Liebestod Archive
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 3; WAGNER: Parsifal: Act II; Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod – Kirsten Flagstad, soprano (Kundry)/ Birgit Nilsson (Isolde)/ Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/ Hans Knappertsbusch – Praga Digitals
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 3 in d minor; WAGNER: Parsifal: Act II: “Ich sah das Kind an seiner Mutter Brust”; Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod – Kirsten Flagstad, soprano (Kundry)/ Birgit Nilsson (Isolde)/ Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/ Hans Knappertsbusch – Praga Digitals PRD 350 140, 77:13 (7/28/17) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] *****: The inimitable “Kna” makes his presence felt in Bruckner and Wagner staples he passionately endorsed. Culled from studio recordings 1954-1959, these performances celebrate the majestic realizations of conductor Hans Knappertsbusch (1888-1965), as often celebrated as criticized for his slow tempos and rhythmic mannerisms. The 1954 recording of the Bruckner Third employs the 1877 version as edited by Theodor Raettig. The work seems infiltrated with allusions to and quotations from both Beethoven and Wagner, while its structural evolution follows the lyrical model of Schubert, with his tendency to utilize laendler tropes and chorale progressions. The music possesses a fervent sincerity that somehow has survived the numerous revisions and cuts the composer imposed upon his original ideas, excising many of the references to Wagner operas. Still, enough of Die Walkuere remains to justify the reference to the piece as the “Wagner Symphony.” The combination of nervous tension—a d minor ostinato—and ostentatious […]
Kirsten Flagstad and Georges Sebastian = WAGNER: Wesendonck-Lieder; Isoldes Erzaehlung und Fluch; Isoldes Klage und Liebestod; Bruennhildes Schlussgesang; Tristan Prelude; R. STRAUSS: Four Last Songs (3); Monolog – with Berlin State Opera Orch. – Audite
The legendary helden-soprano late in her career still possessed the power to thrill in the repertory she had consistently championed.