- Listings
- >
- CDs and Vinyl
- >
- Composers W
- >
- Richard Wagner - Vinyl
- >
- Wagner/Das Rheingold- Berlin/Karajan
Wagner/Das Rheingold- Berlin/Karajan
SKU:
£3.99
£3.99
Unavailable
per item
Richard Wagner
Das Rheingold
Dietrich Fischer–Dieskau, Robert Kerns, Donald Grobe, Gerhard Stolze, Zalton Kélémen, Erwin Wohlfahrt, Martti Talvela, Karl Ridderbusch, Josephine Veasey, Simone Mangelsdorf, Oralia Dominguez, Helen Donath, Edda Moser, Anna Reynolds
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan
Karajan’s ‘Ring’ was undertaken about the same time as the Solti version. Believe it or not, there was a time when you could not even buy on LP a ‘Das Rheingold’, let alone a complete ‘Ring’. Solti’s thrusting and dramatic approach could not be further from Karajan’s. When the Karajan ‘Ring’ was completed and available, it was dubbed the ‘Chamber Ring’ as the more underplayed, romantic interpretation was matched by a less spectacular ‘sound’. Having said all that, Karajan does tend to get more dramatic as the opera progresses. As the recording is so well known, we will not bother to detail or review the whole but restrict ourselves to general comments about the set. As with the Solti, Karajan’s ‘Das Rheingold’ fields a spectacular cast with the experienced Zalton Kélémen as a somewhat intelligent Alberich. The casting of the Rheinmaidens is almost unbelievable with Helen Donath, Edda Moser and Anna Reynolds singing gloriously. Sadly, for me, they come over as too individual and have never convinced me that they are close sisters. In the second scene we have Dietrich Fischer–Dieskau as a rather oddly cast Wotan. Though beautifully sung, Fischer–Dieskau is a little too cool and ‘chatty’ for my liking. The fact that he didn’t sing the role very often might account for the lack of becoming a ‘living’ Wotan. Josephine Veasey is a beautifully sung strongly performed Fricka. Simone Mangelsdorf is a bright sounding Freia and the two giants are excellently cast in the guise of Martti Talvela and Karl Ridderbusch. As the gentler Fasolt, Talvela’s voice is admirably suited and Ridderbusch’s Fafner is certainly darker so that we get a good contrast in their characters. Donald Grobe makes an heroic Froh and Robert Kerns an enthusiastic Donner. Gerhard Stolze was never able to simply sing a role but he always delivered the musical line and text with great clarity of diction and committed acting. The ‘Descent into Nibelheim’ includes some pretty enthusiastic anvil bashing. In Scene 3 we come across the athletic Erwin Wohlfahrt as a totally convincing Mime. As he died so young, we will never know what he might have achieved in later life. I had the privilege of seeing him at Bayreuth as Mime and couldn’t believe that such a short and dumpy man could throw himself around the stage as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Finally, Oralia Dominguez makes her dignified delivery of Erda’s Warning. Although her tone is lighter than one usually expects for the role, nevertheless, she manages to be convincing. The ending is nice and loud.
As was usual at the time for DG, the recording favours the singers and in the quieter passages, loses of some of the orchestral detail. This set is ideal for those who prefer their Wagner less overbearing.
Recorded: 1967
Booklet contains a commentary and libretto in German/English/French
DGG 104 966/68
Stereo 3 LP's (Records are in auto-change coupling)
Records manufactured in Germany
Condition:
Vinyl - Good, clean and unmarked apart from labels which have small ink annotations.
Sleeves - Clean and unmarked but lightly discoloured.
Book - Clean, unmarked and intact - some discolouration.
Box - Intact, clean and unmarked apart from small ink annotations on inside cover and spine - some discolouration, scuffing, wear on edges and two split corners on the front cover.
Please remember
- owing to their weight, the postal charge for LP's is expensive.
- our records have always been handled with care and stored correctly. However as we are disposing of our entire record collection, time precludes us playing every single item to check whether there are any faults that are not apparent from a purely visual check. To avoid any dispute buyers should be aware that they buy our vinyl with the above proviso in mind.
Das Rheingold
Dietrich Fischer–Dieskau, Robert Kerns, Donald Grobe, Gerhard Stolze, Zalton Kélémen, Erwin Wohlfahrt, Martti Talvela, Karl Ridderbusch, Josephine Veasey, Simone Mangelsdorf, Oralia Dominguez, Helen Donath, Edda Moser, Anna Reynolds
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan
Karajan’s ‘Ring’ was undertaken about the same time as the Solti version. Believe it or not, there was a time when you could not even buy on LP a ‘Das Rheingold’, let alone a complete ‘Ring’. Solti’s thrusting and dramatic approach could not be further from Karajan’s. When the Karajan ‘Ring’ was completed and available, it was dubbed the ‘Chamber Ring’ as the more underplayed, romantic interpretation was matched by a less spectacular ‘sound’. Having said all that, Karajan does tend to get more dramatic as the opera progresses. As the recording is so well known, we will not bother to detail or review the whole but restrict ourselves to general comments about the set. As with the Solti, Karajan’s ‘Das Rheingold’ fields a spectacular cast with the experienced Zalton Kélémen as a somewhat intelligent Alberich. The casting of the Rheinmaidens is almost unbelievable with Helen Donath, Edda Moser and Anna Reynolds singing gloriously. Sadly, for me, they come over as too individual and have never convinced me that they are close sisters. In the second scene we have Dietrich Fischer–Dieskau as a rather oddly cast Wotan. Though beautifully sung, Fischer–Dieskau is a little too cool and ‘chatty’ for my liking. The fact that he didn’t sing the role very often might account for the lack of becoming a ‘living’ Wotan. Josephine Veasey is a beautifully sung strongly performed Fricka. Simone Mangelsdorf is a bright sounding Freia and the two giants are excellently cast in the guise of Martti Talvela and Karl Ridderbusch. As the gentler Fasolt, Talvela’s voice is admirably suited and Ridderbusch’s Fafner is certainly darker so that we get a good contrast in their characters. Donald Grobe makes an heroic Froh and Robert Kerns an enthusiastic Donner. Gerhard Stolze was never able to simply sing a role but he always delivered the musical line and text with great clarity of diction and committed acting. The ‘Descent into Nibelheim’ includes some pretty enthusiastic anvil bashing. In Scene 3 we come across the athletic Erwin Wohlfahrt as a totally convincing Mime. As he died so young, we will never know what he might have achieved in later life. I had the privilege of seeing him at Bayreuth as Mime and couldn’t believe that such a short and dumpy man could throw himself around the stage as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Finally, Oralia Dominguez makes her dignified delivery of Erda’s Warning. Although her tone is lighter than one usually expects for the role, nevertheless, she manages to be convincing. The ending is nice and loud.
As was usual at the time for DG, the recording favours the singers and in the quieter passages, loses of some of the orchestral detail. This set is ideal for those who prefer their Wagner less overbearing.
Recorded: 1967
Booklet contains a commentary and libretto in German/English/French
DGG 104 966/68
Stereo 3 LP's (Records are in auto-change coupling)
Records manufactured in Germany
Condition:
Vinyl - Good, clean and unmarked apart from labels which have small ink annotations.
Sleeves - Clean and unmarked but lightly discoloured.
Book - Clean, unmarked and intact - some discolouration.
Box - Intact, clean and unmarked apart from small ink annotations on inside cover and spine - some discolouration, scuffing, wear on edges and two split corners on the front cover.
Please remember
- owing to their weight, the postal charge for LP's is expensive.
- our records have always been handled with care and stored correctly. However as we are disposing of our entire record collection, time precludes us playing every single item to check whether there are any faults that are not apparent from a purely visual check. To avoid any dispute buyers should be aware that they buy our vinyl with the above proviso in mind.
1 available