# Wagner on Digital Concert Hall



## Scott in PA (Aug 13, 2016)

As noted elsewhere, the Berlin Philharmonic’s Digital Concert Hall is allowing free access (I think thru April 12). I just wanted to mention that the archives include four Wagner operas in concert performance: Tristan, Parsifal, Walküre, and Götterdämmerung. 

Last night I watched the Tristan from 2016. Stewart Skelton was Tristan. The concert style suited his somewhat wooden personality. He sang well and amazingly hit all those high “a”s with a powerful burnished sound. Eva Maria Westbroek sang Isolde. She doesn’t really have the very top of the role but she sang well enough. She has the dramatic heft to handle the role and has a pleasing “mezzo-ish” tone that brightens as she ascends to B flat, but nothing is guaranteed above that. They did make the one traditional cut in the “Liebesnacht” after Tristan and Isolde’s ecstatic meeting, but it was otherwise complete. 

The true star was the Berlin Philhamonic: their playing was rapturous throughout. Just one example: in the Act III prelude the way the tone modulated from viola to oboe to horn so seamlessly. An excellent opportunity to hear a virtuosic orchestra play this repertory. Not many other world orchestras play at this level and most opera orchestras don’t. Also a great chance to see the performance of musicians that are usually hidden in a pit. Given the general depravity of current opera productions, this may be the preferred way to hear Wagner.

I intend to watch the Parsifal this coming week!


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