Composer: Richard Wagner
Performer: Martha Mödl, Ludwig Suthaus, Josef Greindl, Sena Jurinac, Margarete Klose, Alfred Poell
Orchestra: Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma della RAI
Conductor: Wilhelm Furtwängler
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Warner
Release: 1990
Size: 847 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
Götterdämmerung
Prologue
01. Vorspiel – “Welch Licht leuchtet dort?” (Drei Nornen)
02. “Treu beratner Verträge Runen” (Zweite Norn)
03. “Es ragt die Burg” (Drei Nornen)
04. “Des zerschiagnen Speeres” (Drei Nornen)
05. Tagesgrauen – “Zu neuen Taten” (Brünnhilde, Siegfried)
06. “Willst du mir Minne schenken” (Brünnhilde, Siegfried)
07. “Laß ich, Liebste” (Brünnhilde, Siegfried)
08. “Durch deine Tugend allein” (Brünnhilde, Siegfried)
09. “O hellige Götter” (Brünnhilde, Siegfried)
10. Siegfrieds Rheinfahrt
Act 1
11. Scene 1: “Nun hor, Hagen” (Gunther, Hagen)
12. Scene 1: “Wen rätst du nun zu frein” (Gunther, Hagen, Gutrune)
13. Scene 1: “Vor Neidhöhle den Niblungenhort” (Hagen, Gunther)
14. Scene 1: “Du Spötter, böser Hagen” (Gutrune, Hagen, Gunther)
15. Scene 1: “Jagt er auf Taten wonnig umher” (Hagen, Gunther, Siegfried)
16. Scene 2: “Wer ist Gibichs Sohn?” (Siegfried, Gunther, Hagen)
17. Scene 2: “Begrüße froh, O Held” (Gunther, Siegfried, Hagen)
18. Scene 2: “Des Schatzes vergaß ich fast” (Hagen, Siegfried, Gunther)
19. Scene 2: “Wilkommen, Gast, in Gibidchs Haus” (Gutrune, Siegfried, Gunther)
20. Scene 2: “Deinem Bruder bot ich mich zum Mann” (Siegfried, Gunther)
21. Scene 2: “Ich fürchte kein Feuer” (Siegfried, Gunther)
22. Scene 2: “Blühenden Lebens is bendes Blut” (Siegfried, Gunther, Hagen)
23. Scene 2: “Frisch auf die Fahrt!” (Siegfried, Gunther, Hagen, Gutrune)
24. Scene 2: “H’er sitz’ ich zur Wacht” (Hagen)
25. Scene 2: Orchesterzwischenspiel
26. Scene 3: “Kommst du zu mir?” (Brünnhilde, Waltraute)
27. Scene 3: “Angst und Furcht fossein dich Arme?” (Brünnhilde, Waltraute)
28. Scene 3: “Höre mit Sinn, was ich sage!” (Waltraute)
29. Scene 3: “So sitzt er” (Waltraute)
30. Scene 3: “Welch banger Träume Mären” (Brünnhilde)
31. Scene 3: “An deiner Hand, der Ring” (Waltraute, Brünnhilde)
32. Scene 3: “Geh’ hin zu der Götter heiligem Rat” (Waltraute, Brünnhilde)
33. Scene 3: “Blitzend Gewölk” (Brünnhilde)
34. Scene 3: “Brünnhild’! Ein Freier Kam” (Siegfried, Brünnhilde)
35. Scene 3: “Die Nacht bricht an” (Siegfried, Brünnhilde)
Act 2
36. Vorspiel
37. Scene 1: “Schläfst du, Hagen, mein Sohn?” (Alberich, Hagen)
38. Scene 1: “Der Ewigen Macht” (Hagen, Alberich)
39. Scene 1: “Den Ring soll ich haben” (Alberich, Hagen)
40. Scene 2: “Hoiho, Hagen!” (Siegfried, Hagen)
41. Scene 2: “Heiß’ mich wilkommen” (Siegfried, Gutrune, Hagen)
42. Scene 2: “Doch zur Seite war ihm Brünnhild?” (Siegfried, Gutrune)
43. Scene 2: “In der Ferne seh’ ich ein Segel” (Hagen, Siegfried, Gutrune)
44. Scene 3: “Hoiho! Hoihohoho!” (Hagen, Chor)
45. Scene 3: “Rüstet euch wohl” (Hagen, Chor)
46. Scene 3: “Groß Glück und Hell” (Hagen, Chor)
47. Scene 4: “Heil dir, Gunther!” (Chor, Gunther)
48. Scene 4: “Gegrüßt sei, teurer Held” (Gunther, Chor, Siegfried, Brünnhilde, Hagen)
49. Scene 4: “Einen Ring seh ich an deiner Hand” (Brünnhilde, Siegfried, Gunther)
50. Scene 4: “Ha! Dieser war es” (Brünnhilde, Siegfried, Hagen, Gutrune, Chor)
51. Scene 4: “Heil’ge Götter” (Brünnhilde, Gunther, Chor)
52. Scene 4: “Achtest du so der eig’nen Ehre?” (Siegfried, Brünnhilde, Chor, Gunther, Gutrune, Hagen)
53. Scene 4: “Helle Wehr!” (Siegfried, Brünnhilde, Chor)
54. Scene 4: “Gunther, wehr deinem Weibe” (Siegfried)
55. Scene 5: “Welches Unholds List” (Brünnhilde)
56. Scene 5: “Vertraue mir” (Hagen, Brünnhilde)
57. Scene 5: “So kann keine Wehr ihm schaden?” (Hagen, Brünnhilde, Gunther)
58. Scene 5: “Betrüger ich – und betrogen!” (Gunther, Hagen)
59. Scene 5: “Dich verriet er” (Brünnhilde, Hagen, Gunther)
60. Scene 5: “Muss sein Tod sie betrüben” (Brünnhilde, Hagen, Gunther)
Act 3
61. Vorspiel
62. Scene 1: “Frau Sonne sendet lichte Strahlen” (Woglinde, Wellgunde, Floßhilde)
63. Scene 1: “Frau Sonne, sende uns den Helden” (Woglinde, Wellgunde, Floßhilde)
64. Scene 1: “Ein Albe führte mich irr” (Siegfried, Woglinde, Wellgunde, Floßhilde)
65. Scene 1: “Siegfried, was gibst du uns” (Woglinde, Siegfried, Wellgunde, Floßhilde)
66. Scene 1: “Was leid’ ich doch das karge Lob?” (Siegfried, Floßhilde, Woglinde, Wellgunde)
67. Scene 1: “Siegfried! Schlimmes wissen wir dir” (Woglinde, Wellgunde, Floßhilde, Siegfried)
68. Scene 1: “Siegfried! Wir weisen dich wahr” (Siegfried, Floßhilde, Wellgunde, Woglinde)
69. Scene 1: “Kommt, Schwestern!” (Floßhilde, Woglinde, Wellgunde)
70. Scene 1: “Walalalalala … Im Wasser wie am Lande” (Floßhilde, Woglinde, Wellgunde, Siegfried)
71. Scene 2: “Hoiho!” (Hagen, Chor, Siegfried)
72. Scene 2: “Der uns das Wild verscheuchte” (Hagen, Siegfried, Gunther)
73. Scene 2: “Trink, Gunther, trink!” (Siegfried, Gunther, Hagen)
74. Scene 2: “Mime hieß ein mürrischer Zwerg” (Siegfried)
75. Scene 2: “Jetzt aber merkt” (Siegfried)
76. Scene 2: “Ring und Tarnhelm” (Hagen, Chor, Siegfried)
77. Scene 2: “In Leid zu dem Wipfel” (Siegfried, Hagen)
78. Scene 2: “Rasch ohne Zögern” (Siegfried, Gunther, Hagen, Chor)
79. Scene 2: “Brünnhilde! Heilige Braut!” (Siegfried)
80. Scene 2: Trauermusik
81. Scene 3: “War das sein Horn?” (Gutrune)
82. Scene 3: “Brünnhild! Brünnhild!” (Gutrune, Hagen)
83. Scene 3: “Auf, Gutrun’!” (Hagen, Gutrune, Gunther)
84. Scene 3: “Nicht klage wider mich!” (Hagen, Gutrune, Gunther)
85. Scene 3: “Schweigt eures Jammers” (Brünnhilde, Gutrune)
86. Scene 3: “Armselige, schweig!” (Brünnhilde, Gutrune)
87. Scene 3: “Starke Scheite schichtet mir dort” (Brünnhilde)
88. Scene 3: “Wie Sonne lauter” (Brünnhilde)
89. Scene 3: “O ihr, der Eide ewige Hüter!” (Brünnhilde)
90. Scene 3: “Mein Erbe nun” (Brünnhilde)
91. Scene 3: “Fliegt heim, ihr Raben!” (Brünnhilde)
92. Scene 3: “Grane, mein Roß!” (Brünnhilde)
93. Scene 3: Feuermusik – “Zurück vom Ring!” (Hagen)
94. Scene 3: Schluss
When Rome Radio taped this Götterdämmerung in 1953, it was the culmination of a cycle of Wagner’s complete Der Ring des Nibelungen made under the direction of Wilhelm Furtwängler. Recorded in monaural sound, one act at a time every two to four days between October 26 and November 27, the project was intended for later radio broadcast and not commercial release. The year before, EMI had re-signed the great German conductor and part of its plan was to record a complete Ring in the studio in newly invented stereo sound. Unfortunately, Furtwängler died in November 1954, just weeks after recording a studio Die Walküre in Vienna, and his stereo Ring was left unfulfilled.
Despite this, it took EMI an amazing 20 years to release Furtwängler’s Rome Ring. Part of the reason for the delay was that several of the singers were signed to another label, and part of the reason was that EMI thought a monaural cycle couldn’t compete with stereo cycles. Finally, in 1972, EMI released the Rome Ring — and found it sold nearly as well as the stereo competition. Nor, apparently, did the label learn its lesson: though it was releasing compact discs in the mid-’80s, EMI didn’t get around to releasing the Rome Ring on CD until 1991.What, then, do we have in this performance of Götterdämmerung? Taped before a reverent Roman audience on November 20, 24, and 27, we have a Götterdämmerung that could fairly be said to be among the greatest of them all. The cast was arguably the best possible for its time: Ludwig Suthaus is an intrepid Siegfried and Martha Mödl is a deeply affecting Brünnhilde, while Josef Greindl is evil incarnate in Hagen, Sena Jurinac is womanly weakness made flesh as Gutrune, and Alfred Poell is male gullibility given voice as Gunther. The Rome Radio Orchestra, of course, was not to the Wagnerian manner born and bred, but it is a game ensemble and it is clearly thrilled to be performing such exciting music.
And above it all, guiding, shaping, and infusing the whole performance with his extraordinarily inspired conducting, is Wilhelm Furtwängler. Deeply immersed in the music, drama, and philosophy behind the Ring, and the conductor’s understanding of the whole gesamtkunstwerk is unparalleled. More importantly, Furtwängler’s incredible ability to imbue every line with unbearable intensity while keeping the entire structure driving inexorably forward toward an apocalyptic climax results in performances of overwhelming musical, emotional, and spiritual impact. Listening straight through from start to finish for the entire four-plus hours of this Götterdämmerung is enough to render anyone thoroughly exhausted. Listening straight through from start to finish for the entire 14-plus hours of the Rome Ring is enough to render anyone deaf, dumb, and blind. Despite the obviously antique sound, this is a great Götterdämmerung — part of one of the greatest Ring cycles ever recorded.