Search - Wagner, Dorati, Lso :: Preludes & Overtures

Dorati Conducts Wagner

Rudy Avila | Lennox, Ca United States | 12/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow!! I had no idea that among conductor Antal Dorati's many recordings, now prominently sold on the Mercury Living Presence Label, was Wagner Overtures and Preludes. This was a real treat for me. Initially, I thought Dorati couldn't handle Wagner music, having heard his unbeatable Tchaikovsky works, his Haydn symphonies, his Beethoven symphonies and his modern 20th century works like Milhaud. Wagner's music has called attention to many great conductors and there are certainly greater choices for this orchestral Wagner music. Consider Karajan, Solti, Bohm, Barenboim, Jochum, Pappano and the English conductor Sir Adrian Boult. All of these deliver terrific accounts of Wagner overtures and operatic preludes. But Dorati, my God, what a fresh and welcome change. Digitally remastered from the old LP, this is an affordable and exciting rendition. Dorati may not rise to the status of Karajan, Solti or Bohm, but he does an incredibly dramatic and thrilling, powerful and magnetic reading of the scores. Especially striking are the Overture to Meistersinger, Tannhauser, Parsifal Good Friday Music and the Prelude and Liebestod of Tristan and Isolde. The only weak link here is the superfast account of Lohengrin Prelude to Act 3. I've never heard it played this fast. Its lightening speed detracts from the Wagnerian beauty of this piece. Sure it's a meant to describe something dramatic and epic but its sloppy and fast on here. But no matter. Everything else is absolutely brilliant. Dorati DID MASTER WAGNER. People forget how masterful Dorati's conducting of The Flying Dutchman was. He made a full length recording starring George London and Leonye Rysanek which is unbelievable and ranks among the best recordings."