# Synthetic Recordings



## brianwalker (Dec 9, 2011)

One of the problems of Amazon reviews and reviews in general is that we have to evaluate the aggregate attributes of a work as large and multitudinous in quality as an entire Wagner opera - things are never perfect but it becomes a necessity to compare different recordings and judge them as superior to, equal to, or inferior to some other records for the reason of selection. However, these debates are forced to overlook the merits of the individual acts because it becomes impossible to write a review if you want to give 5 stars to one Act and 2 stars to the other.

Die Walkure has always been a problematic opera for me on record (yes, all operas are to a great extent problematic to record, but this is just egregiously so). There are just too many characters, and they're of equal weight, Sieglinde, Siegmunde, Wotan, Fricka, Brunnhilde, etc.

Die Walkure 
Act I - Knappertsbusch, 1957 
Act II- Bohm 1966
Act III - Solti, 1967

Knappertsbusch has all the advantages here - Himself as conductor, the Vienna Phil, and Flagstad as Sieglinde, in Decca sound (!!!).

Solti's test run Act III has more spontaneity and edge than his official studio recording. Compare the two Ride of the Valkyries - his 1957 version is much leaner and faster, probably the fastest I've heard on record. Flagstad again, as Brunnhilde.

Surprisingly again, Solti's Leb Wohl is bettered conducted than his official studio version. The melody line is much more sensual and tempered rather than mechanical. Perhaps some of the bad conducting can be attributed to Culshaw's over scrutinization. Again he has Flagstad to his advantage.

Nilsson gave a better performance with Bohm in 66 than with Solti.

What are your synthetic recordings, if any, of a single opera?

*Edit: oops wrong forum, can someone move this to Opera? *


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

There you go---didn't I say it wouldn't be long before you mastered the field of opera.


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