With an impressive stature and powerful dark voice storyteller with a naturally noble phrasing and solid bronze stamp, 50 will dedicate definitely his status unsurpassed Wagnerian (starting with his stunning debut the Metropolitan in Dutch). After the shooting star Sigurd Björling Wotan the year of the reopening, claims the Bayreuth in 1952. There will be the last Kurwenal Karajan on the sacred hill, but Amfortas, and finally a masterful Wotan, a role he trustera Bayreuth until 1958 (and even three summers later), and he also sang for over twenty years (until 1972 in Paris, 63 years!). At Bayreuth he will again Amfortas in 1953, Gunther in 1955, Hans Sachs in 1956, Kurwenal in 1957 Pogner twice (1958 and 1960), twice the Dutchman (1955 and 1965), and the noblest of Gurnemanz 1960-1966.
The title Membran (somewhat pompous and shopping as it should be) says it all: "Wotan Century at its best." The role of Wotan will be well represented in this package, with 3 discs on 10 and passing a (small) nod to a non wotantatoire role (so to speak) of the Tetralogy: Hunding (but by cons will not be entitled to Gunther). Other big Wagnerian roles Hotter still hold 3 additional disks: thus found the Dutchman, Kurwenal, Sachs (but not Pogner), Gurnemanz (but not Amfortas!). Note also that an entire disk (and well stocked) is dedicated to its formidable Straussian roles (morosus, La Roche, Mandryka, Jochanaan, Orestes).
Kit contents is detailed below. As usual with Membran, editing is minimal and incomplete, in a pretty decent overall sound (depending on the capture, of course), but not always very neat compilation (see especially horrifying cuts referred to CDs 2-3). However, once again, this box allows to find Membran ridiculous price to a beautiful array of art from one of the great voices of his time. And what a voice! That of the god of the gods, it is not nothing, anyway! ;)
CD 1: Wagner: Das Rheingold. The main scenes with Wotan, 35 minutes in all, taken from the capture of Bayreuth 1956 under the baton of Hans Knappertsbusch (with Georgine von Milinkovic, Suthaus Ludwig, Gustav Neidlinger, Gre Brouwenstijn, Josef Greindl) - Die Walküre: Act 3 Scene 3 (complete), in the legendary 1957 capture studio with Leopold Ludwig to head the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Supreme Brünnhilde Birgit Nilsson (the full album). In addition, the short monologue Hunding, live at the Metropolitan in 1954, under the direction of Fritz Stiedry.
CD 2: Wagner: Die Walküre. The entry of Wotan extracted from a pickup at the Scala (with Nilsson and Karajan in 1958), followed by the confrontation with Rita Gorr electric Fricka in Bayreuth in 1958 (with Knappertsbusch). Even uptake for Scene 2 of Act 2 (with Brünnhilde Astrid Varnay), however amputated last words of Wotan (cut after "Carib Siegmund!"). Comes together Scene 3 of Act 3 (amputated the Fire Incantation !!), this time with the striking Brünnhilde Martha Mödl in capturing Keilberth, 1953 (alternative to the "official" Clemens Kraus) .
CD 3: Wagner: Siegfried. The (almost) entire role Wanderer, often with micro-cuts at the beginning or the end. Thus Scene 2 of Act 1 (Mime with Paul Kuen) begins when the Traveler puts his pledge head; it therefore lacks any introduction (and yet inevitable "Heil dir"!). Ditto for the Scene 1 of Act 2 without the first, but with the Alberich of Neidlinger and Fafner of Greindl. Consequently Scene 1 of Act 3, with Erda Maria von Ilosvay; these three excerpts from capturing Bayreuth in 1957 under the baton of Knappertsbusch. Finally, Scene 2 of Act 3 (without the first sentence of Wanderer, really!), With Siegfried's Windgassen in the legendary capture Clemens Kraus in 1953.
CD 4: Wagner: Der Fliegende Holländer. In opening the indispensable capture studio Leopold Ludwig with Birgit Nilsson steel Senta (1957, see above); the most beautiful "Wie aus der Ferne" of all the discography! Then excerpts from Clemens Kraus of the legendary recording in Munich in 1944, the Dutchman's monologue and all the next scene (with Daland Georg Hann and Steuerman Franz Klarwein) and again the scene "Wie aus der Ferne "(this time with Viorica Ursuleac). Finally, a sample captured Radio Hamburg in 1951 (with Helene Werth, Bernd Aldenhoff, Kurt Böhme and Res Fischer, executive Wilhelm Schuster), and again in 1960 Monologue recorded for radio Bavaria (under the baton of Meinhard von Zallinger).
CD 5: Wagner: Tristan and Isolde. First extract production Karajan in 1952 (with Ramon Vinay and Ira Malaniuk), then almost a half hour after Bayreuth in 1957 (with Wolfgang Windgassen, under the direction of Wolfgang Sawallisch). - Parsifal: forty minutes of a solid Gurnemanz captured at the Metropolitan in 1954, under the baton of Fritz Stiedry (with Parsifal Set Svanholm).
CD 6: Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Sachs both monologues frame this CD, the first studio in 1944 in Munich (under the baton of Heinz Hollreiser), the second in 1960 in the Bavarian Radio (led by Meinhard von Zallinger). Between these two catchments (and sometimes more problematic sound with orchestral breath and distortions), over an hour of Andre Cluytens Meistersinger at Bayreuth in 1956, including Wolfgang Windgassen, Gre Brouwenstijn and Josef Greindl.
CD7: Marschner: Hans Heiling (Berlin Opera, Artur Rother, 1943) - Beethoven: Fidelio (with Gottlob Frick and Herbert von Karajan, live at La Scala in Milan in 1960) - Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro (2 tunes in German with Suzanna Irma Beilke and the Wiener Philharmoniker Josef Krips), live in Salzburg in 1942), Die Zauberflöte (Hotter in narrator in Cologne in 1954 with Josef Keilberth) - Handel: Giulio Cesare (Philharmonia Orchestra George Weldon, 1951) - Pfitzner: Palestrina (25 minutes, with Julius Patzak under the direction of Richard Kraus, for the Cologne Radio in 1952) - Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov (2 airs Boris, German, the Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio, Eugen Jochum, 1957).
CD 8: A particular track here worth a visit: a great stage of the Grand Inquisitor, extracted from Verdi's Don Carlo, sung in Italian and live at the Metropolitan in 1952, with Fritz Stiedry and Philip Jerome Hines. The rest of the CD consists essentially airs of Italian operas sung in German. Rossini: The Barber of Seville, Bizet: Carmen, Leoncavallo: Pagliacci, Verdi: Otello (Opera Orchestra of Berlin, directed by Artur Roter, 1941-1943) - Verdi: Aida (with Hilde Scheppan, led by Artur Roter 1942) - Verdi: Falstaff (20 minutes, with Wilhelm Ulbricht, Leipzig Orchestra, Hans Weisbach, 1939) - Rossini: The Barber of Seville (live in Munich, Joseph Keilberth, 1959).
CD 9: Richard Strauss. Die Frau schweigsame (2 extracts of the legendary production Karl Böhm in Salzburg in 1959, with Fritz Wunderlich and Hilde Güden) - Capriccio (Philharmonia Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch, 1958) - Arabella (more than 30 minutes of a famous Mandryka with the Arabella Maria Reining, under the baton of Karl Böhm in Salzburg in 1947) - Salome (with Ljuba Welitsch at the Metropolitan under the direction of Fritz Reiner in 1952, and a short excerpt of a representation Wiener Staatsoper under the direction of the composer, 1942) - Elektra (Elektra with Astrid Varnay, from a full studio in Cologne conducted in 1953 under the direction of Richard Kraus).
CD 10: devoted to lieder recitals captured during between 1942 and 1945, with Michael Raucheisen piano (and the participation of Hilde Scheppan in Schubert). Particularly op.38 signal the Legend "Gregor Auf dem Stein" Carl Loewe (with 5 lieders not informed on the cover). Other lieder are Nicolai (2), Weber (2), Loewe (1), Schubert (3), Wolf, Pfitzner (2), Schumann, and Brahms (2).
