Wagner, Der Ring des Nibelungen Wilhelm Furtwangler, Italian Radio 1953, EMI

I turn to this set again and again for the performances of Furtwangler and his singers, but the orchestra is, frankly, not as bad as legend would have it. Last night I listened to Act 3 of Siegfried, and I was struck by the quality of the string playing in particular. I consider this my "chamber" version of the Ring, as intimate as Schubert Lieder. Which, of course, the Ring was never meant to be. A work of the theatre, who could have imagined it contained on small, shiny discs to be reproduced in homes from Boston to Beijing?The sound is less vivid than in the Knappertsbusch 1956 Bayreuth Ring on Music&Arts, which is blessed with excellent mono sound that, like this Furtwangler set, favors the singers over the orchestra -- only more so! The fabled Bayreuth sound places the orchestra at a distance from the singers, sometimes creating a Kareoke effect: Astrid Varnay and Wolfgang Windgassen seem to be accompanied by a recorded orchestra -- especially after their overwhelming duet leads into an underwhelming Siegfried's Rhine Journey. But this is a minor defect, really, in a set that puts the "Hollywood' productions of Solti and von Karajan to shame.So to with this Furtwangler Ring. The singers, and they are fine in their roles, emerge from an orchestral texture that is at least competent in the first two music dramas, and nearly inspired in the final two. The quality of sound is not quite up to the '56 Bayreuth, but the balance between singers and orchestra is better.Final note. I've been listening to so many 'historical' and mono recordings lately that stereo recordings sound like Barnum & Bailey fakes -- something unnatural concocted to sell records. One advantage to growing old is that the ears seem to get back to essentials, and shrug off the spectacular as so much audio baggage.

Stands out as most thrilling account of Ring by the great Furtwaengler. Sound variable but better than the original LP release. Great performance by all concerned but especially Martha Moedl. Some prefer Flagstad, but Moedl bring intensity and humanity to the Valkyrie's part. RAI plays well despite unfamiliar repertoire. Highly recommended.

This Ring recording, recorded live in 1953 with Wilhelm Furtwangler and the RAI Rome, is one of the finest recordings in the classical library. But it's unfortunate that EMI didn't have the right stuff back then: the heavy filtering somewhat ruins the experience. But all is not lost: Gebhardt has re-issued this ring with superior 24-bit remastering. I'd go for that one if I were you. Anyway, back to this Furtwangler RING . . .The 1953 RAI Ring should be a must-have (even if you have another Ring on your shelf). Yes, it's true that Furtwangler favors slow tempi, but he makes even the slowest of his tempi intense and spine-tingling. Just listen to how he handles "Hagen's Night Watch" and "Descent/Ascent into/from Nibelheim". Now you can't call that atrocious, can you?I think that much of the criticism that's been given to RAI are simply insensitive. Yes, it doesn't rank with other, more experienced orchestras, but what you get is the final result of what the great Furtwangler wanted. Woodwinds in "Wotan's Farewell" are marvelous, the brass in "Wotan Summons Erda" simply stunning. Maybe if people listened to the Gebhardt release instead of the EMI, then they would appreciate the orchestral playing a bit more.The singers make it all the more fantastic. Ferdinand Frantz has something that other Wotans can't touch. Maybe it's that when he sings "Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge" he makes people swoon (back in the day, of course). Maybe it's that when he sings "In eig'ner Fessel fing ich mich" he scares the hell out of people. I think it's that when he sings "Auf wolkigen Hoh'n wohnen die Gotter" amazement spreads like . . . I can't think of a perfect simile at the moment. So anyway, Frantz is a great Wotan.The only thing that Martha Modl's voice lacks is sensitivity. She's rough, she's sensuous, she's lyrical, and that's pretty much it. There seems to be no innocence or intelligence in the voice. But I could be wrong, since my ears are different than everyone else's.Wolfgang Windgassen and Hilde Konetzi are simply stunning as Siegmund and Sieglinde. Maybe they're not on par with Vickers and Janowitz in the Karajan recording, but they work very well with each other. Personally, I prefer Windgassen as Siegfried, but here he never loses it. Konetzi may sound a bit weak at times, but she's an exceptional Sieglinde nonetheless.I'll just describe the singing of Ludwig Suthaus in three words: Oh So Good! His Siegfried is near ideal for many ages, but Windgassen is still the golden standard. His Forging Scene is powerful, and his presence in Gotterdammerung Scene One amesk it all more uplifting.Gustav Niedlinger as Alberich has a heaviness that overwhelms a few other baritones. When he sings his only sequence in Gotterdammerung Act Two Scene One, his emotion is so pure that his son Hagen would've drowned himself in tears (Too melodramatic? Sorry about that.). The only problem is that his character sounds too one-dimensional. Alberich isn't just some cardboard-cutout bad guy. He has a very good reason why he wants to take revenge on the world. Overall, Niedlinger is amazing throughout Wagner's Ring (He deserves many awards for "Bin ich nun frei?"). Reminder: In Furtwangler, Neidlinger is replaced by Alois Pernerstorfer in Siegfried and Gotterdammerung.What do Julius Patzak and Paul Kuen (in the Krauss Ring) have in common? Why, they both sing their parts without any caricaturing in the way. They both sound luminous and painless in every way possible. Kuen is slightly below Patzak's level, but that's okay. They're both excellent Mimes.Why the heck would the conductor have Wolfgang Windgassen play both Siegmund AND Loge? The demi-god needs to sound different from a Walsung. All in all, a Loge that's marred by lack of cunning.The other singers are good, too. Josef Griendl is a grand Hagen, but not as grand as Matti Salminen (from Janowski, Levine, and Sawallisch Rings). Donner, Froh, and Freia make it all okay in Rheingold. Gottlob Frick as Hunding sounds creepy. The two Erdas (Ruth Siewert in Rheingold and Margarete Klose in Siegfried) both sound equally ethereal and memorable. Ira Malaniuk's Fricka is a notch better in terms of tone than Elsa Cavelti's. Rheindaughers and Valkyries have it good, too.Gebhardt's 24-bit remastering has really done this Ring justice. I recommend this over EMI's inferior sound quality.

Being a neophyte to Wagner operas, my opinion is amateurish and subjective.I bought this package purely on the strength of Furtwangler ( I also bought his Tristan, but have not yet received it ).This whole Ring cycle is superb to these ears, both singers and orchestra, with excellent balance between them. The singers were among the very best at the time; and obviously they sang their best and beautifully for Furtwangler, with high intensity and tremendous passion. The RAI orchestra under Furtwangler also sound very nice. There are numerous memorable moments, especially in the Twilight of Gods. This in my opinion is the masterpiece of the cycle. There is this constant haunting theme sung by the horn throughout the opera that is totally mesmerizing. Furtwangler had succeeded in building up such a climax towards the end of the opera that is totally amazing. The sound is excellent mono sound. These are almost studio recordings (for radio broadcast}, and hence very little stage and audience noises.This should be among the top of the many versions of the Ring cycle!By the way, many of the reviews here appear to be for Karajan's version; but this is Furtwangler's Rome version! Strange?

Questo cofanetto raccoglie in 13 CD la registrazione dell'intero "Ring" eseguito dal vivo da Wilhelm Furtwaengler a Roma nell'autunno del 1953 alla guida dell'Orchestra sinfonica della RAI di Roma; il ciclo faceva seguito all'esecuzione, all'inizio dell'anno precedente, di Walkure e di Gotterdaemmerung sempre a Roma con l'Orchestra RAI (di cui esistono le registrazioni rispettivamente del terzo e del primo atto) e soprattutto della storica esecuzione dell'Anello del Nibelungo effettuata al Teatro alla Scala nel 1950, il primo eseguito da Furtwaengler nel dopoguerra; sarebbe poi seguita nel 1954 la registrazione in studio per la EMI della sola Walkure, che faceva parte del progetto di incidere l'intero "Ring" con i Wiener Philarmoniker, purtroppo venuto meno per la scomparsa nello stesso anno del grande direttore.Dunque esiste materia di confronto nell'ambito delle diverse registrazioni effettuate da Furtwaengler nel corso degli anni, cui si possono anche aggiungere estratti di Walkure (terzo atto) e di Gotterdaemmerung registrati a Londra nel 1937 con la London Philarmonic Orchestra: a differenza peraltro che per altri compositori (si pensi in particolare a Beethoven, a Brahms e a Richard Strauss) in cui le esecuzioni effettuate nel dopoguerra divergono, talora anche sensibilmente, da quelle precedenti, perdendo soprattutto in originalità e in mordente, nel caso di Wagner tale fenomeno non si risente e l'interpretazione di Furtwaengler si mantiene saldamente ancorata alla primigenia impostazione.Impostazione che - rispetto alla successiva evoluzione direttoriale nell'esecuzione del Ring e, più in generale, di tutto Wagner - viene ora detta "storica", di cui Furtwaengler è forse il principale e più genuino esponente: oltre a dedicare particolare attenzione alla componente sinfonica piuttosto che allo sviluppo vocale, tale approccio rivive il mondo wagneriano in chiave prevalentemente mitologica, portando i conflitti e le tensioni, ma anche l'amore e le passioni a livello divino, in una battaglia titanica fra dei, eroi e giganti, separando nettamente il bene delle forze oscure, il tutto dominato dal Fato, disinteressandosi di quanto avviene nel mondo umano e delle passioni vissute dai singoli personaggi, ritenuti semplici ingranaggi in un gioco molto più grande di loro, che a stento comprendono e che certo non sono in grado di (ma forse nemmeno vogliono) modificare.Se questa è l'interpretazione di fondo, il genio direttoriale di Furtwaengler eccelle nei momenti squisitamente orchestrali e allorquando i conflitti divengono più evidenti e l'azione maggiormente violenta: il preludio e le tinte fosche utilizzate per esprimere la maledizione di Alberich e la brutalità dei Giganti nel Rheingold; la cattiveria di Hunding, la famosa "Cavalcata" e lo scontro Wotan-Brunhilde (in cui Wotan è molto più dio che padre) in Walkure; la scena della fucina, la fierezza (peraltro commista a primitiva rozzezza) di Siegfried, lo scontro con Fafner, il finale del terzo atto in Siegfried; la perfidia e la determinazione di Hagen e l'intero terzo atto di Gotterdaemmerung ove, a partire dalla Marcia funebre per la morte di Siegfried fino alla deflagrazione del Walhalla, Furtwaengler esprime i colori più bronzei possibili, disegnando momenti grandiosi.In questa occasione il direttore è alla guida dell'Orchestra sinfonica della RAI di Roma che certamente non vantava grande tradizione wagneriana e che peraltro, forse perché galvanizzata della presenza di Furtwaengler, ottiene una prestazione nell'insieme convincente (qualche sbavatura è percepibile, ma è più che compensata da assoli ben riusciti).Relativamente ai cantanti, si pone innanzitutto il problema di come gli stessi possano assecondare al meglio le intenzioni interpretative di Furtwaengler: da questo punto di vista, mi sembrano in perfetta sintonia i personaggi più negativi, Gustav Neidlinger nei panni di Alberich in Rheingold, Josef Greindl quale Fasolt, poi Fafner in Walkure e Hagen in Gotterdaemmerung, Gottlob Frick quale Fafner in Rheingold; bene anche Ferdinand Frantz che impersonifica Wotan e il Viandante nelle prime tre giornate (come alla Scala tre anni prima) e Julius Patzak nei panni di Mime.Più complesso è il discorso per le parti principali: Wolfgang Windgassen se la cava bene quale Loge nel Rheingold, ma appare debole nella parte di Siegmund (senza voler fare paragoni con Melchior o con Lorenz, certo più vicini alla visione interpretativa di Furtwaengler); buona, ma poco valorizzata dal direttore, la Sieglinde di Hilde Konetzny; Ludwig Suthaus affronta bene la parte di Sigfried e cerca di fare il suo meglio per seguire la dinamica direttoriale; infine Brunhilde è rappresentata da Martha Modl, assolutamente all'altezza della parte (ricoprirà lo stesso ruolo anche nella registrazione in studio del 1954) e dotata di grande vocalità: certo l'interprete ideale per assecondare appieno Furtwaengler sarebbe stata la Flagstad (si ascoltino le registrazioni effettuate a Londra e alla Scala), perché nella visione mitologica del direttore, la voce della Modl, dal timbro di mezzosoprano e dotata di acuti meno taglienti, appare paradossalmente troppo "umana" (infatti sarebbe stata valorizzata proprio in tal senso da Karajan risultando una splendida Isolde).Concludo. Dai tempi di Furtwaengler sono passati molti anni, l'esecuzione e l'interpretazione del "Ring" e, in genere, dell'opera wagneriana hanno subito una costante evoluzione, Karajan (seguendo anche le intenzioni di Krauss) ha riportato Wagner sulla terra e ha esaltato le passioni degli umani, non più semplici manichini, l'orchestrazione di Solti è passata dal bianco e nero ad una tavolozza impressionante di colori e sonorità, anche le più recenti esecuzioni (da ultimo quelle di Rattle e di Thielemann) hanno apportato qualche elemento innovativo ed interessante all'infinito mondo wagneriano, che mai potrà dirsi completamente sviscerato: eppure quella forza e quell'energia, quell'intensità drammatica, quel timbro ruvido e poco addolcito, quella dinamica, solenne ed al contempo tempestosa, che caratterizzano le esecuzioni di Furtwaengler ancora oggi emanano un fascino particolare, che si può accettare - o meno - ma da cui non si può prescindere per la comprensione di Wagner.

y eso que en su época inmensos dinosaurios de la dirección musical campaban por Europa y América. Pero él era único e inconfundible, y su Wagner en la Scala y éste de la Rai , secundados por excelsos intérpretes, está en lo más alto de mi preferencia tetratológica. Indispensable para cotejar con alguna otra más moderna y estéreo - sobre todo Solti-

When I last looked on Saturday, 26th April 2014, this box set was 13 pounds 88. Please remind Amazon of this fact, if you decide to buy this box set, or else, it will keep going up. For example, it is now 17 pounds 88. They do state, that if you can find a cheaper price they will charge the lower price.This box set is not large and flat, as the other copy of this set was. It is the usual size that one associates with 10-15 CD box sets. The front of the box is as shown on Amazon, the back, CD numbers , the opera and who is singing what role. Orchestra Sinfonia della Radio Italiana, conducted by Furtwangler, and date recorded. The sleeves are the same as the box front with the CD number. Behind are track numbers, pieces sung, scenes and what opera. The 13 discs are black with white lettering, opera, CD number. The discs state they are Mono, ADD, Compact Disc digital. They are taken from the remastered EMI tapes. But the sound is brighter on this new set; you can hear Modl and her fellow singers, plus the orchestra as never before. So, this box set soundwise is far better then the EMI version. I know, I own the EMI Siegfried and Gotterdammerung. It is as if my ears had been cleaned of wax, that is the difference.Although the back of the box set states, down load booklet, do not expect much. Therefore, I will write a booklet for you. Each act was performed on a seperate day in front of a audience, giving the advantage of a continuous performance but with closer preparation than would otherwise have been possible. There is even clapping at the end. Furtwangler gives each opera a commanding sense of unity, musically and dramatically with hand picked casts. More of that later.Furtwangler ( 1886-1954 ) stated that his only role model was the Hungarian Nikisch (1855-1922), who influenced so many other young conductors of the time, who have influenced conductors of today, such as Bernstein, Abbado, Metha, Barenboim and Zinman. Furtwangler explained that "each and every one of Nikisch's movements, no matter how small, was exclusively aimed at the Orchestra in order to be turned into music. I learned the sound from Nikisch, how to work the sound out".Yet what was it that Nikisch did that drew so much attention. He was the first modern conductor of the 20th century who did away with the image of "time beater". He influenced the contemporary view of a subjective but authoritative orchestral educator who was able to bring out all the musical substance from the score and the orchestra through detailed work. When Nikisch died in 1922 Furtwangler took over the concerts of the Gewandhaus in Leipzig until 1928, and he also became musical director of the Berlin Philharmonic.Deryck Cooke of Mahler's 10th symphony fame, when discussing the Rome records wrote of Furtwangler, " his ability to make the music surge, or seethe, or melt, so that one has left the world of semiquavers altogether and is swept up in a great spiritual experience." Alec Robertson wrote refering to the 1953 studio Ring: " He carries all Wagner's directions in his head and visualizes each scene in the composer's terms." And what of the La Scala, 1950 Ring, produced by Gerhardt. ADD 24 bit remastered. Furtwangler's are swift, Flagstad as Brunnhilde is good, but I prefer Modl. Poor Max Lorenz voice is not what it once was, and Set Svanholm is all over the place near the end of Siegfried . Some of the singers are in this Rome set. I never play it. I own it for historical purposes. For me, the Rome Ring is the one to own regardless of what some of the past top critics may write.Sena Jurinac is a lovely Woglinde, Gutrune and Third Norn. Suthaus's is a fine sounding and vivid Siegfried. He was Tristan and Flagstad Isolde in the EMI set conducted by Furtwangler. Loved by many. I own it. Yet I prefer Modl's interpretation, along with Ramon Vinay, live at the 1952 Bayreuth festival, conducted by Von Karajan. For Martha Modl's Brunnhilde is what it should be, highly emotional, warm and a highly distinctive voice, like Callas had. As Modl once said, " I am emotional in my singing and acting, but in life with romance, I wish I was like I am on stage." Her relationships with Men were not the best. She trained as a Mezzo and became a dramatic soprano, then eventually she returned to being a Mezzo and sung into her 80's. For me, she is one of the great Wagnerian Brunnhilde's. Rita Strech's ideal Woodbird. Patzak's Mime for once sung as Wagner wrote it. Margarete Klose is a good Waltraute. Wotan Ferdinand Franz, different to Hotter, is a very good choice. Windgassen as Siegmund is ideal, showing us the singer he was to become. Hilde Konetzni fits the part of Sieglinde perfectly. Neidlinger is Alberich who was in Solti's Ring cycle as was Gofflob Frick, here he is Fafner and Fasolt Josef Greindl, known to many Ring fans.I own 11 Bluray and DVD Ring cycles, the Solti, Bohm, 1955 Keilberth with Varnay, and half of the 2nd 1955 cycle with Modl and the Old Testament of Ring cycles, conducted by Coates and Blech, with the London Symphony orchestra and Berlin Staatsoper-1926-1933. Leider, Melchior, Schorr, Widdop, Easton, Gota Ljungberg, Austral, Emmi Leisner. Therfore, I think I am in a position to state that this is a great ring cycle. However , Ring fans may have their own favourite which I respect. I do hope this set remains cheap, then those new to the Ring cycle may wish to buy it, and see if they like it. I usually recommend the Solti set as a first set to own. Also, do not forget the Decca Wagner opera box set conducted by Solti, it even has a CD Rom. (see my review).REFERENCES: Blyth, A. Opera on record. 1979. Hutchinson of Australia. The Furtwangler "Ring" on CD. 1990. EMI records Ltd. Furtwangler -Hall of Fame. 2002. International Music Company, Hamburg, Germany.

フルトベングラーのローマ交響楽団のニーベルングの指環は、過去に何度もリニューアルされて、発売され直されて来ました。これが、とどめとばかり、発売されたのが、この廉価盤です。お値段が安いので、ブックレットなど、何の封入物も入っていません。CDのみが入っています。要は、音楽が聴ければ良いという人が大いに喜ぶ内容となっています。私も、こういうセットが欲しかったです。ドイツ語のブックレットなど、入っていても読めません。買って良かった。また、値段の安さは、きっと版権が切れて、投売りバージョンに入ったためと思われます。