Wagner: Die Walküre - Shuard, Jones, Kozub, Ward, Veasey, Langdon; Solti. London, 1965
$16.95
Listen to a Sample:
All sopranos who sing Brünnhilde generally fair better on one side of the cycle or the other. Amy Shuard's youthful soprano seems more at ease as the Walküre Brünnhilde. That is not to say that her voice is lacking in power as exemplified in her lusty hojotohos. David Ward's understated Wotan may lack some of the bravado and presence of others who have sung this role, however, he brings an everyman quality which at times is quite effective highlighting, in particular. Wotan's vulnerability at the end of of the opera very touchingly. A young Gwyneth Jones gets a chance to sink her teeth into Sieglinde, and demonstrates that she is certainly a Brünnhilde in the making. She is joined by Ernst Kozub. It is a shame that this opera star's career seemed to sputter as he is without doubt one of the finest Siegmunds I have ever heard. Solti's conducting is larger than life without coming across as bloated or portentous. The sound is fair to good.
OD 10764-4
