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Review by Charles E. Muntz
This is the weakest link in Karl Böhm's excellent Ring cycle, chiefly
because of Theo Adam's Wotan. It is not that he is not an intelligent
singer with a fine sense of character, but rather his voice. Here,
more than in the other operas, it is particularly abrasive and wobbly.
He also lacks the weight and authority that the god needs.
The other big weakness in the cast is Vera Soukupova as Erda who simply
does not project much character. The entire Wotan-Erda scene really
does not come off because of the two principles and because of Böhm's
conducting, which seems particularly hectic and superficial here.
The rest of the cast is generally much better, although Wolfgang
Windgassen is well past his prime for the role of Loge (His reading
for Furtwängler in 1953 was much better). The giants are the best,
particularly Talvela's sympathetic Fasolt. Burmeister is a standout
among the gods as Fricka, along with Anja Silja's Freia. Esser and
Nienstedt are better than average, although there are certainly better
Frohs and Donners on record.
The real standout in the cast is Gustav Neidlinger as Alberich. Here,
just as much as for Solti, he presents the dwarf as the embodiment of
evil, with the pronouncement of the curse terrifying.
Böhm's conducting is fast paced and usually exciting, but sometimes
more hectic that it should be. Climaxes are generally not as well
shaped as they could be and seem to come and go at the same high level
of excitement as the rest of the reading. The Bayreuth Orchestra plays
well, but is weak in the brass. The recording itself lacks detail and
is generally flat sounding. I really cannot see recommending it outside
the complete Böhm cycle.
This review is from the now closed Wagner on the Web and it is published
without the author's consent. I haven't been able to get in touch with him.
If the author reads this, please contact me as soon as possible. If you
don't want it here, I'll take it of the site immediately. |
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