What are you listening to?

[Jose Echenique]

Seán mentioned this one recently so I have been listening to it over the weekend....

Unlike La Boheme and L´Elisir d´Amore which are fool-proof, Carmen is extremely difficult to bring off, it´s almost always ruined by singers or conductor.
The Solti version is, surprisingly, one of his best opera recordings (I sincerely think it´s better than any of his Wagner operas, the Ring included). This recording was originally meant for the greatest Carmen of our time, Teresa Berganza, who cancelled her participation after DECCA reduced the promised rehearsal time. Fortunately another very fine mezzo was at hand to substitute: Tatiana Troyanos, and I think she is splendid. Domingo and van Dam are great too, and especial praise should go to the early 70´s London Philharmonic who produce ravishing sounds. This is one of four recordings that I consider essential, the others are the early 1950´s Cluytens, the super elegant Beecham with an adorable Victoria de los Angeles in the title role, and my downright favourite, the Claudio Abbado version with Teresa Berganza in DG.
Still the Solti hasn´t age, it still sounds fantastic and is truly a great recording.

Thank you for the information Pepe as it is always nice to have some background knowledge.

What recordings of the Ring do you recommend Pepe or do you prefer individual performances of each work?

I am a big fan of the live Bayreuth Böhm Ring, it´s more "the real thing" than the manufactured Solti. I also like a lot the live Munich Sawallisch cycle in EMI for a more modern digital production, and if absolute top sound is the priority then the Baremboim in TELDEC.

[Seán]

Thank you for the information Pepe as it is always nice to have some background knowledge.

What recordings of the Ring do you recommend Pepe or do you prefer individual performances of each work?

I am a big fan of the live Bayreuth Böhm Ring, it´s more "the real thing" than the manufactured Solti. I also like a lot the live Munich Sawallisch cycle in EMI for a more modern digital production, and if absolute top sound is the priority then the Baremboim in TELDEC.

I have a copy of the Bayreuth Böhm Ring and aspire to getting a copy of Solti's complete cycle. I do have excerpts from his cycle and they are F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C, well it is Solti after all.

Fergus, you are welcome to borrow the Bayreuth Böhm Ring cycle, we'll talk soon.

[bombasticDarren]

Beethoven - String Quartet No.2 (Amadeus Quartet, Deutsche Grammophon)

[bombasticDarren]

Dukas - L'Apprenti sorcier (Guido Cantelli, Philharmonia Orchestra, EMI)

Franck - Symphony in D minor (Guido Cantelli, NBC Symphony Orchestra, EMI)

[Jose Echenique]

Thank you for the information Pepe as it is always nice to have some background knowledge.

What recordings of the Ring do you recommend Pepe or do you prefer individual performances of each work?

I am a big fan of the live Bayreuth Böhm Ring, it´s more "the real thing" than the manufactured Solti. I also like a lot the live Munich Sawallisch cycle in EMI for a more modern digital production, and if absolute top sound is the priority then the Baremboim in TELDEC.

I have a copy of the Bayreuth Böhm Ring and aspire to getting a copy of Solti's complete cycle. I do have excerpts from his cycle and they are F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C, well it is Solti after all.

Fergus, you are welcome to borrow the Bayreuth Böhm Ring cycle, we'll talk soon.

There´s a big difference in approach between the Böhm and Solti Rings. John Culshaw who produced the DECCA Ring was brought up in the 30´s and 40´s when radio melodramas were all the rage. He thinks of the audio Ring in those terms: a pre-TV all sound spectacle. Personally, I think his audio tricks have aged, and don´t wear well on repetition. The Solti Ring also suffers from endless edits, some quite audible, like in the Siegmund/Sieglinde duet. Böhm on the other hand gives you the Ring straight, as you will hear it in the theatre. Sometimes the live experience comes with a cost, like hearing the real vocal state of Windgassen in the theatre, in the Böhm he is often inaudible, whereas in the Solti he is more in the picture. But there are also considerable gains. Nilsson for example gives a far more commanding and inspired performance under Böhm´s sympathetic baton than in the DECCA. She never liked Solti nor Culshaw, probably because Culshaw adored Flagstad and all he did was talk about her. I have seen a few Ring cycles in New York, Vienna and Seattle. From my experience in the theatre it is Böhm who gives you what Wagner wrote.

[Seán]

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 9
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Otto Klemperer - conducting.

[fergus]

Thank you for the information Pepe as it is always nice to have some background knowledge.

What recordings of the Ring do you recommend Pepe or do you prefer individual performances of each work?

I am a big fan of the live Bayreuth Böhm Ring, it´s more "the real thing" than the manufactured Solti. I also like a lot the live Munich Sawallisch cycle in EMI for a more modern digital production, and if absolute top sound is the priority then the Baremboim in TELDEC.

I have a copy of the Bayreuth Böhm Ring and aspire to getting a copy of Solti's complete cycle. I do have excerpts from his cycle and they are F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C, well it is Solti after all.

Fergus, you are welcome to borrow the Bayreuth Böhm Ring cycle, we'll talk soon.

That would be great Seán and perhaps you could borrow my Solti in return to see if it persuades you to ultimately buying it.

[fergus]

There´s a big difference in approach between the Böhm and Solti Rings. John Culshaw who produced the DECCA Ring was brought up in the 30´s and 40´s when radio melodramas were all the rage. He thinks of the audio Ring in those terms: a pre-TV all sound spectacle. Personally, I think his audio tricks have aged, and don´t wear well on repetition. The Solti Ring also suffers from endless edits, some quite audible, like in the Siegmund/Sieglinde duet. Böhm on the other hand gives you the Ring straight, as you will hear it in the theatre. Sometimes the live experience comes with a cost, like hearing the real vocal state of Windgassen in the theatre, in the Böhm he is often inaudible, whereas in the Solti he is more in the picture. But there are also considerable gains. Nilsson for example gives a far more commanding and inspired performance under Böhm´s sympathetic baton than in the DECCA. She never liked Solti nor Culshaw, probably because Culshaw adored Flagstad and all he did was talk about her. I have seen a few Ring cycles in New York, Vienna and Seattle. From my experience in the theatre it is Böhm who gives you what Wagner wrote.

Thank you for your interesting thoughts Pepe. I knew that Seán had the Bohm and I also think that Darren has it so I had shortlisted it as my second Ring purchase. I look forward to hearing it even more based on your thoughts above.

[fergus]

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 9
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Otto Klemperer - conducting.

I notice with disappointment that you did not finish out the CD Seán LOL!!!

I submitted the guys at the demonstration last night to 4 minuits of Heaven with a Strauss Orchestral Song....I know that you deeply regret missing that LOL!!!

[Seán]

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 9
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Otto Klemperer - conducting.

I notice with disappointment that you did not finish out the CD Seán LOL!!!

I got through three minute of it, sorry. To be fair the Mahler piece requires a lot of effort and is just so absolutely wonderful that a change of mood was not what I wanted. I must listen to the entire recording of Metamorphosen again soon, later today perhaps. I will report back when I do listen to it again, these days I'm on a Mahler Nine journey.

I submitted the guys at the demonstration last night to 4 minuits of Heaven with a Strauss Orchestral Song....I know that you deeply regret missing that LOL!!!

Good for you. I have a voucher for amazon.fr and I am tempted to get a copy of the Kempe Strauss set, I really enjoyed listening to Don Quixote so I am keen to go back for more, I don't have any Kempe recordings either, but perhaps I should buy Bach instead? Dunno!