Wagner: Rienzi (Excerpts)

Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen, opera, WWV 49 Overture
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Berlin State Choir
Conducted by Johannes Schuler
Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen, opera, WWV 49 Act 1. Rienzi! Rienzi!... Erstehe, hohe Roma, neu!
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Berlin State Choir
with Max Lorenz
Conducted by Johannes Schuler
Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen, opera, WWV 49 Act 2. Ihr Römer, hört die Kunde
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Berlin State Choir
Conducted by Johannes Schuler
Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen, opera, WWV 49 Act 2. Rienzi! Auf! Schützt den Tribun!
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Berlin State Choir
Conducted by Johannes Schuler
Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen, opera, WWV 49 Act 2. Den Heil'gen Dank! Er ist allein
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Berlin State Choir
with Margarete Klose
Conducted by Johannes Schuler
Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen, opera, WWV 49 Act 2. Euch Edlen, dieses Volk verzeiht
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Berlin State Choir
with Max Lorenz
Conducted by Johannes Schuler
Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen, opera, WWV 49 Act 3. Gerechter Gott, so ist's entschieden schon!
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Berlin State Choir
with Margarete Klose
Conducted by Johannes Schuler
Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen, opera, WWV 49 Act 3. Der Tag ist da, die Stunde naht!
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Berlin State Choir
with Max Lorenz
Conducted by Johannes Schuler
Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen, opera, WWV 49 Act 5. Allmächt'ger Vater, blick herab!
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Berlin State Choir
with Max Lorenz
Conducted by Johannes Schuler
Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen, opera, WWV 49 Act 5. Verläßt die Kirche mich, zu deren Preis
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Berlin State Choir
with Hilde Scheppan, Max Lorenz
Conducted by Johannes Schuler
Tristan und Isolde, opera, WWV 90 Die alte Weise, was weckt sie mich
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Berlin State Opera Orchestra
with Jaro Prohaska, Max Lorenz
Conducted by Robert Heger
Tristan und Isolde, opera, WWV 90 Das Schiff
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Berlin State Opera Orchestra
with Jaro Prohaska, Paula Buchner, Max Lorenz
Conducted by Robert Heger
Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), opera, WWV 86b Friedmund darf ich nicht heißen
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Dresdden Kreuzchor
with Kurt Bohme, Margarete Teschemacher, Max Lorenz
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff
Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), opera, WWV 86b Ein Schwert verhieß mir der Vater
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Dresdden Kreuzchor
with Max Lorenz
Conducted by Karl Elmendorff
Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), opera, WWV 86b Dich selige Frau
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
with Maria Reining, Max Lorenz
Conducted by Artur Rother

Wagner: Rienzi (Excerpts),Jaro Prohaska,Kurt Böhme,Richard Wagner,Artur Rother,Johannes Schuler,Karl Elmendorff,Robert Heger,Berliner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester,Berliner Staatskapelle,Berliner Staatsopernorchester,Dresden State Opera Orchestra,Dresdner Kreuzchor,Staatskapelle Berlin,Margarete Teschemacher,Maria Reining,Paula Buchner,Max Lorenz,Hilde Scheppan,Margarete Klose,Enterprise,Classical,German/Austrian Romantic Opera,Opera,Opera / Operetta / Oratorio

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Story Of Wagner In Words And Music

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
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ASIN: B000001KD3
Release Date: 1995-04-16

Tracks:

The Mastersingers: Prelude
Lohengrin: Prelude To Act III
Faust: Overture
The Mastersingers: 'Awake!'
The Mastersingers: 'Mad, All The World Is Mad'
The Fairies: Overture
Siegfried: Forest Murmurs
The Mastersingers: Act III Quintet
Rienzi: Overture
The Flying Dutchman: Overture
Tannhaeuser: Pilgrim's Chorus
Tannhaeuser: Overture
Gotterdammerung (Twilight Of The Gods): Siegfried's Rhine Journey
Tannhaeuser: Song Of The Evening Star
Lohengrin: Bridal Chorus
Tristan und Isolde: Love-Death
Tannhaeuser: Venusberg Music
Lohengrin: Prelude To Act I
The Mastersingers: Prelude
The Mastersingers: Prize Song
The Mastersingers: Beckmesser And Sachs Duet In Act II
The Valkyrie: The Ride Of The Valkyries
Gotterdammerung: Siegfred's Rhine Journey
Siegfried: Siegfried Idyll
Parsifal: Good Friday Spell
Gotterdammerung: Siegfred's Funeral Music
Tannhaeuser: Overture
Lohengrin: Preludes To Act I And III, And Bridal Chorus

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Absolutely complete. Get it now.

Wagner: Rienzi

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Meyerbeer: Semiramide
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Start-Up at the New Met: The Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts, 1966-1976

ASIN: B000EGEKS8
Release Date: 2006-02-28

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely complete. Get it now........2006-03-02

Richard Wagner's third opera, Rienzi, der Letzte Tribun, was never given complete in the composer's lifetime. Even the overture has three sections that never made it into print. This performance includes the first of those cuts, and absolutely everything else from the rise of the curtain on. That's why it is 4 cds at a more than reasonable price.
Past recordings have either been composites of two or more performances or the EMI recording. There aren't others to choose from. EMI had Rene Kollo as Rienzi. He's in good form, as are all of the other singers (except Siv Wennberg, who tries but ultimately ends up painfully sliding through some high tessitura). The performance "sounds" good, but it is just too studio bound. Everyone was giving a good recital of what they had learned, but they don't have much of a clue as to what is going on dramatically. Hollreiser is the conductor of that, and it's on his shoulders that the problem lies. Everyone needed a stronger hand because the opera is, frankly, never given. The recording follows the Eulenberg score. That score may be long, but it has many cuts, and the recording made a couple of more besides.
That recording was already passe when it came out because this performance had already taken place. It includes so much more music! And it is delivered with so much more understanding and panache! John Mitchinson is incredible as Rienzi - and the role makes Siegfried look desirable. He is noble, angry, loving and, ultimately fatalistic. He is surrounded by singers who, if less well known than those on the EMI, have done their homework. They shape phrases to great effect and the whole builds to a great fifth act. Act one runs over an hour, act two just at 90 minutes, act three and four at 50 minutes each, and act five tags in at around 15 minutes. This is Wagner trying to outdo Meyerbeer. Heard cut, the opera does this in the most banal way. Heard uncut, as here, the opera unfolds with some indication of the powerful music Wagner would write soon - Flying Dutchman was next. All Wagner lovers should be standing in line for this one.
(This review is based on an earlier, pirated tape copy. A few minor sound problems encountered on that tape are presumably rectified here.)

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Very Disappointing
A wonderful CD

Ten Tenors in Prayer

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Larger Than Life
Here's to the Heroes
Tenology
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Tenology - the Best of So Far

ASIN: B000007QGV
Release Date: 1998-09-15

Tracks:

Ave Maria
Herodiade: Adieu donc, vains objets
Ave Maria
A Plea To God
Stabat Mater: Cujus animam
Die Allmacht
Panis angelicus
Ave Maria
Ave Maria
Eili, Eili
Requiem: Ingemisco
Sigismondo: Misero me! Mi sento tutto gelar: Giusto ciel!
Le Cid: Ah! Tout est bien fini!: O Souverain,o Juge, o Pere
Rienzi: Allmacht'ger Vater
The Lord's Prayer

Customer Reviews:

Very Disappointing.......2007-02-16

The sound quality is worse than an old, scratched vinyl record. Music is boring and old. Extremely disappointing.

A wonderful CD.......2001-11-21

I picked this CD up because it was a compilation of some of the most beautiful pieces of music sung by the world's greatest tenors. The CD has 4 different versions of "Ave Maria" alone, and is finished by Mario Lanza singing "The Lord's Prayer." This CD is a must-have for anyone who loves "soulful" singing by great voices.

Tracks:

Rienzi: Overture
Overture
Overture
Lohengrin: Prelude to Act I
Lohengrin: Prelude to Act III
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Prelude to Act I
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Prelude to Act III
Die Walkure: The Ride of the Valkyries

Tracks:

TRISTAN & ISOLDE - Prelude to Act I
TRISTAN & ISOLDE - Introduction to Act III (Massig Langsam)
TRISTAN & ISOLDE - Liebestodt
SIEGFRIED - Siegfried-Idyll
GOTTERDAMMERUNG - Orchestral Interlude: Siegfried's Rhine Journey
PARSIFAL
PARSIFAL - Good Friday Music

Amazon.com

This is a dazzling collection of nonvocal excerpts from Wagner's operas, from the peace and loveliness of Rafael Kubelik's Siegfried Idyll to the passionate, disturbed Prelude to the first act of Tristan, led by Karl Bohm, and the wild Ride of the Valkyries, with Herbert von Karajan in a particularly rambunctious mood. Other highlights in the two and a half hours of music are transcendent readings of two Parsifal excerpts by Eugen Jochum and the Bavarian Radio Orchestra and a Flying Dutchman set. But couldn't DG have tried to include some information about anything in their teeny paper insert? --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-02-13

I grew up listening to all kinds of music. I must say that listiening to this CD is a wonderful change to today's music. It is relaxing and soothing.

The Only Truly Memorable Tracks On This 2 Disc Album Are Jochum's Parsifal Pieces.......2006-11-06

Many reviewers are stating that this is some sort of great introduction to Wagner, when I think they are not aware of many other terrific orchestral Wagner CDs. EMI has recently released an outstanding CD by Karajan of various Wagner preludes and overtures from the non "Ring" operas. That CD is part of EMI's "Great Recordings of the Century" catalogue and it's also available in the "Karajan Collection". Two different pressings, exact same thing.

To get some juicy "Ring" selections, you should investigate George Szell's oustanding CD on Sony Essential Classics which is uniquely captivating as far as orchestral excerpts from the Ring operas go.

Getting back to this DG Double, here is my rundown of all the tracks. The Rienzi Overture is done well by Karl Bohm but it's nothing remarkable. The Flying Duthchman also conducted by Bohm is played with gusto, pretty good. The Tannhauser Overture is an extremely dull run-through by Otto Gerdes, what a nightmare! Listen to Solti instead to get the full power of this terrific piece! The Lohengrin preludes by Kubelik lack the dreamy mysticism and rich power of Karajan's versions on EMI. The preludes to Die Meistersinger are played by Bohm and Jochum, Bohm is too relaxed and slow in the prelude to Act 1 but Jochum finds more life in the prelude to act 3. The ultra-famous "Ride of the Valkyries" is played by Karajan, an excerpt from his complete set of the Ring and yes the soprano soloists are on display here. It's a good account but hardly matches the excitement of Solti's version from his complete Ring recording.

The second CD opens up with powerful excerpts from Tristan and Isolde played by Bohm, the prelude and Act 3 intro are taken from his famous Bayreuth set with Birgit Nilsson. Nilsson however is not represented in the final Liebestod, instead a later, not very passionate Bohm recording is tacked on. The Siegfried Idyll is conducted by Kubelik and is not very memorable, certainly lacking the romantic abandon of the famous Karajan versions. Siegfried's Rhine Journey from Gotterdammerung is led by Karajan and sounds great.

Finally we get to the best part of this 2CD package, Eugen Jochum's performances of the Prelude and Good Friday Music from Wagner's final masterpiece, Parsifal. Both sound highly involved and deeply spiritual, the sound is great for something that was recorded way back in 1957. The brass get a bit edgy but it's not much of a worry, the readings are exceptional.

If you're a Wagner newbie, this 2CD set might satisfy you but I recommend you go and buy that EMI Karajan CD and the Ring excerpts by Szell, listen to those and you'll be well on your way to tackling a full opera. The most accessible opera to start with is Lohengrin.

A Thing of Beauty.......2006-06-17

I am not overly fond of opera but there are exceptions. This album is such an exception. I suppose that is because there is little to be heard in the way of singing on it. I like it for the instrumental passages and they are wonderful.

As the title suggests, these are primarily overtures and preludes. They are not as bombastic as Wagner is wont to be but they are very strong. They are evocative of beauty and majesty. It is good orchestral music.

The performances included are all from Germanic orchestras. This music is a part of the culture and it is well done. If I have one complaint, it is a minor one. The pianissimo passages are sometimes so soft as to not be present. They are...understated in the extreme.

All in all, this is a quality recording capable of producing hours of enjoyment from its two disks.

It's OK.......2006-03-20

I judge this CD for it's sound quality - very good. The Wagner's music it's not really my type of music, therefore I can't say it's a poor CD. If the music is just OK is not the CD's fault. Simply my taste doesn't match Wagner's music.

Falls short of being great........2006-02-01

I'm surprised that all of the other reviewers neglected to mention the shortcomings of this set. Without Siegfried's Funeral March from Die Gotterdammerung and coupled with the fact that the liner notes stink, this is well deserving of 2 stars, but I was generous. Get the EMI set "Orchestral Music" with Szell conducting which has everything that this collection has plus Siegfried's Funeral March, good liner notes and extra selections.

Wagner: Rienzi/Tannhäuser/Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg/Lohengrin

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Wagner Overtures
Stingy timing, average performances
Incomplete
An essential Wagner recording
Marvelous performances

Wagner: Rienzi/Tannhäuser/Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg/Lohengrin

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
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ASIN: B000001GH5
Release Date: 1993-04-13

Tracks:

Rienzi, The Last Of The Tribunes: Overture
Tannhauser: Overture And Venusberg Music
The Mastersingers Of Nuremberg: Prelude To Act I
Lohengrin: Prelude To Act 3
The Flying Dutchman: Overture

Customer Reviews:

Wagner Overtures.......2007-02-12

The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra are at there best in this recording as they are in their recording of "Pictures at an Exhibition."
It is delightful.

Stingy timing, average performances.......2005-12-12

This rather stingily filled CD (at 60 min. they could easily have given us the Prelude to Act I of Lohengrin, not just to Act III) finds Levine in his familiar role as a baffling Wagner conductor. I have heard him live quite often, to thrilling effect in the Ring, Meistersinger, Tristan, and the Flying Dutchman. But he has consistently let me down on disc. Here we get lackluster, often slack readings of Wagner chestnuts. No single performance stands out in any way, although the Rienzi is especially dull. I think if Levine remade this recording today instead of in 1991 we would hear more incisive, committed performances. The orchestra nad recording are fine, although one can't honestly say that this ensemble sounds the equal of the best European philharmonics. All in all, this one is missable.

Incomplete.......2002-01-17

I will only focus on one aspect of this album, for which I purchased it primarily. I looked to this recording for the Overture to Tannhauser. Consequently, I was shocked to discover that James Levine and the Metropolitan do not play the entire overture. Instead, they work through the first two expositions of the pilgrims chorus, and skip the final statement, which is, of course the most expressive and beautiful.

The label really ought to say that the overture as it appears on this album is but an excerpt. Perhaps I am being too critical, but if any listener likes the entire overture to Tannhauser, especially the sweeping strings and triumphant horns in its highest moments, they must stay away from this album. For those that know how Wagner ought to be played (without cutting parts simply because they are a few minutes too long), it is a shameful display. I really expected more from such a superb label as Deutsche-Grammophon.

I will say the playing is quite superb, but what does it matter when the best parts of a piece are left out? James Levine was given an opportunity to shine, and turned it down instead to work through a basic theme, not seeing it to its end.

An essential Wagner recording.......2001-10-09

This is a recording of outstanding quality both in terms of the sound and the performance. The MET orchestra is pretty unbelievable here in their ability to project so much character into the music. It is almost possible to picture Levine smiling as he conducts here as the music shines throughout. It is virtually impossible to hear this Rienzi and not be moved, same thing with Tannhauser and The Flying Dutchman. In my opinion this recording should stand with some of the great Wagner recordings of all time. Levine here certainly rivals Karajan, Solti and Bohm in his feel for this music. Karajan's 1987 Vienna Tannhauser may be slightly more nuanced but was not blessed with as superb sound as Levine. A first rate disc.

Marvelous performances.......2000-04-19

I heard the first track on this CD -- the overature to Rienzi, a work I have heard and performed many times -- on the local FM classical station, and I couldn't believe what I was listening to. Levine does things with tempo and with dynamics that are absolutely magical. I bought the CD to affirm what I thought I heard. The rest of the performance is as good as the first track. If you like Wagner, BUY THIS CD!

Average customer rating:

Healthy chunks of Wagner...
A great Wagner collection from Stokowski in his nineties

Wagner: Orchestral Works

Manufacturer: RCA
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ASIN: B0000DBDMV
Release Date: 2004-01-13

Customer Reviews:

Healthy chunks of Wagner..........2007-02-20

This near 80min. budget/German compilation, comprises of most of Meastro Stokowski's RCA/BMG stereo recorded Wagner output, from 1961-1974. The 2003 German remastering engineers do not add any significant sound enhancement to what were considered state of the art recordings from their era. Furthermore some of the tracks are either coarse or too heavy in the bass, requiring treble bass adjustments. Stokowski's great interpretation of "Ride of the Valkyries", with sopranos and contralto performers is included. My old LP of the same recording was just as thrilling. Included are orchestral excerpts from each of the "Ring" operas, as well as the Romanesque overture to "Rienzi". The disc is poorly annotated not even mentioning Stokowski's idiosyncrasies of interpretation, instrumentation, and tempo. So, the whole project has a half-hearted faceless effort put on it. Add a star if your a true die-hard Stokowski fan.

A great Wagner collection from Stokowski in his nineties.......2005-12-18

Stokowski grew to be very old but never venerable. Capable of chasing secretaries around his desk at 94, what problems could Wagner pose? None--these recordings from London (1973-74) when the conductor was only 91 and 92 are vigorous, sweeping, immensely enjoyable performances. RCA has bounced this material around in several previous releases, and the sound was always spectacular. Both the LSO and Royal Phil. sound terrific, and without wallowing in the sonic Mardi Gras of Phase 4 Stereo, the kind he got form Decca during this period, this CD throws the music at us, as Stokowski himself did.

As to the famous Stokowski penchant for taffy-pulling, his tempos are almost straight here, and when he does lean into the rubato, as in the Tristan Prelude and Liebestod, one feels the ghost of Wagner smiling down. Stokowski must be his kindred spirit for romantic fervor. Five stars for a cllection rivalled only by Furtwangler, Karajan, and Klemperer (really).

WAGNER: The Complete Overtures and Orchestral Music from the Operas

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WAGNER: The Complete Overtures and Orchestral Music from the Operas
Yuri Simonov , Francesco D'Avalos , and London Philharmonia Orchestra
Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005MLXT
Release Date: 2001-06-12

Average customer rating:

Mostly minor, mostly attractive, early Wagner

Wagner: Overtures

Manufacturer: Naxos
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ASIN: B0001Z65J4
Release Date: 2004-06-15

Tracks:

Rienzi
Konig Enzio (King Enzio)
Dos Liebesverbot ( The Ban On Love)
Die Feen (The Fairies)
Christoph Columbus
Faust

Customer Reviews:

Mostly minor, mostly attractive, early Wagner.......2004-08-06

This is an interesting and worthwhile disk of Wagner rarities, offering the _Rienzi_, _König Enzio_, _Das Liebesverbot_, _Die Feen_, _Christolph Columbus_ and _Faust_ overtures.

These are mostly minor pieces, and mostly attractive, as well as being fascinating products of a brash young genius learning his trade. The _Rienzi_ overture is the best-known piece, and perhaps the least "minor". Still, the best piece here is probably the _Faust_ overture. This tautly dramatic piece imitates Beethoven and Weber, as Wagner does in most of his early work, but also establishes an interesting darkness in harmony, and reveals skill in building up tension, which shows Wagner starting to find his own voice. Wagner said that it was with the _Faust_ overture that he first "became Wagner", and he was right. (By the way the cover gives the Faust overture's timing as 12 minutes, 19 seconds. Actually it's 12' 15". It's not that there are four seconds of music missing from the CD; it's just a misprint.)

The best disk of early Wagner overtures I know is from a two-CD set by Marek Janowski. One CD, with the French Radio Phil, offers mainstream Wagner excerpts from _Tannhäuser_, _Tristan_, _Lohengrin_ and _Meistersinger_, plus _Siegfried Idyll_, all very well played. But disk 2, with the London Symphony Orchestra, offers some rarities: the _Kaisermarsch_, the _Faust Overture_, the _Huldigungsmarsch_, the _Die Feen_ overture, the _American Centennial March_ and the _Das Liebesverbot_ overture. Janowski's may be the best account of the _Faust_ overture (also performed by Rahbari on this Naxos disk) that I know of. Janowski also offers better versions of the _Die Feen_ and _Das Liebesverbot_ overtures, while the versions in the Sawallisch complete recordings of these two early Wagner operas are better still. But the Rahbari/Malaga Phil performances of each of these pieces are still perfectly satisfactory in every way.

And, still with other performances of Wagner rarities, the world premier recording of the _König Enzio_ overture, also on this Naxo disk, was released in 2001 by the Robert Schumann Philharmonic Chemnitz under Oleg Caetani. That also offers a better performance than the Malaga Phil under Rahbari, though Rahbari and crew are perfectly good. The Caetani disk is worth having not only for the _König Enzio_ overture, which at the time wasn't available elsewhere, but also for the original version of Wagner's Prelude to Tannhäuser_ Act III, which is longer and more complex, and in my opinion better, than the better known, later, version. In more familiar territory the Caetani disk also offers a rattling good _Fliegende Holländer_ overture, and good performances of the _Lohengrin_ Acts I and III preludes, the _Tannhäuser_ overture, a "Walkürenritt" and the _Meistersinger_ overture.

So where Rahbari and the Malaga Phil duplicate these earlier disks, the performances are good but not quite as good. But this is still a great collection of Wagner rarities, on which every piece is well played.

Moreover, as far as I know Rahbari offers the only performance of the _Christolph Columbus_ overture on the market. This is an attractive piece, with a lot of heroic trumpeting about and a couple of "bold mariner" type themes, competently handled by the young Wagner. By the way, Cosima's Diary notes that Wagner once heard Rubinstein playing an arrangement of Mendelsohnn's _Calm Seas and Prosperous Voyage_ overture, and remarked [quote from memory], "that's my _Christolph Columbus_ overture! What a thief I was as a young man!"

While I'd agree with Wagner that his younger self pinched ideas from all over the place, and the older composer was still prepared to help himself to the odd good thing, on this particular occasion I think Wagner accused himself falsely. Both overtures are excellent, but they are two independent pieces of music.

I strongly recommend this disk, especially at the Naxos price, to people wanting to explore some early, mostly minor but mostly attractive, Wagner.

Cheers!

Laon

Average customer rating:

The vanishing pianist!
A Forgotten Master of the Keyboard
Nyiregyhazi--A Fallen Golden Age Hero
Nyiregyhazi still the master.

Nyiregyhazi at the Opera

Manufacturer: Video Artists Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Liszt: 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies Played by 19 Great Pianists
Georges Cziffra Plays Chopin, Liszt & Franck (EMI Classic Archive)
Volodos Plays Liszt

ASIN: B000003LIE
Release Date: 1995-03-28

Tracks:

Rienzi and Lohengrin
Un Ballo in Maschera
Il Travatore
Verdi - Otello (with interpolated 'Pagliacci')
Eugene Onegin
Pagliacci

Customer Reviews:

The vanishing pianist!.......2005-03-04

I had the enormous fortune to get two vynil records of this supreme pianist in the middle seventies and I am still amazed why his name means less than nothing for a great audience. This case is possibly unique in the music, when in the middle of his raising and promising career, he simply decided to vanish in the early twenties to re appear in 1973 with two admirable recordings.

From the first moment I listened him playing Liszt's Third Rhapsody and his own transcription about Lisz 's Sinfonic poem: Hamlet I never believed the monumental status, the powerful expressiveness , enormous musicality and above all an outstanding sense of the span he got.

No other piano artist in the music has made to sing the piano as Wilhem Kempff did it, but Nyireghihazi was very close to him; owner of a refined technique and his octaves literally will invade you and never let you indifferent.

Thanks to the efforts of notable voices and supreme authorities in this subject -as Harold Schoenberg for instance- has been possible to us , to enjoy and admire the supreme excellence of this singular pianist.

Please run and ask for this recording, because Erwin has been to my mind the greatest Hungarian pianist never born after Liszt, and one of the keyboard giants of the past Century.

A Forgotten Master of the Keyboard.......2003-01-10

Wonderfull pianism and beautiful music to boot. This pianist was a different breed and the music he made and recorded are different from most--some say too different -- but I personally find his music very good. This album of his music of opera is typical of his style--not just a piano player, but an interpter and pilot of the keyboard. He probably never played the same piece twice the same way. If you can listen to the LPs( and I happen to have the 2 LP set from Columbia ), the music from Listz on that LP is out of this world and I have never heard such piano music making. I say music making because that is what it is, music making, not just music playing. The same inspiration and spirit can be found in these opera works. It certainly helps to have some introduction to this man's style and background before you hear the opera CD. I rate it very high ( 4 to 4 1/2 stars) and only wish there was more of this music.

Nyiregyhazi--A Fallen Golden Age Hero.......2001-11-07

Ervin Nyiregyhazi (1903-1987) was one of the rare pianists who could hold an audience in his spell. Unfortunately, the CBS Masterworks recordings from around 1976 are a little eccentric for most of our faint-hearted listeners, who like obvious musical choices that are cliched and somewhat boring. Nevertheless, while these present recordings of transcriptions by the controversial pianist are occasionally bizarre and wilful, there is a magnificent feeling of chance-taking that is rare among recorded artists today. Listen to the pellucid tone in the Wagner excerpts, and the overwhelming power and majesty of some of the pianism in the Verdi Trovatore excerpt. The Tschaikowsky is also colossal in scale, the Lensky theme never sounding more beautiful or monumental. If only there were more recordings of this man, perhaps we could have a clearer idea of his talent. But alas, we only have a few hours of recorded bits, and almost none of it is well-known repertoire. Still, if Sony has some sense of history, perhaps they can release the 1970s albums once again onto CD, as well as some unreleased material. (There is sure to be more of this!) But now we must content ourselves with this fascinating, yet flawed, aural experience from a dissolute, dipsomaniacal diva of the keyboard.

Nyiregyhazi still the master........2000-03-11

Nyiregyhazi has rightfully been called Franz Liszt reincarnated. Here we finally get to hear again his legendary piano style (he was considered the greatest pianist of the early part of this century when he left the concert stage and disappeared) with absolutely haunting compositions of his own versions of some very popular pieces of music. He is a very fine composer, indeed, and we can only hope for more recordings by this master. This recording is an absolute must for piano lovers, Liszt lovers, music lovers and just a real treat.

Average customer rating:

The ultimate Wagner orchestral music
Magical
5 stars for Klemp and Wagner!
Excellent
"Mistah Klemps" is a Winner, Here!

Wagner: Orchestral Music
Richard Wagner , Otto Klemperer , and Philharmonia Orchestra
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Wagner: Orchestral Music
Wagner: Extracts from the operas
EMI Great Recordings of Century - Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1-4/Klemperer
Beethoven: Fidelio
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

ASIN: B00006I0AU
Release Date: 2002-09-17

Tracks:

Overture
Overture
Act.3/Prelude
Act.1/Prelude
Act.3/Prelude
Prelude
Act.3: Dance Of The Apprentices & Entry Of The Masters
Act.1/Prelude

Tracks:

Overture
Scene 4: Entry Of The Gods Into Valhalla
Act.3: Ride Of The Valkyries
Siegfried-Idyll
Act.2: Forest Murmurs
Interlude: Siegfried's Rhine Journey
Act.3: Siegfried's Funeral March
Prelude

Customer Reviews:

The ultimate Wagner orchestral music.......2006-02-05

I have these CDs for almost 15 years before they became a 2-CD set and still play them regularly. Got to know Wagner from the classical Furtwangler cycle, for many the best Wagner music ever recorded. Although Furtwangler is exceptional I do not think that it can surpass these accounts of Klemperer's Wagner. The sound of my CDs is not that great (something that probably has been fixed in these CDs) but the music is illumining in every instance. If you listen to this Tannhuaser you will understand what I am talking about. The Philharmonia Orchestra under Klemperer works miracles as always. A must have for every music-lover, even if you hate Wagner.

Magical.......2005-03-15

I've loved and cherished these performances for nearly 35 years. Much has been said about Wagner's merits (or lack of them) for over a century and a half. When the music is played as Klemperer and his orchestra play it here, there's little doubt as to why The Master had such an enormous impact on so many in his time.

Just sample the Entry of the God's into Valhalla or Siegfried's Funeral March or the incandescent Prelude to Parsifal. They're among the most sublime, noble, and epic recordings of anything you'll ever hear. Rather sad that within the vast bulk of the recent film version of The Lord of the Rings there's not a single moment that equals these three short pieces. What's the point in all that we create these days if we can't plumb a depth now and then?

5 stars for Klemp and Wagner!.......2004-12-16

This set is indispensible for any Wagnerite or Klemperite! It contains glorious playing of the finest calibre, with much weight, energy and beauty.

A definite in anyone's collection.

Excellent.......2004-08-11

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Klemperer's interpretation of this music and, for the most part, the playing of the orchestra. However, when performing to such a high standard, the playing of the Philharmonia Orchestra should be seamless - as it frequently is. But there is alarming sloppiness on exposed wind entrances sometimes and even disunity on such exits, which make this wind-player's ears cringe.
Other than that, I joyfully recommend this recording along with James Levine's MET "Wagner Orchestral music" and "Wagner Overtures and Preludes", which have much of the same music in modern sound and with spotless technique in the orchestra. A comparison between the two interpretations is worthy; Klemperer's approach is spacious a deep, while Levine, though calling for similar tempi in many places, leans tremendously forward.
Summary: some inexcusable blurbs in the winds, but more than worth the price of admission overall.

"Mistah Klemps" is a Winner, Here!.......2004-04-03

As many others, I normally do not care for Wagnerian "bleeding chunks", but when performed as wonderfully as in these fabulous performances, I can more than merely accept them. To pick out some examples, the Meistersinger Prelude is taken surely at the broadest pace I have ever heard, but there is a lightness of touch and sunniness to the interpretation that is absolutely irresistable. Teh Tannhaeuser Overture is overwhelmingly majestic in the Pilgrims' Chorus and volatile in the Venusberg sections. Siegfried goes off on a surprisingly swift Rhine Journey, and the Funeral March has the kind of cataclismic force that Knappertsbusch brought to his famous 1951 Bayreuth performance. The Siegfried Idyll is performed in its original chamber group version, and has more charm than any other I have heard. And the Tristan Prelude and Liebestod has an urgency and sheer erotic impulse that not even Furtwaengler surpassed. These wonderful renditions make one regret that Big Otto never recorded any of the later Wagner Operas complete.

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