• The greatest Opera Recordings

    From ggggg9271@gmail.com@21:1/5 to wagnerfan on Sat Apr 11 15:47:52 2020
    On Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 11:57:31 AM UTC-8, wagnerfan wrote:
    For me, the list is very small one. One needs either perfect casting
    and conducting - or a recording with some weaker elements but others
    so strong they define the work.
    In the first category I would put

    Tosca EMI 1953 - which has all the prinicpals in the best forms of
    their short primes under a superb conductor who recorded too little.

    Gotterdammerung Decca 1964 - wonderful casting from top to bottom at a
    time which was not known for great Wagner singing in stupendous sound
    under a conductor who may not be my favorite but is dramatic and
    exciting.

    Walkure Act One EMI 1935 - better than other Walkure Act One I have
    heard recoerded or live - Wagner singing at which one can only shake
    one's head in wonder today under a great Wagner conductor and the
    prewar Vienna Philharmonic.

    In the second category I would put

    Tristan und Isolde EMI 1952- the subsidiary casting could be better
    and the Tristan as well but the combination of Flagstad and
    Furtwangler brings us for pages here and there the essence of this
    work.

    Nozze - a weak Count but the whole ensemble represents a now gone
    Vienna tradition under one of the great Mozart conductors.

    Any other ideas???? Wagner Fan

    Do you like CARMEN?:

    https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.music.classical.recordings/SfvHCNGI9-Q

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  • From gggg gggg@21:1/5 to wagnerfan on Thu Aug 18 00:01:09 2022
    On Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 11:57:31 AM UTC-8, wagnerfan wrote:
    For me, the list is very small one. One needs either perfect casting
    and conducting - or a recording with some weaker elements but others
    so strong they define the work.
    In the first category I would put

    Tosca EMI 1953 - which has all the prinicpals in the best forms of
    their short primes under a superb conductor who recorded too little.

    Gotterdammerung Decca 1964 - wonderful casting from top to bottom at a
    time which was not known for great Wagner singing in stupendous sound
    under a conductor who may not be my favorite but is dramatic and
    exciting.

    Walkure Act One EMI 1935 - better than other Walkure Act One I have
    heard recoerded or live - Wagner singing at which one can only shake
    one's head in wonder today under a great Wagner conductor and the
    prewar Vienna Philharmonic.

    In the second category I would put

    Tristan und Isolde EMI 1952- the subsidiary casting could be better
    and the Tristan as well but the combination of Flagstad and
    Furtwangler brings us for pages here and there the essence of this
    work.

    Nozze - a weak Count but the whole ensemble represents a now gone
    Vienna tradition under one of the great Mozart conductors.

    Any other ideas???? Wagner Fan

    Concerning TOSCA, the August 2022 issue of Gramophone ranks another recording of that opera even higher.

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  • From gggg gggg@21:1/5 to wagnerfan on Fri Jan 6 17:50:50 2023
    On Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 11:57:31 AM UTC-8, wagnerfan wrote:
    For me, the list is very small one. One needs either perfect casting
    and conducting - or a recording with some weaker elements but others
    so strong they define the work.
    In the first category I would put

    Tosca EMI 1953 - which has all the prinicpals in the best forms of
    their short primes under a superb conductor who recorded too little.

    Gotterdammerung Decca 1964 - wonderful casting from top to bottom at a
    time which was not known for great Wagner singing in stupendous sound
    under a conductor who may not be my favorite but is dramatic and
    exciting.

    Walkure Act One EMI 1935 - better than other Walkure Act One I have
    heard recoerded or live - Wagner singing at which one can only shake
    one's head in wonder today under a great Wagner conductor and the
    prewar Vienna Philharmonic.

    In the second category I would put

    Tristan und Isolde EMI 1952- the subsidiary casting could be better
    and the Tristan as well but the combination of Flagstad and
    Furtwangler brings us for pages here and there the essence of this
    work.

    Nozze - a weak Count but the whole ensemble represents a now gone
    Vienna tradition under one of the great Mozart conductors.

    Any other ideas???? Wagner Fan

    (Upcoming radio program):

    https://www.wfmt.com/2023/01/08/my-favorite-operatic-recordings

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