Great music; great voice.
daniel0302 | New York, NY United States | 01/29/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A variety of circumstances, detailed in her recent autobiography, contributed to Eileen Farrell's reluctance to sing Wagner. This recording indicates that Farrell in Wagner was actually a good fit, and it leaves the listener wishing for more.Farrell's performance here of Brunhilde's Immolation Scene from "Gotterdamerung" is very fine. She paces the long scene with a consistent build, matching the increasingly higher and higher stakes that Wagner has written. The real centerpiece of this CD is, however, "Wesendock-Leider". These are settings of poems by Mathilde Wesendock, the wife of an important patron of Wagner, and with whom Wagner was in love. These songs are magnificent, at times looking back to Weber, at other times looking forward to Bernard Herrmann. They cover a gamut of emotions but an overriding sense of melancholy pervades. Farrell captures each of these songs perfectly, and she hauntingly casts the spell that Wagner must have hoped for. Two of the songs were written as thematic studies towards "Tristan und Isolde". The third song, "Im Treibhaus", is the basis for the haunting Act 3 prelude of "Tristan"; the song is mesmerizing, and the combination of Wagner at his best and Farrell at her best is overwhelming. This version of "Wesendock-Leider" is equal to any other singer's recording (and surpasses most). If you don't know these songs, you should, and this is an excellent recording with which to make their acquaintance.Book-ending Farrell's performances are two orchestral selections with Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. The prelude to "Tannhauser" opens the recording. The album closes with Bernstein leading a lovely reading of the "Tristan und Isolde" Prelude and Liebestod. After the spectacular songs cycle, it is a little disappointing the Liebestod is included in an orchestral version - one is eager to hear Farrell sing this as well. Still, this is a great recording for either the established Wagner lover, or someone just discovering his music."
Inspired Immolation Scene
daniel0302 | 08/26/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Eileen Farrell could have give Birgit Nilsson a run for her money. This immolation scene is unforgettable - one of the best ever on records. One only wishes that Farrell had taken on the whole of Brunnhilde and Isolde."
Bernstein soars in one of his rare Wagner recordings, and Fa
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 12/23/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Leonard Bernstein avoided Wanger and to a lesser extent Richard Strauss, except for a bare minimum of recordings; no doubt the Nazi connection was a factor, not that I have any certainty of that. This CD is the cream of a meager crop, especially given how little Wagner Eileen Farrell also left behind. The Immolation Scene and Wessendonck Lieder date from 1961, the rest from 1967. The sonics are a bit scrappy, espeically in the climaxes of the Immolation Scene, but Farrell is close to perfect, and this collaboration was highly acclaimed at the time. Now, one listens with bittersweet feelings -- it seems so arbitrary for a potentially great Wagnerian soprano to have abandoned the opera stage in her early prime.
The Tannhauser Over. finds Bernstein rather uninvolved, unusual for him. The Tristan Prelude and Liebestod are another matter. The conducting is passionate enough to remind us that LB later chose to record a live performance of the entire opera for Philips -- sadly, not one of his best efforts, given weak lead singers and his own slow, mannered approach. Still, this CD and another of more "bleeding chunks" in the Royal Edition series give a hint of what might have been."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1