COMPOSERS: Wagner
LABELS: Testament
PERFORMER: Hans Hotter, Gustav Neidlinger,Rudolf Lustig, Ludwig Weber, ToniBlankenheim, Maria von Ilosvay,Josef Greindl; Bayreuth FestivalOrchestra/Joseph Keilberth
Testament’s latest instalment in their 1955 Ring, recorded by Decca in vivid stereo but never released due to contractual clashes with EMI, confirms this as the finest Bayreuth cycle on record – even with one possible reservation.
Keilberth’s conducting combines fluent lyricism with dramatic thrust to gripping effect, with finer orchestral playing than Walküre and superb casting, in Rheingold’s three pivotal roles especially.
Hans Hotter, in his prime, is a magnificent Wotan, rich and resonant, radiating the younger god’s arrogance but tempering it, as his successors too often forget to, with the inherent nobility whose corruption defines the entire tragedy.
Gustav Neidlinger simply is Alberich, an intense, definitive incarnation unmatched on record, slightly less detailed than for Solti but with even more whiplash malice and dark vocal grandeur.
If Rudolf Lustig’s Loge is less exalted, his nice line in lyrical sliminess confirms how much this role gains from a Heldentenor voice. Without doubt, the Rhinemaidens are among the freshest on record, Ludwig Weber and Josef Greindl solid Giants, and the gods more than adequate, especially Toni Blankenheim’s Donner and Maria von Ilosvay’s Erda. So what’s the problem?
The ‘rushing sound’ mentioned in Mike Ashman’s notes as occurring during the Nibelheim transitions, but in fact a highly audible background throughout the entire scene.
This surely results not, as he suggests, from the electronic instrument Testament’s latest instalment in their 1955 Ring, recorded by Decca in vivid stereo but never released due to contractual clashes with EMI, confirms this as the finest Bayreuth cycle on record – even with one possible reservation.
Keilberth’s conducting combines fluent lyricism with dramatic thrust to gripping effect, with finer orchestral playing than Walküre and superb casting, in Rheingold’s three pivotal roles especially.
Hans Hotter, in his prime, is a magnificent Wotan, rich and resonant, radiating the younger god’s arrogance but tempering it, as his successors too often forget to, with the inherent nobility whose corruption defines the entire tragedy. Gustav Neidlinger simply is Alberich, an intense, definitive incarnation unmatched on record, slightly less detailed than for Solti but with even more whiplash malice and dark vocal grandeur.
If Rudolf Lustig’s Loge is less exalted, his nice line in lyrical sliminess confirms how much this role gains from a Heldentenor voice. Without doubt, the Rhinemaidens are among the freshest on record, Ludwig Weber and Josef Greindl solid Giants, and the gods more than adequate, especially Toni Blankenheim’s Donner and Maria von Ilosvay’s Erda.
So what’s the problem? The ‘rushing sound’ mentioned in Mike Ashman’s notes as occurring during the Nibelheim transitions, but in fact a highly audible background throughout the entire scene.
This surely results not, as he suggests, from the electronic instrument synthesizing the anvils, but from Bayreuth’s famous smoke and fire generators, which research confirms were a major feature of this scene. Personally, this and other stage noises don’t bother me, simply adding to the live atmosphere; but it is worth considering.