Thread: Wagner’s opera in Hi-Res sound? We can all dream...

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Post by Monteverdi April 14, 2004 (21 of 52)
I also vote for Solti's Ring. Can you imagine how incredible it would sound and the significance of it's SACD remastering? And, for that matter, can you imagine how Benjamin Britten's War Requiem recording would sound?

Let me also put in a word for the Knappertsbucsh 1962 Bayreuth Parsifal on Philips and Die Walkure with Vickers, Brouwenstijn, London, & Nilsson with Leinsdorf and the LSO originally on RCA but now found on Decca.

Given the state of opera recordings these days, our best hope would be for something captured live in the theatre. If I were Philips or DG, The Kirov and Gergiev's well received new Russian Ring might be where I'd set-up my mics.

Post by nucaleena April 15, 2004 (22 of 52)
I dont know if this is portentous or not but April Gramophone (pp 28-29) covered the plans of Robert Spano, of the Atlanta S.O. and noted that he is preparing his first Ring, for Seattle, in August 2005. An American "Ring" on Telarc ???

By the way, a Spano Berlioz Requiem SACD is due to be released in August, this year.

Post by tream April 17, 2004 (23 of 52)
Monteverdi said:

I also vote for Solti's Ring. Can you imagine how incredible it would sound and the significance of it's SACD remastering? And, for that matter, can you imagine how Benjamin Britten's War Requiem recording would sound?

Let me also put in a word for the Knappertsbucsh 1962 Bayreuth Parsifal on Philips and Die Walkure with Vickers, Brouwenstijn, London, & Nilsson with Leinsdorf and the LSO originally on RCA but now found on Decca.

Given the state of opera recordings these days, our best hope would be for something captured live in the theatre. If I were Philips or DG, The Kirov and Gergiev's well received new Russian Ring might be where I'd set-up my mics.

The Solti Ring became a classic in large part because of the elements came together. Solti himself was by no means a household name (if such a thing exists in the world of classical music) when chosen by Decca to conduct Das Rheingold. He likely had minimal experience in the theater with Rheingold. But Decca put together a great team - Solti, the Vienna Phil, and a great cast (getting Flagstad for Fricka was a terrific coup). Putting all the pieces together was the producer, John Culshaw.
Culshaw set out not to reproduce what you would hear in the theater, but rather attempted to utilize stereo recording (rather new at the time) and sound effects (playing with the acoustic environment) to create a sound picture of what was in Wagner's mind. The Solti Ring works as theater because it was more than a simple reproduction of a live event.
In a perfect world I would like to see a modern-day Culshaw tackle the Ring using multichannel techniques, today's best singers, a great conductor, and a great Wagner orchestra, in order to create another classic. Sure, I wouldn't mind the Solti Ring on SACD (especially if the remastering were done in analog before laying it down in DSD on the SACD's), but there is now opportunity to create a true successor.
As an aside, I once owned (on open reel tape - actually I still own it but no longer have a tape player) the Leinsdorf Walkure. Great cast, badly conducted in my view. I never liked Leinsdorf on records, and the one time I heard him in the flesh I found his music-making routine and full of corner cutting.

Post by Dinko April 17, 2004 (24 of 52)

Post by tream April 17, 2004 (25 of 52)

Post by tream January 22, 2006 (26 of 52)
Here's a response I received to an email I sent to Melba Records, who will be releasing the Adelaide Ring on SACD:

Dear Mr Ream,



We are issuing one at a time, starting in June with Walküre in SACD surround sound.



Kind regards,

Maria

I can hardly wait until June!

Post by brenda January 23, 2006 (27 of 52)
tream said: We are issuing one at a time, starting in June with Walküre in SACD surround sound.
Doesn't it seem oddd to release Walkure first? B

Post by Edvin January 23, 2006 (28 of 52)
Nothing odd about that. It is the most popular of the four parts. Also, neither Decca nor DG (Solti & Karajan) released their cycles in chronological order.

Post by brenda January 24, 2006 (29 of 52)
Edvin said:

Nothing odd about that. It is the most popular of the four parts. Also, neither Decca nor DG (Solti & Karajan) released their cycles in chronological order.

I'm not sure whether or not the earlier cycles were recorded chronologically - that may have influenced release. But the Adelaide cycle was recorded live in the one month, so there should have been no bar to chronological release, so that newcomers to Wagner can pick up the story from the start. As for Walkure being most popular, I'm unaware of statistical evidence to that effect, but in any event it wouldn't be a good enough reason for splitting up the narrative thrust. I can't think offhand of any other operatic analogies so I'll ask whether Peter Jackson would have released Lord of the Rings with Twin Towers first, followed by #1 and then #3 ??

So, back to my question, - could someone with knowledge of the Melba recording company's m.o. and agenda please enlighten me as to why release isn't chronological. Thanks.

Post by mdt January 24, 2006 (30 of 52)
Edvin said:

Nothing odd about that. It is the most popular of the four parts. Also, neither Decca nor DG (Solti & Karajan) released their cycles in chronological order.

I'm just listening to the Karajan Ring. It's fantastic in how it tells a thrilling story by purely acoustical means. I've been buying the recordings seperately in chronological order. Since the "narration" is so lively i kept buying the succeeding recordings, because i was eager to follow the story. Since these discs were released some time ago, this was easily possible, but from this experience i must say, that i would find it very anoying if, with a new cycle, i couldn't buy the recordings in chronological order. And it's not only about following the story, the musical concept of "Leitmotif" cries for chronological order as well. Wagners refering to earlier sections of the story, by underlaying the sung text of the present section with music from those sections can only be fully appreciated, if one has heard that music before.

P.S.: both the Solti (to bombastic and ostentatious for my taste) and the Karajan cycle have been remastered to 24/96. The work is allready done, why not simply transfer it to SA-CD.

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