# Knappertsbusch....his best recordings...



## Itullian

I have been looking into Knappy's recordings and am wondering which are his best recordings. 
There are a lot of them out there. 
Best meaning performance and/or sound.
Thanks
:tiphat:


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## Brahmsianhorn

Wagner, Wagner, Wagner, and, if you want a change of pace, try some more of his Wagner!

Honestly I can't think of anything from Kna that even makes his Top 10 recordings that isn't Wagner. Perhaps Bruckner...his 3rd is really good.

But Wagner is where Kna discovery begins and ends. His are my favorite versions of Parsifal and Die Meistersinger, *maybe* my favorite Ring, and among my favorite Tristans after Flagstad/Furtwangler.

Parsifal is the most obvious choice, a Kna specialty. I believe there may be as many as 10 of his versions on the market. Many will recommend the 1962 Philips with Thomas as Parsifal, others the '64 with Vickers, but for me there is a special sense of occasion in his 1951 recording with Windgassen, the one that marked the reopening of Bayreuth after the war. It is available on Teldec or Naxos. And although it is mono, I don't personally think the sound is all that big a drawback compared to the later recordings.










Next is my favorite Meistersinger, also from 1951. Sure, Schoffler's authoritative Sachs is a major draw. But even more than that there is just a spirit about this performance that makes the opera come alive, which is so important with all the ensemble singing.










Kna also has many recorded Ring cycles. 1956, '57, and '58 all have their adherents, and you cannot go wrong with any of them. The Ring is so long of course that there will always be pros and cons for each, but for me the 1957 is a standout. I might even say I like it better than my longtime favorite, the 1950 La Scala Furtwangler. Certainly the Kna boasts much better sound. In fact I find it astonishingly vivid.










Tristan und Isolde has been very lucky on records - Furtwangler, Bohm, Kleiber, and Karajan '52 come to mind first - but Kna's conducting is very special and the chief reason to seek out this sublime 1950 recording.










Finally, again from the 1951 reopening of Bayreuth we have this Gotterdammerung with a fantastic cast and in great sound. If only it were a complete cycle!


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## Rmathuln

Brahmsianhorn said:


> Wagner, Wagner, Wagner, and, if you want a change of pace, try some more of his Wagner!
> 
> Honestly I can't think of anything from Kna that even makes his Top 10 recordings that isn't Wagner. Perhaps Bruckner...his 3rd is really good.
> 
> But Wagner is where Kna discovery begins and ends. His are my favorite versions of Parsifal and Die Meistersinger, *maybe* my favorite Ring, and among my favorite Tristans after Flagstad/Furtwangler.
> 
> Parsifal is the most obvious choice, a Kna specialty. I believe there may be as many as 10 of his versions on the market. Many will recommend the 1962 Philips with Thomas as Parsifal, others the '64 with Vickers, but for me there is a special sense of occasion in his 1951 recording with Windgassen, the one that marked the reopening of Bayreuth after the war. It is available on Teldec or Naxos. And although it is mono, I don't personally think the sound is all that big a drawback compared to the later recordings.
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> Next is my favorite Meistersinger, also from 1951. Sure, Schoffler's authoritative Sachs is a major draw. But even more than that there is just a spirit about this performance that makes the opera come alive, which is so important with all the ensemble singing.
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> Kna also has many recorded Ring cycles. 1956, '57, and '58 all have their adherents, and you cannot go wrong with any of them. The Ring is so long of course that there will always be pros and cons for each, but for me the 1957 is a standout. I might even say I like it better than my longtime favorite, the 1950 La Scala Furtwangler. Certainly the Kna boasts much better sound. In fact I find it astonishingly vivid.
> 
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> 
> Tristan und Isolde has been very lucky on records - Furtwangler, Bohm, Kleiber, and Karajan '52 come to mind first - but Kna's conducting is very special and the chief reason to seek out this sublime 1950 recording.
> 
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> Finally, again from the 1951 reopening of Bayreuth we have this Gotterdammerung with a fantastic cast and in great sound. If only it were a complete cycle!


There are 13 Parsifals. The Korean label Venias put all 13 in a single 42 CD box a few years ago.
There are 3 complete Bayreuth Ring cycles (1955-57). Again, Venias issued a 42 CD box with all 3. I prefer the 1956 the most.

Both Venias boxes are OOP.


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## Granate

Whoah. I'll need time










He was pretty lame with Beethoven in my opinion. None of his Eroicas recorded honour his name in my opinion. But this No.5 feels just as intense as the Live Tennstedt in the Proms. This is the one from Frankfurt 1962, not Berlin 1956.










I've talked countless times about my dislike of the Gurnemanz in this recording, the only person that prevents me from buying it. I think it counts with the definitive conducting statement that Kna always had in Parsifal. I always listen to his Parsifals, so I usually focus on the cast. Other favourites are 1952, 1954, 1958, 1960, 1961 and 1962.

*Bruckner 8*
For me he conducted each Bruckner 8 in a different way. I rate highly many of them, but I would rank:
1. Vienna 1961 (furious, agressive)
2. Munich 1963 (peaceful, less mannered)
3. Berlin 1951 (more in the middle term, safer for the casual listener).










Schubert Unfinished from Berlin. This version is very cheap on archipel but the performance is split on two cds!!!!
And the Vienna performance for the Great.










Usually his Bruckner recordings are more colourful in tone than Furtwängler (blame the modern technology of late 50s), but above many, stand this Salzburg Bruckner 7 in 1949.










I wanted to own a Stereo Dutchman, but this recording always makes me back down. It's perfect for casting but specially for his baton.


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## Barbebleu

Itulian - I would have thought that you would have been well acquainted with Kna’s Wagner through the Historical Wagner thread and all the other Wagner threads. I assume then you are thinking of Kna’s none-Wagnerian output?


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## Itullian

Barbebleu said:


> Itulian - I would have thought that you would have been well acquainted with Kna's Wagner through the Historical Wagner thread and all the other Wagner threads. I assume then you are thinking of Kna's none-Wagnerian output?


Yes, that's what i was after.

i just ordered a set of his Brahms symphonies.
i liked what i heard.


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## Granate

I had forgotten his Brahms, although I think he has a tougher competition with Furtwängler


















I'd like to get these. Did you buy these performances?


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## Itullian

Granate said:


> I had forgotten his Brahms, although I think he has a tougher competition with Furtwängler
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> I'd like to get these. Did you buy these performances?


No, i got the complete set on Andromeda. only 15.00usd


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## Granate

^^

Well done. It already has the Cologne No.4 but not the No.3. I think it is a rather strong set. It was on my wishlist too but I'll be fine if I buy the Orfeo spares.


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## Brahmsian Colors

My favorite Bruckner Eighth and Ninth with Knappertsbusch and the Berlin Philharmonic on Tahra


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## DavidA

Brahmsianhorn said:


> Finally, again from the 1951 reopening of Bayreuth we have this Gotterdammerung with a fantastic cast and in great sound. If only it were a complete cycle!


According to Culshaw in Ring Resounding Gotterdamerung was the only part of the cycle worth rehearing. The others were recorded but discarded because performances were full of mistakes or things went wrong. Gotterdamerung was to be released but contractual issues delayed it until the Testament issue.


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## Guest




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## Rangstrom

His version of Schubert's 9th (VPO 1957 live, M&A) may be my favorite. I also have a soft spot for the Brahms 2nd piano concerto with Curzon.


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## flamencosketches

Bump for a great conductor...

I only have one Knappertsbusch CD, but it's really good:










... with a caveat: the Academic Festival Overture that opens the CD is _not_ a good performance. Sloppy, slow, and just does not hold together. What's up with that...? Anyway, all the other pieces are amazing, especially the Siegfried Idyll. I'm new to this work (& Wagner in general), but damn, it's beautiful.

Anyone listening to Kna lately...?


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## Heck148

Kna hated to rehearse....he, Munch and Beecham probably take the prize for conductors who disloked rehearsing the most...


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## flamencosketches

Heck148 said:


> Kna hated to rehearse....he, Munch and Beecham probably take the prize for conductors who disloked rehearsing the most...


Well, that answers that. Does this translate to an inconsistent recorded legacy? Most of what I've heard sounds great with that one exception.


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## Granate

It's a mystery to me why in the ages that both Kna and Furtwängler were alive, Furtwängler recordings would sound much rougher and noisier than the ones Kna conducted, especially talking about the Bruckner symphonies both recorded in Berlin around the same age.


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## Rmathuln

flamencosketches said:


> Well, that answers that. Does this translate to an inconsistent recorded legacy? Most of what I've heard sounds great with that one exception.


I have all four large sets issued a few years by the Korean public domain big box label Venias. I am rarely disappointed with anything I listen to from those sets.

One note - Kna predates the current completist era that reached its zenith with Antal Dorati's Haydn symphony cycle. Before the completist era, the overall repertoire of a conductor was much smaller, with maybe a few new works added every year but the vast majority of the repertoire being works the conductor previously performed. Which accounts for the repeated compositions in those boxes ( one of course containing all 13 surviving recordings or Parsifal, and another 3 complete Ring cycles).

There may not therefore be many compositions where Kna is an undeniable goto source for a special performance, but most everything he did was great. The good part is his "dud" percentage is much lower than most completist era conductors that often tackle too much repertoire to ever learn and bring out the heart of very many compositions with great depth.


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## Animal the Drummer

Rangstrom said:


> His version of Schubert's 9th (VPO 1957 live, M&A) may be my favorite. I also have a soft spot for the Brahms 2nd piano concerto with Curzon.


If you don't already know it, try the "Emperor" concerto he conducted also with Curzon as soloist. That's a very fine piece of accompaniment, which not all conductors are good at.


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## Brahmsianhorn

There is a live Brahms 2nd concerto with Curzon from 1955 on Orfeo that I like even better than the studio Decca


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## vincula

Brahmsianhorn said:


> There is a live Brahms 2nd concerto with Curzon from 1955 on Orfeo that I like even better than the studio Decca


I prefer live recording this one to his Decca too. I play this one quite often, along with Horowitz/Toscanini, Gilels/Reiner and Arrau/Guilini. I'd have a hard time picking up just one. It really depends on my mood.

Regards,

Vincula


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## Spy Car

The 1962 recording of Parsifal has become a beloved favorite of mine--to the point where it threatens Blonde on Blonde (which has ruled the roost as my favorite record of all time for more than 50 years) for the top spot in my heart.

The standard Decca CD (16/44.1) recording is not bad at all, but the (Japanese?) remaster in HD (24/96) is a significant sonic upgrade. If one has the opportunity to acquire this one, it is a treat. Highly recommended.

Bill


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## starthrower

Got this one at a local bookstore. Mono sound but it was only 5 bucks.


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