Search - Sigurd Björling, Richard [Classical] Wagner, Herbert Sandberg :: Great Wagnerian Scenes

Great Wagnerian Scenes by Great Singers

Smorgy | Southern California, USA | 09/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What can I say... Leonie Rysanek was a goddess. And to have her singing Senta's ballad and love duet (from 1952) on the same CD with the brilliant Nilsson as the Walkure Brunhilde (1953), Sigurd Bjorling's Hollander(1952) and Walkure Wotan(1953) and top it off with Kirsten Flagstad's Immolation Scene (1948). And all in wonderful voice caught in studio with great sound quality. And I'm not even a big Wagner opera fan (Mozart is my man, and lyric mezzo is my prefered voice)!



I can only dream of what it must have been like to experience Flagstad live in the theatre. The voice is so radiant and warm... and HUGE. Most Wagnerian soprani struggle to be heard over the orchestra... well it's the Wagner orchestra that is struggling to be heard when Flagstad's singing. She doesn't just overpower you either but is quite subtle and has effective piano. Too bad the scenes are so long so they couldn't include more tracks... I'd have loved it if they could have included Astrid Varnay and Martha Modl, too."