# Recommend some Wagner to a new opera listener



## Gilberto (Sep 12, 2013)

A few weeks ago while driving to work, a piece of music came on the radio and within two minutes I pulled into a parking lot just so I could sit and absorb it all. As soon as I came home I looked up the radio's playlist so find out what it was: Prelude to Act I of Lohengrin. That weekend I went to the library and read the book Tristan Chord: Wagner & Philosophy. Frankly, I've always avoided his music because.....well, everything is so long. But I'm hooked now and listening to collections of preludes, overtures and such.

As a new listener to opera, I'm looking for advice on how to approach the work of Wagner. The extent of my experience with opera has been watching a few DVDs over the last year; Aida, Carmen, Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana.

Would it be desirable to start at the beginning and proceed chronologically? That is how I tend to approach something new; it helps me gauge the evolution of the whole. Or would it be better to just jump right into the "popular" ones and catch the rest later? 

Any recommendations of recordings or DVDs will be appreciated.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

If you are going to start at the beginning, I suggest avoiding the first three (Die Feen, Das Liebesverbot and Rienzi) where he hadn't really found his feet. Not to mention that Rienzi is 5 hours long and rather repetitive.

You could jump in with Der fliegende Holländer, but honestly, if Lohengrin grabbed you, just go there. It's an earlier work so would fit in with your usual approach, and the most Italianate of his operas so not too much of a step from your previous listening. That prelude is something else, isn't it!

Best starter DVD, great singing and the story hasn't been mucked around with.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Oh and if you would like some aria collections as a sampler, I love these:


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## Gilberto (Sep 12, 2013)

thank you for the suggestions


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## Notung (Jun 12, 2013)

Here's a nice sampler (in any order)

1. The Ride of the Valkyries
2. Siegfried's Funeral March
3. Brunnhilde's Immolation
4. Tristan und Isolde Prelude
5. Tristan und Isolde Liebestod
6. Parsifal Prelude

These should give you a taste of his overall style. Be sure to get a translation of the lyrics for the "liebstod" and "immolation"; lyrics are an integral part of enjoying Wagner's music, considering that he wrote his own, unlike other composers.

Enjoy!


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## spradlig (Jul 25, 2012)

I've never listened to any of his 
operas in their entirety, but I 
recommend the overtures to _Die Meistersinger
von Nurnberg_ and _Rienzi_, as well
as Siegfried's Rhine Journey, which
I'm pretty sure is from
_Gottedemmerung_ (sorry for
the missing umlaut and misspelling)


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

Wagner was one of the composers that seduced me into being an opera fan; like you I was entranced by the full, rich orchestral sounds.

I think you are doing well, listening to preludes and overtures. There also some orchestral transcriptions (such as _Wagner Without Words_ under George Szell) if you want more along those lines.

As for full operas I actually started with Die fliegende Hollander but I wasn't fully hooked until I went further. I agree with mamascarlatti that Lohengrin is a good choice in this instance though I would also not argue against anything Tannhäuser or later, especially if you are able to see it in person for that wholly immersive experience.

All that being said even though Wagner is my favorite opera composer I still have not seen or even heard Die Feen or Das Liebesverbot and while I should rectify that seeing the growth from Rienzi (some great music) to Hollander (leitmotifs and depth) to Tannhäuser (glorious) I am not in a hurry.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

I also started with collections of his overtures and preludes.
The first complete opera I bought was the Kempe, EMI Lohengrin
and there was no looking back.
Been a Wagnerite ever since.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

Itullian said:


> The first complete opera I bought was the Kempe, EMI Lohengrin
> and there was no looking back.
> Been a Wagnerite ever since.


I meant to include a CD recommendation for Lohengrin and that would have been the one!


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## Oreb (Aug 8, 2013)

I think the ideal starting point is the recent RCA re-issue of Toscanini conducting Wagner:

http://www.amazon.com/Toscanini-Con...d=1380508864&sr=1-1&keywords=toscanini+wagner

These are high among the most beautiful versions of these pieces you will ever here. And a great price for 5 CDs.


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## Revenant (Aug 27, 2013)

Try Furtwangler Conducts Wagner I & II. The last one just came out in March from EMI You can download this entire album for $9.99 US from iTunes. The greatest Wagner conductor (imo) represented here in several overtures and other instrumental passages.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Whatever you do, put off listening to _Tristan und Isolde_ for as long as you can resist. You can still listen to other opera after _Tristan_ but you will never be able to come with a good reason as to why.


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## expat (Mar 17, 2013)

I would stay with Lohengrin and Tannhauser - which I found easier to grasp - for a while and then move on to the Ring. That's how my Wagner journey started. Get the librettos so you know what is happening as you listen.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

And, of course, there is always YouTube, where you can sample all sorts of excepts from Wagner's operas and compare different singers' treatment of the same selections.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

MAuer said:


> And, of course, there is always YouTube, where you can sample all sorts of excepts from Wagner's operas


...like the glorious overture from _Das Liebesverbot_ 



, which I'm glad to see getting more airtime nowadays.

Anyhow, back to the question. _Lohengrin_ is probably the best for newbies, although my 13 year-old nephew was totally enthralled by _Die Meistersinger_. Act One is a bit long, perhaps, but it's a perfect scene-setter for what follows... and what follows is a blend of pathos and high spirits rarely equalled on the stage.


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## Gilberto (Sep 12, 2013)

I will tread lightly with collections of overtures, arias and the like for a bit and wade in first with Lohengrin. I want to thank everyone for the comments and suggestions.


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## spradlig (Jul 25, 2012)

Also, please listen to Wagner's _Siegfried Idyll_. It is beautiful. It uses theme(s) from his opera(s), I'm not sure which one(s). It would obviously not be surprising if one of them were _Siegfried_.


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## Gilberto (Sep 12, 2013)

mamascarlatti said:


> Oh and if you would like some aria collections as a sampler, I love these:


About half through listening to this. Sounds wonderful. Thanks for the recommend!


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## ericdxx (Jul 7, 2013)

Vater Allmätchtiger is his best aria (and the wonderful rendition in the Rienze overture is a must)

Ride of the Valkyries is his biggest moment as an orchestrator.

Notung! Notung! Neidlichest schwert! is his biggest muscle flexing macho moment

The Bridal Chorus is obviously his most accessible piece of music but we are all so sick of it because of its constant use in society

This piano rendition of the Tannhauser aria is possibly his most charming composition:


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## Downbeat (Jul 10, 2013)

I jumped in with Tristan. It's probable that others should come first if one is new to this, but I was already a seasoned listener of classical músic when I got round to opera. It was a bit ambitious to get through (and exhausting), but well worth it after a few playings!


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## korenbloem (Nov 5, 2012)

My very first opera was Tristan. For a few years it was the only opera I listened to. It was among my favorite works overall. When I developed more interest in Opera. I tried Monteverdi (loved it), Fidelio (Beethoven lover here) and then I ducked in Verdi, first his requiem, but then his opera's. I liked/love it. But in the mean while I kept going back to Tristan, and loved it even more. 
The more other opera's I hear, watch and read, the more Tristan begins to seem an League of his own. 
It's still my favorite opera, and one of my favorite works of all time. So my advice is: as a beginner don't begin with Tristan, because you will start with the best the opera world has to offer, and maybe you could get disappointed after it .


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## alan davis (Oct 16, 2013)

Couchie said:


> Whatever you do, put off listening to _Tristan und Isolde_ for as long as you can resist. You can still listen to other opera after _Tristan_ but you will never be able to come with a good reason as to why.


Sage advice here.... My introduction to Wagner came umpteen years ago via Tritan and Isolde. I'd come home early one day to study for an exam and had put the radio on quietly. After a while a piece of music begun and after a couple of minutes I had to stop and listen, completely mesmerised. It was the prelude to Tristan and Isolde. Rushed out to buy a recording of the opera and became a committed Wagnerian. My suggestion is to purchase a complete opera not selections. Wagners works are so vast in meaning just listening to "lollipops" does him and your listening a disservice. Jump in.


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