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EMI Classics' represents the work of Norwegian soprano Kirsten Flagstad in its Great Artists of the Century series through a collection entitled Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder -- Arias. Flagstad, unlike most sopranos, improved with age like a fine wine, with her postwar EMI recordings being Flagstad's latest and considered her best. These selections represent Flagstad in her most essential element: she was strongly associated with the Wesendonck Lieder and no less than ten recordings have appeared, under legitimate cover or not so, of Flagstad in this cycle. The arias, taken from Tannhäuser, Siegfried, Götterdämmerung, and Tristan und Isolde, are required listening for anyone who loves Wagnerian opera, as Flagstad's interpretations are both emotionally profound and vocally sensational to a tremendous extent.
This collection consists of Flagstad recordings produced by Walter Legge and made at No. 3 Abbey Road studio in London between 1948 and 1951. It is nearly identical to a compilation on EMI Références available since 1989 as Wagner: Airs d'Opéras. The major difference is that the Wesendonck Lieder, with Gerald Moore accompanying, has been moved to the front of the disc with the opera arias presented afterward, with the whole disc undergoing an extensive and noticeable remastering process. This restoration serves the Wesendonck Lieder more so than it does the vocal/orchestral arias; although there is a bit more surface noise peeking through here than in the earlier issue, Gerald Moore's piano is louder and more of Flagstad's breathing is in evidence, although the Références version is noticeably warmer than the new version. While the sound quality of either incarnation would seem to be a draw concerning the Wesendonck Lieder, the Références issue clearly has the upper hand in the arias. What was lightly reverberant sound in the earlier reissue has turned to astringent chemistry in the Great Artists of the Century version, with tenor Set Svanholm's portions of "Ewig war ich" from Siegfried in particular sounding like it is coming from the depths of some refrigerator.
Therefore, the sequencing makes more sense on the Great Artists of the Century version, whereas the audio quality overall is friendlier on the Références. One might be best off to seek out the older issue and simply reprogram the order of the tracks.
© TiVo
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Walter Legge, Recording Producer - Richard Wagner, Composer - Gerald Moore, Piano, MainArtist - Kirsten Flagstad, Soprano Vocals, MainArtist - Douglas Larter, BalanceEngineer
© 2004 EMI Records Ltd. ℗ 2004 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK Ltd
Walter Legge, Producer - Richard Wagner, Composer - Gerald Moore, Piano, MainArtist - Kirsten Flagstad, Soprano Vocals, MainArtist - Douglas Larter, BalanceEngineer
© 2004 EMI Records Ltd. ℗ 2004 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK Ltd
Walter Legge, Producer - Richard Wagner, Composer - Gerald Moore, Piano, MainArtist - Kirsten Flagstad, Soprano Vocals, MainArtist - Douglas Larter, BalanceEngineer
© 2004 EMI Records Ltd. ℗ 2004 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK Ltd
Walter Legge, Producer - Richard Wagner, Composer - Gerald Moore, Piano, MainArtist - Kirsten Flagstad, Soprano Vocals, MainArtist - Douglas Larter, BalanceEngineer
© 2004 EMI Records Ltd. ℗ 2004 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK Ltd
Walter Legge, Producer - Richard Wagner, Composer - Gerald Moore, Piano, MainArtist - Kirsten Flagstad, Soprano Vocals, MainArtist - Douglas Larter, BalanceEngineer
© 2004 EMI Records Ltd. ℗ 2004 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK Ltd
Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Richard Wagner, Composer, Poet - Kirsten Flagstad, Vocals, MainArtist - Issay Dobroven, Conductor, MainArtist
© 2004 EMI Records Ltd. ℗ 2004 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK Ltd
Walter Legge, Recording Producer - Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Richard Wagner, Composer, Poet - Kirsten Flagstad, Soprano Vocals, MainArtist - Set Svanholm, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Douglas Larter, BalanceEngineer - Georges Sebastian, Conductor, MainArtist
© 2004 EMI Records Ltd. ℗ 2004, 2004 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK Ltd
Walter Legge, Recording Producer - Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Richard Wagner, Composer, Poet - Wilhelm Furtwängler, Conductor, MainArtist - Kirsten Flagstad, Soprano Vocals, MainArtist - Douglas Larter, BalanceEngineer
© 2004 EMI Records Ltd. ℗ 2004 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK Ltd
Walter Legge, Recording Producer - Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra - Richard Wagner, Composer, Poet - Kirsten Flagstad, Soprano Vocals - Douglas Larter, BalanceEngineer - Elisabeth Hongen, Mezzo-soprano Vocals - Issay Dobrowen, Conductor - Kirsten Flagstad/Elisabeth Höngen/Philharmonia Orchestra/Issay Dobroven, MainArtist
© 2004 EMI Records Ltd. ℗ 2004 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK Ltd
Walter Legge, Producer - Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Richard Wagner, Composer, Poet - Kirsten Flagstad, Soprano Vocals, MainArtist - Douglas Larter, BalanceEngineer - Issay Dobrowen, Conductor - Issay Dobroven, MainArtist
© 2004 EMI Records Ltd. ℗ 2004 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK Ltd
Album review
EMI Classics' represents the work of Norwegian soprano Kirsten Flagstad in its Great Artists of the Century series through a collection entitled Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder -- Arias. Flagstad, unlike most sopranos, improved with age like a fine wine, with her postwar EMI recordings being Flagstad's latest and considered her best. These selections represent Flagstad in her most essential element: she was strongly associated with the Wesendonck Lieder and no less than ten recordings have appeared, under legitimate cover or not so, of Flagstad in this cycle. The arias, taken from Tannhäuser, Siegfried, Götterdämmerung, and Tristan und Isolde, are required listening for anyone who loves Wagnerian opera, as Flagstad's interpretations are both emotionally profound and vocally sensational to a tremendous extent.
This collection consists of Flagstad recordings produced by Walter Legge and made at No. 3 Abbey Road studio in London between 1948 and 1951. It is nearly identical to a compilation on EMI Références available since 1989 as Wagner: Airs d'Opéras. The major difference is that the Wesendonck Lieder, with Gerald Moore accompanying, has been moved to the front of the disc with the opera arias presented afterward, with the whole disc undergoing an extensive and noticeable remastering process. This restoration serves the Wesendonck Lieder more so than it does the vocal/orchestral arias; although there is a bit more surface noise peeking through here than in the earlier issue, Gerald Moore's piano is louder and more of Flagstad's breathing is in evidence, although the Références version is noticeably warmer than the new version. While the sound quality of either incarnation would seem to be a draw concerning the Wesendonck Lieder, the Références issue clearly has the upper hand in the arias. What was lightly reverberant sound in the earlier reissue has turned to astringent chemistry in the Great Artists of the Century version, with tenor Set Svanholm's portions of "Ewig war ich" from Siegfried in particular sounding like it is coming from the depths of some refrigerator.
Therefore, the sequencing makes more sense on the Great Artists of the Century version, whereas the audio quality overall is friendlier on the Références. One might be best off to seek out the older issue and simply reprogram the order of the tracks.
© TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 01:14:58
- Main artists: Kirsten Flagstad
- Composer: Richard Wagner
- Label: Warner Classics
- Genre: Classical
© 2004 EMI Records Ltd. ℗ This compilation & digital remastering (P) 2004 by EMI Records Ltd.
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