ბაიროითის ანალებიდან : 1965 წელიქვემოთ მოყვანილი ციტატები ბემის ოფიციალურ ჩანაწერს (1966-1967) განიხილავენ, მაგრამ 1965 წლის რინგზეც იმავეს თქმა შეიძლება.
The Reference: Karl Böhm's RingKarl Bohm's Ring is the first Bayreuth Ring officially recorded and the sound is really excellent. He is also an outstanding conductor for the Ring his fast tempi, his passion, lyricism, his phrasing that sings and sometimes almost dances creates a very theatrical atmosphere and offers amazing musical richness. His Ring displays wonderful humanity and the rendering of each character’s feelings has never been so immediate, not even under the baton of Clemens Krauss.
With such a conductor and such a stage director (Wieland Wagner) together, we can understand why singers play their roles with so much truth and intensity. Windgassen's Siegfried, Neidlinger's Alberich, Greindl's Hagen, Mödl's Waltraute are in the end of their careers and if the voices are tired, they are at the peak of their dramatic involvement. Theo Adam is not Hans Hotter, but the singer is heroic enough and acts also with intensity and outstanding eloquence. Windgassen's Loge is a wonder with his expressive and elegant singing, Wohlfahrt's Mime is probably the best ever recorded, Stewart the ideal Gunther and Talvela is impressive as Fasolt. Add to that the impressive Freia of Anja Silja Freia and the Gutrune of Ludmilla Dvorakova, not vocally as ideal as Grümmer, but making a true character of such passive roles and you can have a vision of how theatrical values ares immense in this version.
But the jewel of this already outstanding and magnificent set is definitely the Wälsungenpaar. Leonie Rysanek's intense Sieglinde is at her top here, and every moment of her performance is unforgettable. I have never heard such an intense nightmare in second act, and of course her shout at the end of the first act is already legendary. James King's Siegmund is here en état de grâce and sings the best Siegmund of his career and probably the best Siegmund ever, with incredible intensity in tragic feelings and love for Sieglinde. I do consider this Siegmund and Sieglinde as the best ever in the discography, even superior to Melchior and Lehmann.
Regarding to the first act end, Leonie Rysanek related on French radio (an interview I was lucky enough to record) that she had not foreseen to behave that way, but needed to shout because of the intensity of what was happening on stage with James King. At the end of the act she was convinced that the serious Wieland and Böhm would be angry, and she was frightened to see them both upset almost running to her… to ask if she was able to do it again for the next performances.
Easy to find, cheap, very well recorded, wonderfully acted and sung, magnificently conducted, full of life, of feelings and of true theater, with King and Rysanek, this Ring is certainly the best one to begin with and probably the most well-rounded one. A wonder.
Olivier Galiri (
http://www.geocities.com/rmlibonati/ringolivier.html )
This recording of the Ring-cycle is my personal favorite. Böhm is a genious in managing to bring unbearable tension at a speedy pace. His reading is warm and totally integrated. There is never a moment when one wonders what sense a particular passage makes in the context of the rest. It is also remarkable that the orchestra makes virtually no mistakes even though they have to play the complex notes at a high pace. The combination of Böhm's interpretation with the great singers gives on the experience that the voices are speaking rather than singing... it's in my opinion the closest one can come to the unreachable ideal of realizing a music drama on stage.
The cast is all-star. I have read that some people think of Theo Adam as a bit wobbly, but personally it never occured to me. He is firm and brings out - as no other Wotan I know - the true nobility of the God, instead of the more conventional 'authority and anguish'.
Birgit Nilsson is my only true Brünnhilde. Her incredible cleaving voice gives the part everything it needs and her great stamina makes for the most convincing immolation scene I know of. She IS Brünnhilde, in every aspect.
Wolfgang Windgassen doubles as first Loge, which he sings as a character who seems to regard the crises of the Gods as 'rather funny and amusing', and of course his main role is Siegfried. I have to confess that I'm a great fan of Windgassen's and I know that his voice was in even better shape on, for example, the recording of the cycle by Clemens Krauss (1953), but the 'thinning' of his voice is matched by a very strong characterization. It seems to me that Nilsson and Windgassen brought out the very best and more in each other. I love Lauritz Melchior, but Windgassen stays the best Siegfried in my opinion, youthful and full of bravoura.
Erwin Wohlfahrt is a neurotic Mime with his maniac laughing at the end of Act I. Two other stars are James King's Siegmund and Leonie Rysanek's Sieglinde. James King is in my opinion ideal as Siegmund. He possesses a lyrical voice which also has a little heroic undertone that works, all in all, great. His 'Wälse Wälse' is also the longest and most impressive I know of. Leonie Rysanek also has the ideal voice for Sieglinde. It's warm, powerful with sometimes a slight undertone of hysteria (which suits the part I think) and I play the entire third scene of Act I a lot, just to hear the two of them sing (not to mention the delirious orchestral ending of the act).
Josef Greindl is in good voice as Hagen. Dark and powerful and sometimes terrifying. Gustav Neidlinger is in my opinion the best Alberich ever. He is also one of the few Alberichs that really sings the part!
All in all, this is a not-to-be-missed recording with nothing but high-points. The only point of criticism is maybe Vera Soupokova as Erda, who has a terrible voice, but this is minor.
Constantijn Blondel (
http://www.wagnerdiscography.com/reviews/rin/rin66bohm_b.htm )
Made at the Bayreuth festival in 1967 during Wieland Wagner's second Ring production, this has long been considered one of the finer Rings on record. The legendary Birgit Nilsson, who sings Brünnhilde without any noticeable strain to the very end of Götterdämmerung, spearheads the cast. She is by a very slight margin more dramatically involved for Böhm than she was for Georg Solti in his recordings. But I also think that vocally, her earlier studio reading was a bit more precise. I do not have a preference between the two, but I do know that Nilsson preferred the live reading she gave for Böhm.
Böhm shares several other singers with Solti. James King is noticeably more dramatically alert and involving then he was in his already fine recording of Siegmund. He has a magnificent, experienced partner in Leonie Rysanek, easily the equal of Régine Crespin for Solti. Gustav Neidlinger and Kurt Böhme (Fafner) both gain a bit from the live performance, but it is hardly noticeable most of the time. Neidlinger certainly maintains his reputation as one of the greatest Alberichs of all time.
Josef Greindl was the principal bass at Bayreuth immediately after the Second World War. By the time of this recording his voice had developed an unpleasant nasal quality. He certainly brings a great deal of experience to the part, but Gottlob Frick has a better, blacker voice and is downright terrifying for Solti.
Wolfgang Windgassen as Siegfried sounds significantly less vivid and inspired than he does for Solti, although he is still fine vocally and dramatically.
A much more serious casting problem is to be found in Theo Adam as Wotan. While he is certainly an intelligent singer and does a decent job of projecting character, he leaves much to be desired vocally. His voice is smaller and much less authoritative than the god's should be and it is inclined to be wobbly and abrasive, particularly in Rheingold. He improves as the operas progress, but he is never nearly as satsifying as Hotter is for Solti (even with his vocal problems) or Krauss.
A few other casting flaws to note. Neither Ludmilla Dvoráková (Gutrune) nor Vera Soukupova (Erda) has much understanding or depth of character. Erika Köth as the Woodbird is also a disappointment. Martha Mödl as Waltraute is interesting, but rather unsteady.
However, the Rhinemaidens, Valkyries and the Norns all very fine. Martti Talvela is a treat to have as Fasolt and Annelies Burmeister is a fine Fricka. Thomas Stewart is a standout as Gunther, although not as intelligent and tragic as Fischer-Dieskau is for Solti. The lesser gods are capably taken.
I have mixed feelings about Böhm’s conducting. His speeds are fast--this Ring is a full hour shorter than Solti's and he manages to keep up a high level of excitement throughout almost the whole performance. But one would frequently like him to slow down. For instance, the Erda-Wotan scene in Rheingold simply does not come off, in part because of his dashing through it, and in part because of the singers. In many of the climaxes, such as the end of Act 2 of Götterdämmerung, Böhm fails to rise to the moment. Instead, he is content to keep up the same level of excitement throughout the entire cycle. This sometimes seems superficial and hectic, although it is far from bad.
All told, Solti has much better orchestral phrasing, power and depth to his recording. And the Bayreuth orchestra, while fine, is no match for the Vienna Philharmonic. The Bayreuth chorus is, however, the equal of the Vienna State Opera Chorus.
As for the recording itself, it is a vast improvement over the Rings recorded at Bayreuth in the 50s. But there is still a terrible lack of detail in the orchestra--partially the result of Bayreuth’s unique acoustics. And the brass is weak. The stereo medium is rarely exploited, a result of the staging itself. All told, the sound is flat and lacks the vividness of Solti. It also lacks many of the special effects Solti has, which is a minor point but one more reason why this probably is not the best choice as a first Ring recording.
It is a very fine one, however, and I know I shall return to it often, particularly the Walküre, which is one of my three favorite readings of the work (Solti and Furtwängler are the others). While I think that Solti is a better choice for a first Ring, this is a marvelous choice for a second or third.
Charles E. Muntz (
http://www.wagnerdiscography.com/reviews/rin/rin66bohm_a.htm )
This recording, made live at Bayreuth in 1967, is one of my favorite Walküres. The best part of it is the first act. Leonie Rysanek is a mature, involving Sieglinde, finely and dramatically sung. James King, whose voice has always struck me as being particularly suited for Siegmund, partners her. His interpretation has matured and is altogether a bit more dramatically involving than it was for Solti two years earlier. And I think that Böhm's conducting of this act has a slightly better dramatic flow than Solti's. The one downside is that Nienstedt's Hunding is not quite "black" enough for the role. But that is a minor concern. Fortunately, this act is available separately on a single disc (Philips, 442 640-2).
Birgit Nilsson's Brünnhilde, an assumption that has become the stuff of legend, dominates the rest of the opera. Here she is at full throttle, slightly even more intense than she was for Solti's excellent recording. Unfortunately, Theo Adam as Wotan is not up to the same standard. His voice is short on power and authority and tends to sound abrasive, although his interpretation is well thought out and intelligent. Hotter, even with his vocal problems, is a far better Wotan for Solti.
The rest of the cast is quite good, the Valkyries as fine as any on record, and Burmeister’s Fricka is appropriately waspish and nagging.
Karl Böhm gives an exciting reading of the rest of the opera as well, although Solti and Furtwängler both give better, more controlled and thought out interpretations. Böhm also at times drives the music too hard, making it sound superficial. The Bayreuth Orchestra is excellent, but weak in the brass and the recording lacks detail and dimension.
But all in all this is an excellent recording of Die Walküre, one of the best. If you are looking for a recording of Die Walküre alone, this is an excellent choice, although the individual operas of the Böhm cycle are hard to find these days.
Charles E. Muntz (
http://www.wagnerdiscography.com/reviews/wal/wal67bohm.htm )
ესაც 1965 წლის ვალკირეს მეორე და მესამე მოქმედება.
Richard Wagner - Die WalküreBayreuther Festspiele - 14/8/1965
James King - Siegmund
Leonie Rysanek - Sieglinde
Theo Adam - Wotan
Birgit Nilsson - Brünnhilde
Ursula Boese - Fricka
Martti Talvela - Hunding
Danica Mastilovic - Gerhilde
Isabella Doran - Ortlinde
Gertraud Hopf - Waltraute
Lili Chookasian - Schwertleite
Liane Synek - Helmwige
Elisabeth Schärtel - Siegrune
Ursula Boese - Grimgerde
Margarete Bence - Rossweisse
Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele
Dirigent - Karl Böhm
2. Akt :
http://www.link.ge/file/90170/W2A-Bohm-1965.mp3.html &
http://www.link.ge/file/90182/W2B-Bohm-1965.mp3.html3. Akt :
http://www.link.ge/file/90165/W3-Bohm-1965.mp3.htmlსურათზე : ზიგფრიდის სიკვდილის სცენა.
მიმაგრებული სურათი
Richard Wagner, 1813 – 1883
