In 1971, Jones was poised to graduate to the role of Brünnhilde although Sieglinde was still an excellent fit for her rich soprano. Brilioth's voice is virile and youthful. The sound is excellent.
OD 10858-3
