Old Hand in New Bayreuth: David Breckbill examines the complex artistry of Knappertsbusch

I hope I can be forgiven for entertaining mixed feelings concerning the ongoing parade of Wagner recordings released by the Walhall / Archipel / Myto group. Each year, as fifty-year copyright expires, the company disgorges a heap of ‘live’ Wagner recordings into an already glutted market, with little fanfare and as little documentation. On the one hand, as the saying goes, ‘there’s no substitute for everything’, and listeners or scholars who possess either the breadth or specificity of interest that makes it necessary to consult these recordings must surely welcome their current and continuing availability. Nevertheless, there are vaguely opportunistic and arbitrary overtones to so undiscriminating a release programme.