# Live Recording Of Wagner's First Opera "Die Feen " On Orfeo .



## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

I've been listening to a live Munich recording of Wagner's rarely performed first opera "Die Feen " , and it's not only fascinating , but a surprisingly good opera for a first attempt by a young composer !
The conductor is the late Wolfgang Sawallisch , one of the foremost Wagner conductors of our time ,leading the Bavarian Radio symphony and chorus , and the cast is top notch, with the late John Alexander , Linda Esther Grey and June Anderson among others . This was recorded in 1983, the centennial of Wagner's death . 
The story is based on the Carlo Gozzi play "La Donna Serpente " and has some curious similarities to the story of "Die Frau Ohne Schatten " by Richard Strauss .
The fairy Queen Ada has entered into a relationship with the king an imaginary kingdom by the name of Arindal , and they have two children who do not appear in the opera . Aridness has been absent from his kingdom for 8 years , and his sister Lora and the populace are wondering what has happened and are under attack by a foreign nation . Aridness' father has died of grief in the meantime, and his ghost appears at one time in the opera to warn everyone about the crisis .
The King of the fairies has caused Ada to turn into stone , but somehow, everything works out and the fairy King reunites Ada and Arindal, who is now immortal because of his courage and has become one the the fairies . 
The music is of course immature Wagner and shows the influence of Weber, whom Wagner greatly admired . But you can hear Wagner's own emerging voice and shows Wagner's enormous melodic gift . This recording can also be heard on youtube , and i recommend it highly . It's a must for any Wagner fan .


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

I bought this recording when it first came out, and I still have the LPs somewhere. It's a lovely performance with a fine cast.


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