Sawallisch: Wagner – Tannhauser (3 CD box set, APE)

Composer: Richard Wagner,
Orchestra: Bayreuth Festival Orchestra
Conductor: Wolfgang Sawallisch
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 3 CD
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: Opera D’oro
Size: 639 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

Disc: 1
01. Act One: Overtur
02. Act One: Naht euch dem Strande!
03. Act One: Geliebter, sag, wo weilt dein Sinn?
04. Act One: Dir t?ne Lob!
05. Act One: Geliebter, komm! Sieh dort die Grotte
06. Act One: Zieh hin, Wahnsinniger, zieh hin! Geh!
07. Act One: Frau Holda kam aus dem Berg hervor
08. Act One: Allm?cht’ger, dir sei Preis!
09. Act One: Wer ist der dort im br?nstigen Gebete?
10. Act One: Ish wanderte in witer, weiter Fern
11. Act One: Elisabeth! O Macht des Himmels
12. Act One: Als du in k?hnem Sange uns bestrittest
13. Act One: Zu ihr! Zu ihr! Oh, f?hret mich zu ihr!

Disc: 2
01. Act Two: Dich, teure Halle, gru? ich wieder
02. Act Two: Dort ist sie; nahe dich iht ungest?rt!
03. Act Two: Verzeiht, wenn ich niche wei?
04. Act Two: Gepriesen sei die Stunde
05. Act Two: Dich treff ich hier in dieser Halle
06. Act Two: Noch bleibe denn unausgesprochen
07. Act Two: Freuding berg??en wir die edle Halle
08. Act Two: Gar viel und sch?n ward hier
09. Act Two: Blick ich umher in diesem edlen Kreise
10. Act Two: Auch ich darf mich so gl?cklich nennen
11. Act Two: Denn Bronnen, den uns Wolfram
12. Act Two: O Walter, der du also sangest
13. Act Two: Heraus zum Kampfe mit uns allen!
14. Act Two: Dir, G?ttin der Liebe
15. Act Two: Ihr habt’s geh?rt!
16. Act Two: Weh! Weh, mir Ungl?cksel’gem!
17. Act Two: Ein furchtbates Verbrechen

Disc: 3
01. Act Three: Prelude
02. Act Three: Wohl wu?t; ich hier sie im Gebet
03. Act Three: Begl?ckt darf nun dich, o Heimat
04. Act Three: Allm?cht’ge Jungfrau, h?r mein Flehenl
05. Act Three: Elisabeth, d?rft’ich dich
06. Act Three: Wie Todesahnung D?mmrung
07. Act Three: O du, mein hilder Abendstern
08. Act Three: Ich h?rte-Harfenschlag
09. Act Three: H?r an, Wolfram,,,Inbrunst im Herzen
10. Act Three: Halt ein! Halt ein, Unseliger!
11. Act Three: Wilkommen, ungetreuer Mann!
12. Act Three: Heilige Elisabeth, bitte f?r mich!

Tannhauser, opera, WWV 70
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra
with Georg Paskuda, Gerhard Stolze, Grace Bumbry, Theo Adam, Else-Margrete Gardelli, Wolfgang Windgassen, Victoria de Los Angeles, Franz Crass, Josef Greindl, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch

Glorious Live Wagner

Tannhauser is a surprisingly infrequently recorded opera, and of the studio recordings currently available none are satisfactory. That being said I was thrilled to discover this live recording. I was somewhat dubious of the label, because I had heard bad things about live opera, and this label specifically. Thankfully the low-range price encouraged me to buy it just to try. What good fortune that I did. This recording is sensational. The dramatic plan of Tannhauser allows for the inclusion of four exceptional principals in the parts of Venus, Elisabeth, Tannhauser, and Wolfram, and that’s exactly what you get on this recording. Bumbry is a sensual clearly-sung Venus. de Los Angeles’ Elisabeth ranks up with Ludwig’s Leonora as one of the great righteous soprano performances. Windgassen is an exceptional Tannhauser and the true star of this recording. His musical expression puts the tortured soul of Tannhauser into stark relief. From his tortured cry “O Konigin Gottin lasst mich sein” to his exultant “Mein Heil in Maria” to his final redemption in “Heilige Elisabeth bitte fur mich” Windgassen is the complete character. Fischer-Dieskau does an excellent job as Wolfram, especially in the song to the evening star, perhaps the opera’s most recognizable showpiece. A warning, this is a LIVE recording. The sound is not ideal. There are coughs, and stage noises. In some places it even sounds like someone offstage was giving cues to the singers on their next word. When confronting the music however, none of it matters. I continue to listen to this recording with great regularity 6 months after purchasing it. This is truly the Tannhauser to own, and makes me wonder why this opera is so infrequently recorded and staged.