Credits:
Wilhelm Furtwangler
Description:
Commemorating the 70th anniversary of his death. Furtwngler's treasured "Die Walkre, Act I" from Rome in 1952, first SACD&CD release from the master of the world premiere LP! Furtwngler said, "Wagner's music has a strong impression on the audience even after the stage performances have been stripped away. ... it is rather the music that creates the style of the opera." (from "Great Recordings" by John Ardoin, translated by Rumi Fujii, published by Ongaku-no-tomo-sha in 2000), the "Valkyrie" Act I and "Twilight of the Gods" Act III have been performed in concert form since the end of the World War II. However, only two recordings of these works for the RAI (Italian Broadcasting Corporation) in 1952 remain. CETRA (Italy) released LPs of these two recordings in 1985, but they were not released on CD. In Japan, King Records released the third act of "Twilight of the Gods" on CD (KKC.4221) in June 2020, but the first act of "Valkyrie" has not been released yet.On January 14 and 15, 1952, the entire first act of "Die Walkure" (in concert form) was performed in Rome and recorded by RAI (Italian Broadcasting Corporation). The RAI (Italian Broadcasting Corporation) recorded the performance (whether it was on the 14th, 15th, or over two days is unclear, as there are different theories). The sound quality is excellent, probably due to the broadcast recording, and from the famous opening prelude (the "storm" scene), the strings of the orchestra come alive. Of the three singers, Hilde Konecny (soprano: Sieglinde) and Gnter Treptow (tenor: Siegmund) are the same as in the complete recording of "The Ring" at La Scala in Milan in 1950. Otto von Lohr (bass: Hunding) shows stronger and more stable singing than in the La Scala recording. Conducting is more passionate and atmospheric than in the EMI session recording with the Vienna Philharmonic/Mdl/Grindl/Zutthaus in 1954. The sound of applause is also vivid. The result of careful digital mastering at King Sekiguchidai Studios from the master tape (2-track, 38 cm/sec) of the world premiere LP is far superior to the sound quality of the LP era.In addition, for the first time, it has been made available on SACD & CD, making it a must-hear and must-have valuable disc for any fan of the genre. King International
