What is the last piece of classical music you listened to?

[Schilkeman 964]

I gave Gergiev's Parsifal an hour of my life. Had to switch to Mozart. There's more going on on the overture of La Clemenza Di Tito than in the whole first hour of Parsifal. Interminable. And I'm not even a super-fan of Mozart.

[Loert 2,515]

13 hours ago, Schilkeman said:

I gave Gergiev's Parsifal an hour of my life. Had to switch to Mozart. There's more going on on the overture of La Clemenza Di Tito than in the whole first hour of Parsifal. Interminable. And I'm not even a super-fan of Mozart.

 

It only really gets going at 1h 02 mins.

 

In all seriousness, the version I most often listen to is Barenboim's. I made a suite which lasts 1h 43 minutes. By the end it feels like the world is singing.

 

Onto something entirely different though, I've been listening to Brahms lately, particularly the 1st Symphony, and particularly the last movement. What an amazing piece.

 

 

[Schilkeman 964]

8 hours ago, Loert said:

In all seriousness, the version I most often listen to is Barenboim's.

I've really grown to loath Barenboim in recent years. Not only as a person, which he is prodigiously shitty at being, but also as a performer and interpreter of music. Also, growing up in the shadow of the Chicago Symphony, you hear things...

 

8 hours ago, Loert said:

I've been listening to Brahms lately, particularly the 1st Symphony, and particularly the last movement. What an amazing piece.

 

 

Me. Eduard Hanslic, probably.

 

I wasn't sold on Gardiner's Brahms at first, but it's become my favorite interpretation. Brahms wrote symphonic music with the flexibility of one man playing the piano on a Sunday afternoon. Very hard to translate properly.

 

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

5 hours ago, Schilkeman said:

Not only as a person, which he is prodigiously shitty at being

 

Tell us more.

 

5 hours ago, Schilkeman said:

Also, growing up in the shadow of the Chicago Symphony, you hear things...

 

Tell us more.

[Schilkeman 964]

43 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Tell us more.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/arts/music/daniel-barenboim-conductor-bullying-berlin.html

 

https://www.br-klassik.de/aktuell/news-kritik/daniel-barenboim-kritik-vorwuerfe-orchestermusiker-machtmissbrauch-102.html

 

https://van-magazine.com/mag/daniel-barenboim-staatsoper-complaint/

 

https://van-magazine.com/mag/daniel-barenboim-the-titans-shadow/

Most of what I heard was second hand, but these are all professional musicians I spoke to, mostly about musical skills and the number of close call performances that, if he weren't conducting one of the finest orchestras in the world, could have ended in disaster. The general feeling was that he was capable of brilliance, but was largely hired because he was a big name, and Solti backed him, not for his skills at conducting or interpretation.

 

Personally, I find his conducting an old-fashioned chore, and his playing so uneven, I think some reviewers don't actually know how to read music, the way they carry on. His most recent recording of Beethoven's last piano sonata seemed like the notes were general suggestions, really.

 

And before someone mentions it, yes, I know Gardiner, one of my very favorite conductors, has a less than sterling reputation as a human being. What is unassailable, to me, is his skill, and his musicians seem willing to follow him anywhere. 

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

3 minutes ago, Schilkeman said:

Gardiner, one of my very favorite conductors, has a less than sterling reputation as a human being. 

 

Really? Tell us more.

[Schilkeman 964]

Ok, I don't know if that is sarcasm, or not.

3 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Really? Tell us more.

 

[Brónach 1,302]

randomized Rheingold on youtube

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

16 minutes ago, Schilkeman said:

Ok, I don't know if that is sarcasm, or not.

 

 

No, I'd like to know.

[Schilkeman 964]

1 minute ago, Jurassic Shark said:

No, I'd like to know.

Sure. Here are a couple, much less damning than the Barenboim stuff.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2000/jan/08/classicalmusicandopera

 

https://www.spectator.com.au/2015/05/the-heckler-why-does-john-eliot-gardiner-have-to-be-so-rude/

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

On 18/05/2023 at 3:20 AM, Schilkeman said:

 

A few comments on Alsop's Dvorak 9, after having spent a couple of days with the CD:

 

This is an excellent recording. Very much on the speedy side, comparing the track times with other recordings, but it rarely feels fast (but in contrast, Kubelik suddenly seems very slow). The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is excellent, and the acoustics are very good as well. I must check out Alsop's other Dvorak recordings now.

 

There's a repetition in the first movement that I was entirely unfamiliar with before (at least Kubelik doesn't have it, and I don't remember it from Solti or Fricsay either). I love it though, the effect of suddenly going back to the main theme instead of further dramatic development right away is powerful.

 

Paying more attention to this work after getting this recording (and, unrelatedly, talking to a friend about the symphony a while ago) has been very much a re-discovery of work I've been so familiar with for so long that I hadn't paid it a lot of attention for a long time (the Solti must have been one of my very first CDs). Come to think of it, I don't believe I've ever heard it live. I should rectify that.

 

The liner notes (the original English text has the last line cut off in my booklet) point out that the structure of the scherzo, with a trio and a repetition of the first part, is unusual for Dvorak and closer to Bruckner - but what struck me more is how the brass writing and the escalating layers actually *sound* very much like a Bruckner scherzo. I remember there's also a little idea of Bruckner's 3rd somewhere in the Dvorak symphony (though I can't recall what or where it is right now). Interesting.

 

And what's up with the woodpecker laugh in the finale? That one actually struck me a couple of days *before* I received the Alsop, when the music was just going through my head while doing the dishes. There don't seem to be any comments about it at all on the internet - which surprises me, it seems such a striking moment?

[Schilkeman 964]

2 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

Very much on the speedy side, comparing the track times with other recordings, but it rarely feels fast (but in contrast, Kubelik suddenly seems very slow).

Yes, I find many recordings of this get kind of lost in a mushy morass in the second movement. This one keeps the form intact while a still maintaining a song-like sense of phrasing. Thanks for your review.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

What rights issues could prevent the streaming of Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder?

https://twitter.com/BerlinPhil/status/1664995970512302083

 

[Chen G. 3,949]

On 31/05/2023 at 6:27 AM, Schilkeman said:

I gave Gergiev's Parsifal an hour of my life. Had to switch to Mozart. There's more going on on the overture of La Clemenza Di Tito than in the whole first hour of Parsifal.

 

Imagine going into Parsifal waiting for something to happen...

 

I actually think Simon Callow said it best: 

 

Quote

Its all recapitulation, its all analysis [...] if you come to Parsifal and you think: "Right, where's the story, when is something going to happen?" then you're a bit doomed, you have to kind of relax and say: "No, this is like magic mushroom time [...] you just have to allow the spell to take hold of you. 

 

[Schilkeman 964]

3 hours ago, Chen G. said:

 

Imagine going into Parsifal waiting for something to happen...

 

I actually think Simon Callow said it best: 

 

 

I find story in opera marginally more compelling than story in video games. I always come at it from a music-first perspective. The music must be interesting for me to investigate it further. I do not find Wagner musically interesting.
 

Pelléas et Mélisande by Debussy, an opera almost completely made up of the moments between things happening, is nevertheless musically engaging throughout, and therefore more interesting to me. I get that not everyone comes at opera in that way.

[Chen G. 3,949]

14 minutes ago, Schilkeman said:

I find story in opera marginally more compelling than story in video games.

 

In my view, in the case of Wagner that's a problem. Beginning in Flying Dutchman, Wagner has increasingly proven himself as a supreme dramatist: his verse is lively, his plots are well-constructed, he's dealing with all sorts of profound themes, he's great at ambiguity (we'll probably continue to argue about what the last line of Parsifal means for the rest of time), and mostly he's superb at creating complex, vivid and sympathetic psychological profiles for his characters.

 

Its part of why I think music-drama ought to be watched, not just listened-to: Wagner gives a ton for a great acting musician to sink his teeth into. The physical and vocal challenges of Wagner are a frequent topic, but the real challenge is in the interperative skills required both in the singing and the acting, both of which are immense. In the hands of great acting musicians, the experience be utterly transfiguring: theatre on the level of a first-rate Shakespeare performance and musicianship to rival a Beethoven symphoyn.

 

14 minutes ago, Schilkeman said:

I always come at it from a music-first perspective. The music must be interesting for me to investigate it further.

 

 

But that's the point: in Parsifal, as in Lohengrin, as in parts of Tristan (mostly Bragane's "Habet Acht!"), Die Meistersingers (THE QUINTET!) and The Ring, the skill that Wagner shows himself to be the most gifted at, is in using his music to make time stop utterly in its tracks. There's nothing quite like it in music or theatre, and perhaps nowhere else does Wagner do it as consistently as in Parsifal.

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

It indeed feels like time stands still.

[Chen G. 3,949]

I think the Lohengrin prelude is a great example of this, and one that's certainly much more accessible to Wagner newbies (and/or to fans of Italianate melodicism). The clock says it takes nine or ten minutes: it doesn't. It takes both forever and no time at all.

[JTN 2,030]

- Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Night on Bald Mountain

- Tchaikovsky: Waltz from Swan Lake

– Wiener Philharmoniker, Gustavo Dudamel (Deutsche Grammophon)

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

1 hour ago, Schilkeman said:

I find story in opera marginally more compelling than story in video games. I always come at it from a music-first perspective. The music must be interesting for me to investigate it further. I do not find Wagner musically interesting.

 

The music comes first for me as well; the difference is that I find Wagner musically highly interesting.

 

But beyond that, I think your point is too reductionist: There are video games that are great games despite a lousy story. There are video games that are great because of a great story and characters (Grim Fandango, for example). There's also a whole world of non-narrative video games that have nothing even vaguely resembling a story (Tetris). It's similar with opera: There are operas that have become classics despite being universally acknowledged as having a lously libretto (I believe Aida is such a case). There are operas with great music and a great story (Ariadne auf Naxos). And there are operas that don't really have a story.

 

And there's one more important difference: With operas, it's typically one composer and one librettist (if they're not even one and the same), and if they are interesting in getting the best of both worlds, they collaborate closely to fuse music and story (e.g. Strauss and Hoffmansthal). The game industry, at least for AAA games, works differently: The writers *want* to contribute something of substance, but the production is usually structured in such a way that they only come in as an afterthought and have to make heavy compromises to gameplay and schedules. It's not for lack of motivation on the writers' part though, and partly thanks to the rise of the indie sector, they may get more opportunities for proper writing. Rhianna Pratchett sometimes gives useful insights on Twitter.

[Schilkeman 964]

I was trying to illustrate a point. There are certainly operas that have interesting enough stories for me to get something out of them, same with video games. I find both the setting and the libretto of Doctor Atomic fascinating, and the marriage of music to words in the operas of Monteverdi is tone painting at its finest. But I could listen to those operas if they had no words at all. At heart, I’ve always been more fond of absolute music. Opera is the antithesis of that, but I’ve come to appreciate some of it.

 

I’ve given my points for not liking Wagner, so I won’t repeat them here. I know enough about music to know what I like, and why-not for nothing was my $50,000 spent on a music degree. I appreciate the insight you all have shared with me. Life would be boring if we all liked the same stuff.

[Chen G. 3,949]

8 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

And there are operas that don't really have a story.

 

One would be tempted to include Parsifal (and Tristan) in that category but, inasmuch as virtually nothing happens, it still doesn't feel quite right. They do have a story, just an extremly bare-boned one, and they function more like meditation on a theme: Parsifal about compassion, Tristan about longing.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

Yes, I was thinking more along the lines of contemporary stuff like Philip Glass's operas that sometimes seem to be more liked staged collages of thematically connected scenes without an actual narrative.

 

As far as operas go where little happens *during* the opera, I think Strauss's Elektra is a great example of how you can still make that kind of thing highly dramatic and action-filled, if you like. Most of its story happens in flashbacks, and the action is mainly psychological turmoil, but Strauss scores all that as if it were somehow actually presented on the stage.

[Schilkeman 964]

I hesitate to even call Einstein on the Beach an opera, but if it has a story, I can’t tell.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

6 minutes ago, Schilkeman said:

I hesitate to even call Einstein on the Beach an opera, but if it has a story, I can’t tell.

 

Glass does call it an opera, so there's that, but yes. By contrast, Akhnaten certainly has a sort of story, but it's not really presented in a narrative way, more as a series of fragments representing specific moments in the story. (Note: I've never seen a staged version of any of Glass's operas. I'd love to, though)

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

As someone who has never been able to get into opera (I can't really get over the fact that I just don't like the operatic style of singing - I don't even much like soloists in oratorios, masses etc., which can be variably operatic in delivery), I haven't really got into Wagner even though the music is very much up my alley. I have a couple of the orchestral distillations of the Ring cycle which I enjoy from time to time but appreciate that they barely scratch the surface, same for the overtures/interludes albums. The one opera I did really like was Bizet's Carmen. Not really sure why that one did it for me but there you go. It's a bit of a chicken and egg in terms of seeing live, opera tends to be at the higher cost range for classical concert going so I'd rather spend less money on something I'd much more likely enjoy (like the £40 each I spent to see The Rite of Spring and Daphnes & Chloe). However, I appreciate that I might enjoy opera more if I saw it live.

 

I did stump up a recording of Doctor Atomic by John Adams recently which I've not listened to yet, but as a big Adams fan, I'm hoping that maybe I'll get something out of it (I really like the symphony version he arranged).

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

8 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

As someone who has never been able to get into opera (I can't really get over the fact that I just don't like the operatic style of singing - I don't even much like soloists in oratorios, masses etc., which can be variably operatic in delivery)

 

It's very voice/person dependent to me. What about older music with less vibrato? Is it possible not to love the voice of Emma Kirkby?

 

8 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

I did stump up a recording of Doctor Atomic by John Adams recently which I've not listened to yet, but as a big Adams fan, I'm hoping that maybe I'll get something out of it (I really like the symphony version he arranged

 

Get the blu for practically nothing over at JPC.de

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

23 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

It's very voice/person dependent to me. What about older music with less vibrato? Is it possible not to love the voice of Emma Kirkby?

Erm, to be fair, I mostly like music from Beethoven onwards so not sure earlier music would help much as the change of singing style would be offset with liking the music less! Having said that, I did enjoy The Marriage of Figaro, despite not really like Mozart much... (don't hate me). I'm sure Emma Kirkby has a lovely voice!

 

24 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Get the blu for practically nothing over at JPC.de

Thanks, might do that, although given that I've not watched the filmed JW concerts yet the chances of me watching an opera on Blu-Ray seem small lol.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

26 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

It's very voice/person dependent to me. What about older music with less vibrato? Is it possible not to love the voice of Emma Kirkby?

 

I wasn't familiar with Kirkby - probably because my primary access to early music is singing it with the choir, rather than listening to it. But I've never had much tolerance for excessive vibrato myself, as you might guess from my regular endorsements of Gundula Janowitz. Of course, with Wagner, some vibrato is inevitable, but Janowitz has done her share of second tier Wagner roles, too, including a very fine Sieglinde for Karajan. And of course a stunning Strauss Ariadne for both Böhm and Kempe.

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

11 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

But I've never had much tolerance for excessive vibrato myself

 

Me neither. And don't get me started on classical singers doing jazz standards!

 

13 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

I'm sure Emma Kirkby has a lovely voice!

 

11 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

I wasn't familiar with Kirkby

 

 

34 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

Thanks, might do that, although given that I've not watched the filmed JW concerts yet the chances of me watching an opera on Blu-Ray seem small lol.

 

It's a very tense and gripping opera. Any filmed concert is boring in comparison. 

[GerateWohl 4,370]

1 hour ago, Jurassic Shark said:

And don't get me started on classical singers doing jazz standards!

An ominous combination. Like drinking hot chocolate with beer.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

3 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Me neither. And don't get me started on classical singers doing jazz standards!

 

What about classical singers doing pop?

 

 

Granted, she's a total freak crossover niche artist, but that's just the kind of twisted thing I love.

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

Some early music bargains:

 

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/madrigals-songs/hnum/8710414

 

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/55-motetten-aus-der-pelplin-tabulatur/hnum/8741136

 

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/madrigalbuch-8/hnum/6760092

 

 

And some well-reviewed Wagner:

 

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/siegfried/hnum/7775008

 

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/richard-wagner-goetterdaemmerung/hnum/8750406

 

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/wagner-das-rheingold/hnum/8390186

 

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

I have that Zweden Ring cycle, it's a mixed bag. Some if it is good (the Walküre, as far as I remember, is really good, and the Götterdämmerung is fine), some of it is rather lackluster. Matthias Goerne as Wotan is one of its main draws, and Stuart Skelton is a stunning Siegmund (he also would have been in the cast, along with Stemme, of Vienna's 2020 cycle that fell victim to the pandemic). But I see that the Walküre is the only one that's not on sale, probably because it's clearly the best of the four recordings.

[Chen G. 3,949]

3 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

I see that the Walküre is the only one that's not on sale, probably because it's clearly the best of the four recordings.

 

Walkure had always been the most popular of the four Ring evenings. I believe it was also Cosima's favourite.

 

Its also the easiest to get right in terms of staging, and in terms of casting: Siegmund is probably the easiest to sing out of Wagner's heldentenor roles: its not very long, has a big break in the middle, is very rewarding and not very difficult vocally: even baritones with good high-notes can sing it just fine.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

Yes, but Skelton (different recording):

Showy? Sure. But after all, isn't it written to be showy? That scene always works best when Siegmund holds his note long enough to send shivers down my spine, and in Skelton's case that starts halfway through. 

[Chen G. 3,949]

Exactly what I mean when I say its a rewarding role.  Generally speaking, I find the most sympathetic characters in the cycle to be the Walsung twins.

 

Skelton is one of the only satisfying Tristans we have, so obviously he's more than well-equipped to deliver an outstanding Siegmund. Definitely much better than Kaufman in the same production (which just feels wrong somehow).

 

Personally, I don't think as the complete package, we will ever have anything like Hoffman and Altmeyer. I actually think the coarsness works for Siegmund very well: 

 

 

 

Vocally, I'm quite fond of this guy's tone:

 

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

49 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

But I see that the Walküre is the only one that's not on sale, probably because it's clearly the best of the four recordings.

 

The reason it's not on sale if probably because there's not a surplus of it. 

 

49 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

I have that Zweden Ring cycle, it's a mixed bag. Some if it is good (the Walküre, as far as I remember, is really good, and the Götterdämmerung is fine), some of it is rather lackluster.

 

I've been thinking about checking out this cycle since it's gotten very good reviews. Götterdammerung got 10/10 over at ClassicsToday.com. There's also a blu-ray audio version that's on sale here and there. 

[bollemanneke 3,349]

I've been working my way through the coronation album. Doyle's march is just fine, but not nearly as good as I had expected. Also, there are extremely serious coordination problems between the orchestra and choir. They should have had a pick-up session. Very unkingly behaviour indeed.

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

35 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

I've been working my way through the coronation album. Doyle's march is just fine, but not nearly as good as I had expected. Also, there are extremely serious coordination problems between the orchestra and choir. They should have had a pick-up session. Very unkingly behaviour indeed.

I have to admit that after I listen to Doyle's piece I immediately want to head back to something by William Walton. In comparison, Doyle's piece just feels a bit plodding. Maybe a better performance would do it more justice though; having listened to it on headphones for the first time the other day, I realised that I hadn't noticed quite how much "atmosphere" there is in the recording! I haven't bought the rest of the album - a fully re-recorded version I would probably consider though.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

10 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

I've been thinking about checking out this cycle since it's gotten very good reviews. Götterdammerung got 10/10 over at ClassicsToday.com. There's also a blu-ray audio version that's on sale here and there. 

 

Some of it is really good, though as I said, as far as I recall the Walküre is the highlight and Rheingold and Siegfried are the weak spots. So I'm not sure the full set is necessary, but for a good price, #2 and #4 are probably worth checking out for generally solid and some very good performances with fine sound. (That reminds me, I think the sound was also inconsistent between the four recordings; if you get the box set, there's a USB drive which include a making of video that talks about the recording setup - but I think that's available online, too).

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

5 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

Some of it is really good, though as I said, as far as I recall the Walküre is the highlight and Rheingold and Siegfried are the weak spots. So I'm not sure the full set is necessary, but for a good price, #2 and #4 are probably worth checking out for generally solid and some very good performances with fine sound.

 

Robert Levine gave Die Walküre 9/8.

 

https://www.classicstoday.com/search-results/?searched_from=&pagination_currentpage=&pagination_totalresults=&search_composer_id=7684&search_soloist_id=&search_conductor_id=51830&search_ensemble_id=&search_recordlabel_id=&search_composer=WAGNER%2C+RICHARD&search_worktitle=Enter+a+Work%2FAlbum+Title&search_genre=-1&search_soloist=Enter+a+Soloist&search_conductor=van+Zweden%2C+Jaap&search_ensemble=Enter+an+Orchestra%2FEnsemble

 

6 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

if you get the box set

 

I won't because even when it's on sale it would trigger VAT and a ridiculous handling fee.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

16 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Robert Levine gave Die Walküre 9/8.

 

I think those reviews were what convinced me to get the box when I did. I ended up agreeing with some of them.

 

16 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

I won't because even when it's on sale it would trigger VAT and a ridiculous handling fee.

 

I paid €40 for the full set on Amazon three years ago.

 

I saw the current JPC sale myself yesterday, before your post. I ended up placing a massive €120 order.

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

22 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

I saw the current JPC sale myself yesterday, before your post. I ended up placing a massive €120 order.

 

Ooh, what did you get?

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

37 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Ooh, what did you get?

 

All in good time. But the remastered Gerhardt SW/CE3K is one of them.

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

8 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

the remastered Gerhardt SW/CE3K is one of them.

 

Was it on sale? How good was the price?

[Chen G. 3,949]

10 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

s far as I recall the Walküre is the highlight and Rheingold and Siegfried are the weak spots.

 

I feel like that's true of a lot of Rings...

 

Siegfried, especially, is the least accessible and the most difficult of the bunch to perform and stage.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

3 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Was it on sale? How good was the price?

 

Regular price, €20 I believe.

 

3 hours ago, Chen G. said:

I feel like that's true of a lot of Rings...

 

Siegfried, especially, is the least accessible and the most difficult of the bunch to perform and stage.

 

Maybe. But Rheingold is often quite rewarding - it's short and breezy, the demands on most of the cast are pretty low for a Wagner opera, there's lots of orchestral passages (you just need a good brass section and a decent conductor for them), and a well-cast Loge is an event in itself.

[Chen G. 3,949]

3 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

But Rheingold is often quite rewarding - it's short and breezy, the demands on most of the cast are pretty low for a Wagner opera, there's lots of orchestral passages (you just need a good brass section and a decent conductor for them), and a well-cast Loge is an event in itself.

 

I agree. Rheingold was my first Wagnerian love for all the above reasons.

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

12 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

All in good time.

 

Is there any particularly good bargains I should know about? Haven't had time to browse through the entire sale.