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Die Walküre
It’s remarkable how much great Wagner was emerging from London in the 1960s. Perhaps it was the influence of Georg Solti, or simply an influx of fresh talent, but whatever the reason, audiences were treated to outstanding performances year after year — and this performance is no exception.
The cast features a roster of singers woefully underrepresented on recording. Ludmila Dvořáková is exceptional in the title role. It’s almost baffling how a singer with such a contralto-like vocal color could manage such reliability in the upper register. Ingrid Bjoner offers a radiant and winsome Sieglinde, beautifully paired with the Siegmund of Ernst Kozub. Both singers possessed lyrical instruments with a kind of built-in vocal overdrive, making Wagner’s frequent outbursts thrilling without sacrificing the essential lyricism woven into his writing.
Herbert Fliether proves himself a Wotan of real substance. While it’s hard to gauge the size of his voice from this recording, the essential vocal qualities of a great Wotan are unmistakably present. He sings with full-bodied tone throughout the evening, never resorting to pushing, even in Wotan’s notoriously punishing final lines — a moment that has defeated more than a few baritones.
Track List
Act I
1. Vorspiel
2. Wess' Herd diess auch sei, hier muß ich rasten.
3. Kühlende Labung gab mir der Quell
4. Einen Unseligen labtest du
5. Müd' am Herd fand ich den Mann
6. Friedmund darf ich nicht heißen
7. Ein trauriges Kind rief mich zum Trutz
8. Ich weiß ein wildes Geschlecht
9. Ein Schwert verhieß mir der Vater
10. Der Männer Sippe saß hier im Saal
11. Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond
12. Du bist der Lenz
13. War Wälse dein Vater, und bist du ein Wälsung
2. Wess' Herd diess auch sei, hier muß ich rasten.
3. Kühlende Labung gab mir der Quell
4. Einen Unseligen labtest du
5. Müd' am Herd fand ich den Mann
6. Friedmund darf ich nicht heißen
7. Ein trauriges Kind rief mich zum Trutz
8. Ich weiß ein wildes Geschlecht
9. Ein Schwert verhieß mir der Vater
10. Der Männer Sippe saß hier im Saal
11. Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond
12. Du bist der Lenz
13. War Wälse dein Vater, und bist du ein Wälsung
Act II
14. Nun zäume dein Roß, reisige Maid
15. Der alte Sturm, die alte Müh'!
16. Heut hast du's erlebt!
17. Was verlangst du?
18. Schlimm, fürcht' ich, schloß der Streit
19. Als junger Liebe Lust mir verblich
20. Ein Andres ist's: achte es wohl
15. Der alte Sturm, die alte Müh'!
16. Heut hast du's erlebt!
17. Was verlangst du?
18. Schlimm, fürcht' ich, schloß der Streit
19. Als junger Liebe Lust mir verblich
20. Ein Andres ist's: achte es wohl
21. Und für das Ende sorgt Alberich
22. So sah ich dich nie
23. Raste nun hier, gönne dir Ruh'!
24. Siegmund! Sieh auf mich!
25. So grüße mir Walhall
26. Zauberfest bezähmt ein Schlaf
27. Kehrte der Vater nur heim!
22. So sah ich dich nie
23. Raste nun hier, gönne dir Ruh'!
24. Siegmund! Sieh auf mich!
25. So grüße mir Walhall
26. Zauberfest bezähmt ein Schlaf
27. Kehrte der Vater nur heim!
Act III
28. Hojotoho! hojotoho!
29. Schützt mich, und helft in höchster Noth!
30. Nicht sehre dich Sorge um mich
31. Fort denn eile, nach Osten gewandt!
32. Wo ist Brünnhild', wo die Verbrecherin?
33. Hier bin ich, Vater: gebiete die Strafe!
34. War es so schmählich, was ich verbrach
35. So thatest du, was so gern zu thun ich begehrt
36. Wohl taugte dir nicht die thör'ge Maid
37. Du zeugtest ein edles Geschlecht
38. Leb' wohl, du kühnes, herrliches Kind!
39. Der Augen leuchtendes Paar
40. Loge hör'! lausche hieher!
29. Schützt mich, und helft in höchster Noth!
30. Nicht sehre dich Sorge um mich
31. Fort denn eile, nach Osten gewandt!
32. Wo ist Brünnhild', wo die Verbrecherin?
33. Hier bin ich, Vater: gebiete die Strafe!
34. War es so schmählich, was ich verbrach
35. So thatest du, was so gern zu thun ich begehrt
36. Wohl taugte dir nicht die thör'ge Maid
37. Du zeugtest ein edles Geschlecht
38. Leb' wohl, du kühnes, herrliches Kind!
39. Der Augen leuchtendes Paar
40. Loge hör'! lausche hieher!
Customer Reviews
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4.4
Based on 5 reviews
✓ Top Reviewer
United States
Excellent Performance, Now on Better Sound!
This is an update to the review for the original issue I wrote back in 2021. The performance itself is very fine, especially considering the circumstances under which it was performed. As John and Mark relate below, Fliether was a last minute substitute for Hotter. He arrived during the intermission between Acts 1 and 2 and went right on stage (Gwyneth Jones encountered a similar situation years later in another production of this opera). The man must've had nerves of steel; you'd never guess at the harrowing circumstances going by his performance which is beautifully sung and acted.As I wrote in my previous review the other cast members (including the Walküren in Act 3) are top notch. There are a few tape burbles in each act, but nothing that lasts long; the pitch of the tape is also dead on.If you love Walküre you should have this.
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✓ Verified Buyer
United States
Pleasant surprise
To be honest I bought the set for Ernst Kozub (and he made me wish Siegmund was a longer role). I’d never heard of Dvorakova, or of Fliether—and I was pleasantly surprised with both of them. Sound is fine.
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✓ Top Reviewer
United States
Good Performances, Good Sound
I got this mostly to have a Walkure with Dvorakova as I have recordings with her as the other two Brunnhildes. She doesn't disappoint. The opening war cry has solid leaps to the top Bs and Cs. Since the rest of the role lies much lower, the soprano sounds more comfortable. She is very moving in the Todesverkundigung and in her pleas to her father in the next act. Bjoner is a good Sieglinde. Some will find her vibrato bordering on a wobble at times, but I've gotten used to that and appreciate her very much now. Kozub is an equally good Siegmund and Bohme a terrifying Hunding, no one you'd want to mess with. Veasey sings a scorching Fricka. I listened to her big scene twice in a row. Fliether literally saved the day, having no rehearsal for this production before being thrust onto the stage at the top of Act Two. He is very good with excellent diction and an attractive tone (not always the case with this role). The Valkyrie ochtet is superb: Covent Garden had some tremendously good singers on its roster at this time (look at those names!) Downes leads a good, if not particularly memorable performance.The sound is very good though there are a few minor and brief tape garbles in each act.
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John
I heard this performance live. Fliether was a Hamburg based company singer and was a last minute substitute as Wotan. He was still arriving in a taxi for the airport during the course of Act 1.the late Sir Edward Downes was a noted Wagner conductor and usually took over the Second Ccycle from Solti when Covent Garden still did two cycles annually.
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Mark Hood
Hotter was to have sung Wotan on this night. He sang the Rheingold Wotan the previous night,with no sign of the throat infection that developed during that performance that caused him to cancel during the next day,calling for Herbert Fliether to save the performance.That Rheingold (2nd Oct) was Hotter’s final performance at covent garden after singing there for 20 years.Covent Garden’s Wagner tradition goes back a long way – it only seems to be more during the Solti era because of the amount of broadcasts still extant.I would suggest that the quality of the performances was even better during the 50′s than during the Solti regime.First with Rankl then Stiedry, Kempe and Konwitschny to finish the decade was,for me, the defining period for the Ring.Add to that Kubelik and Goodall with Meistersinger and Barbirolli and Schmidt-Isserstedt with Tristan – Kempe with Parsifal.The 50′s were Covent Garden’s golden Age.
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