Decca Testament - SBTLP6175 - 180 gram Vinyl
Deluxe Box Set - 28 Page Booklet - Pure Analogue Audiophile Mastering
Testament is proud to announce the first ever release of the legendary recording of Wagner's Gotterdammerung, made by John Culshaw and the Decca Recording team at the re-opening of the Bayreuth Festival in 1951. Under the direction of Wagner's grandsons Wolfgang and Wieland, the Bayureuth Festival re-opened after the Second World War on 29 July 1951 with a gala performance of Beethoven's Choral Symphony conducted by Wilhelm Furtwangler. The principal conductor of the Festival was the highly revered Hans Knappertsbusch, assisted by the brilliant young Herbert von Karajan.
Recorded by Decca in 1951 for possible release, this tape lay unreleased for decades. Now, it's one of the greatest Wagner performances ever recorded. Conductor Knappertsbusch is supremely inspired: His trademark emphatic rhythms, which so easily can drag, give a monumental grandeur to the music at every turn. And has there ever been more luxurious casting? Has there ever been such a vocally effortless Siegfried? Has his funeral march ever been so steeped in tragedy? Have these roles ever been more effectively acted? Answer to all of the above: I think not. Stereophile Records to Die For
RICHARD WAGNER (1813-1883) Götterdämmerung
Richard Wagner was born in May 22, 1813 in Leipzig, Germany. Wagner is acknowledged as the master of German opera, and one of the most progressive composers in history.
As a youth Wagner was fascinated by literature, particularly the plays of William Shakespeare. Through his teens he was increasingly attracted to composing. His opera based on the novel "Rienzi, Last of the Tribunes," was produced in Dresden in 1842, and was a success. His next production, "The Flying Dutchman" (1843), was also a hit. Near the end of the 1840s Wagner began work on his monumental cycle of four musical dramas collectively titled "Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelungs)." This cycle, comprised of "Das Rheingold," "Die Walkure," "Siegfried" and "Die Gotterdammerung," took 22 years to complete, and stands as one of the most remarkable and influential achievements in Western music.
"Only on the shoulders of this great social movement can true art lift itself from its present state of civilized barbarianism, and take its post of honour." -Richard Wagner
Brünnhilde - Astrid Varnay
Siegfried - Bernd Aldenhoff
Gunther - Hermann Uhde
Waltraute - Elisabeth Höngen
Alberich - Heinrich Pflanzl
Hagen - Ludwig Weber
Gutrune - Martha Mödl
Woglinde - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Wellgunde - Hanna Ludwig
Floßhilde - Hertha Töpper
Erste Norn - Ruth Siewert
Zweite Norn - Ira Malaniuk
Dritte Norn - Martha Mödl
Chor & Orchester der Festspiele Bayreuth
Chorus master: Wilhelm Pitz
conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch
Recorded live at the 1951 Bayreuth Festival
