Richard Wagner 10

Richard Wagner - Parsifal [Blu-ray]

Ever since the world premiere of Parsifal at Bayreuth on 26th July 1882, the meaning of Richard Wagner's last opera has been widely discussed. Nikolaus Lehnhoff's visionary staging of this emotionally charged opera reveals a masterpiece of existential drama about human existence. Christopher Ventris and Waltraud Meier lead an inspired cast in a high definition recording in true surround sound.

Press Reviews

" It is by a long way the most thoughtful, positive and penetrating view of Parsifal that I have encountered. " ( The Times)

" Nikolaus Lehnhoff's production of Parsifal was staged by E N O in 1999. It has since travelled the world and here comes from last year's Baden-Baden Festival. It's a provocative but effective interpretation, in which the Knights of the Grail are struggling to hang on to life in a post-apocalyptic world (a symbolic meteorite dominates the set in Act I). It's a grim vision, but one that works with the established plot; and Lehnhoff's final suggestion of Parsifal leading the others on to a new life without the organised religion that has so patently failed them is inspiring in these over-zealous times. It would be hard to assemble a better cast today. " ( B B C Music Magazine)

" This is a fascinating interpretation of the Parsifal legend. Nikolaus Lehnhoff's production may be known to English readers from E N O. In Lehnhoff's eyes, ' Wagner's music mercilessly tells of total loneliness, of living in an empty world stripped of all its former meaning'. The Knights of the Holy Grail 'have over time lost sight of their roots'; most tellingly perhaps, Lehnhoff tells us that, ' Parsifal is an endgame in the wasteland'. . . Well worth watching and listening. This is an interesting take on one of the greatest dramas ever written. " ( Musicweb International)

Cast
Christopher Ventris ( Parsifal)
Waltraud Meier ( Kundry)
Matti Salminen ( Gurnemanz)
Thomas Hampson ( Amfortas)
Tom Fox ( Klingsor)

Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester; Kent Nagano

Stage Director: Nikolaus Lehnhoff

Catalogue Number: O A B D7063 D
Date of Performance: 2004
Running Time: 317 minutes
Sound: 2. 0 P C M & 5. 1 D T S
Aspect Ratio: 1080i High Definition / 16:9
Subtitles: E N, F R, D E, E S, I T
Label: Opus Arte

Wagner: Tannhäuser (Legendary Performances) [2 DVDs]

Wagner, Richard - Das Rheingold

Pierre Boulez

Richard Wagner - The Ring Without Words [Blu-ray]

Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg [DVD]

English-speaking audiences have always found Die Meistersinger to be a life-enhancing celebration of wisdom, art and song. So it proves in David Mc Vicar's production - the first at Glyndebourne - which is updated to the early-19th century of Wagner's childhood. At the centre of a true ensemble cast is Gerald Finley, a 'gleamingly sung', 'eminently believable' Sachs ( The Independent on Sunday), supported by the dynamic conducting of Vladimir Jurowski which, like Mc Vicar's production, uses Glyndebourne's special intimacy to bring sharp focus to bear on the subtlety of Wagner's musical and dramatic counterpoint.

Press Reviews

" Mc Vicar has put on a great show with style, intelligence and insight. " ( The Daily Telegraph)

" Musically, it was judged faultlessly for the scale of the theatre by Vladimir Jurowski, who conjured playing of mercurial clarity - not the first words one would normally choose for this gargantuan score - from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, sustained with unfailing vigilance and concentration. " ( The Guardian)

" Mc Vicar's staging stokes the glow of Meistersinger's humane heart. . . Together they make the immense performance the most uplifting performance I can recall. " ( B B C Music Magazine ? ? ? ? ? )

" Finley has the role of Hans Sachs massively in focus, both musically and dramatically. " ( Gramophone)

" The camerawork - mostly close-up - is superb, focusing on the intimacy of the Glyndebourne stage and the visual expressiveness of a young cast. Vicki Mortimer's Biedermeyer sets are notably more handsome on film than in the theatre, and the performance (captured late in the inaugural run) breathes a general air of wellbeing. " ( The Financial Times)

Cast
Gerald Finley ( Hans Sachs)
Marco Jentzsch ( Walther von Stolzing)
Johannes Martin Kränzle ( Sixtus Beckmesser)
Anna Gabler ( Eva)
Alastair Miles ( Veit Pogner)
Topi Lehtipuu ( David)

London Philharmonic Orchestra; Vladimir Jurowski

Stage Director: David Mc Vicar

Catalogue Number: O A1085 D
Date of Performance: 2011
Running Time: 300 minutes
Sound: 2. 0 L P C M + 5. 1(5. 0) D T S
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic
Subtitles: E N, F R, D E
Label: Opus Arte

Wagner, Richard - Lohengrin (2 DVDs)

Wagner, Richard - Die Walküre [2 DVDs]

James Levine

Richard Wagner - Die Walküre [2 DVDs]

WAGNER: Rienzi (Toulouse Opera, 2013) [2 DVDs]

Championing love and personal heroism in the face of ecclesiastical oppression and political chicanery, Wagner's third opera explores characteristic themes with terrific energy which culminates in the eponymous Roman tribune's famous prayer to the gods of his fatherland, followed by a riot which prefigures the young composer's own abortive career as a firebrand and revolutionary. Within the elegant minimalism of Jorge Lavelli's production, Torsten Kerl brings ringing authority to the title role, supported by the experienced Wagnerian Pinchas Steinberg. Filmed in High Definition and recorded in true Surround Sound.

Press Reviews

"[ Steinberg's] reading of Rienzi, too, was full of energy and vitality, well suited to what this music needs. He got a great performance from the Capitole's orchestra, which is the best in some 400 miles around. The Choirs were also excellent in a very demanding opera for them. [ Torsten Kerl] was excellent all along and it can be considered a luxury to have him as Rienzi in Toulouse. " ( Seen and Heard International)

" Torsten Kerl is vivacious in the title role, full of energy and with a euphonious, flexible heldentenor which effortlessly reaches the heights. [? ] Pinchas Steinberg at the baton of the Orchestre National du Capitol proves to be energetic, elastic, confident and considerate of the singers; he emphasises transparency and pays more attention to the profound lyricism of the score (which is indebted to the tradition of Grand Opéra) than superficial dramatics. Denis Caiozzi's T V direction always concentrates on the centre of the events. The sound is pin-sharp and gives the voices precedence over the orchestra. " ( Opernnetz)

Cast
Torsten Kerl ( Rienzi)
Marika Schönberg ( Irène)
Richard Wiegold ( Steffano Colonna)
Daniela Sindram ( Adriano)
Stefan Heidemann ( Paolo Orsini)
Robert Bork ( The Cardinal Orvieto)

Choeur du Capitole; Coro dell' Accademia Teatro alla Scala; Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse; Pinchas Steinberg

Stage Director: Jorge Lavelli
Television Director: Denis Caïozzi

Catalogue Number: O A1110 D
Date of Performance: 2013
Running Time: 176 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic
Subtitles: E N; F R; D E K O
Label: Opus Arte

VERDI & WAGNER: The Odeonsplatz Concert [DVD]