Search - Richard Wagner, Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra :: Wagner: Orchestral Music

Perfect Place To Start!

Joseph Kimsey | Pac NW | 11/29/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Since his music is so controversial & demanding, it's probably cruel to introduce a person to Wagner by first experiencing one of his operas. Personally, I've fallen in love with Wagner's earlier Romantic operas & later music dramas. This passion, however, wasn't linear, and I spent a lot of time skipping through sections that I didn't particularly appreciate until rather late in the game. If that makes me a slow developer, fair enough. It also puts me in with the majority of people who grow to love this operatic genius. This 2-disc set is the perfect way to determine if you would like to delve further. Klemperer's brooding conducting is perfect for the sheer weight of many of these pieces. The Gotterdammerung selections are absolutely perfect! The prelude to Parsifal is also stunning, as is the Tristan prelude & Isolde's liebestod! Wagner's popular mid-period Tannhauser & Lohengrin selections range from lusty (Tann. overture, Lohengrin prelude act 3) to sublime (Lohengrin prelude act 1) The ever-popular Meistersinger is well represented with the regal overture (minus the Lutheran choral music, unfortunately) and the exquisite Dance of the Apprentices/Entry of the Masters.The towering Ring selections include the perennial potboiler Ride of the Valkyries, albeit in severely abbreviated form. Donner's powerful "aria" (without words) w/ the final march from Rheingold is present, along with a gorgeous Forest Murmurs from Siegfried and a spectacular selection from Wagner's greatest, Gotterdammerung. Early Wagner selections from Rienzi and Der fliegende Hollander tend towards the more bombastic side; but hey, if your neighbor plays really annoying rap music at high volume, you can always counter it with these selections. I can guarantee you they'll stop. In order that the eardrums don't bleed too profusely, Wagner's chamber piece, the Siegfried-Idyll is included and is played with a refreshing lightness of touch. Perhaps the most exciting experience one can have listening to this music is witnessing this astonishing progression of genius. From Rienzi to Parsifal, no artist (with the possible exception of Beethoven) has progressed so far from the heroic to the sublime. This is truly timeless music."

The ultimate Wagner orchestral music

Ytzan | Athens, GR | 02/05/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have these CDs for almost 15 years before they became a 2-CD set and still play them regularly. Got to know Wagner from the classical Furtwangler cycle, for many the best Wagner music ever recorded. Although Furtwangler is exceptional I do not think that it can surpass these accounts of Klemperer's Wagner. The sound of my CDs is not that great (something that probably has been fixed in these CDs) but the music is illumining in every instance. If you listen to this Tannhuaser you will understand what I am talking about. The Philharmonia Orchestra under Klemperer works miracles as always. A must have for every music-lover, even if you hate Wagner."

"Mistah Klemps" is a Winner, Here!

Ralph J. Steinberg | New York, NY United States | 04/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As many others, I normally do not care for Wagnerian "bleeding chunks", but when performed as wonderfully as in these fabulous performances, I can more than merely accept them. To pick out some examples, the Meistersinger Prelude is taken surely at the broadest pace I have ever heard, but there is a lightness of touch and sunniness to the interpretation that is absolutely irresistable. Teh Tannhaeuser Overture is overwhelmingly majestic in the Pilgrims' Chorus and volatile in the Venusberg sections. Siegfried goes off on a surprisingly swift Rhine Journey, and the Funeral March has the kind of cataclismic force that Knappertsbusch brought to his famous 1951 Bayreuth performance. The Siegfried Idyll is performed in its original chamber group version, and has more charm than any other I have heard. And the Tristan Prelude and Liebestod has an urgency and sheer erotic impulse that not even Furtwaengler surpassed. These wonderful renditions make one regret that Big Otto never recorded any of the later Wagner Operas complete."