The Wagner Journal
The Pursuit of Reality: David Breckbill appraises three contrasting approaches to recording Wagner
The Pursuit of Reality: David Breckbill appraises three contrasting approaches to recording Wagner
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Reviews of Father and Son, Scenes and Arias: ‘In fernem Land’ (Lohengrin), Love Duet (Die Walküre), ‘Selige Öde auf wonniger Höh”, ‘Das ist kein Mann’ (Siegfried), Siegfried’s Rhine Journey, Siegfried’s Narration, Siegfried’s Death and Funeral March (Götterdämmerung), ‘Amfortas, Die Wunde!’, ‘Nur eine Waffe taugt!’ (Parsifal), tenor Simon O’Neill, conducted Inkinen, New Zealand, 2010 (EMI, 1 CD); Götterdämmerung, conducted Elder, Manchester, 2009 (Hallé, 1 MP3 CD or 5 CDs); Parsifal, conducted Kempe, Royal Opera House, London, 1959 (Testament, 4 CDs).
November 2010, Volume 4, Number 3, 75–8.
Wagner recordings are made and issued for a variety of reasons, and this miscellany illustrates three of them. Under review here are (1) a studio recording of excerpts that constitutes a Wagner debut recording for its featured singer; (2) a recording made with current, technically sophisticated equipment at a concert performance of a complete opera; and (3) a recording of a staged performance from half a century ago, preserved in only very moderate sound quality. The Wagner discography contains numerous recordings of each of these types that represent significant achievements, but each variety also tends to feature certain distinguishing characteristics that should be acknowledged and identified in order better to hear the intention – and perhaps even extrapolate the ‘reality’ – behind the actual aural product.