HALLELUJAH - so THIS is the famous second recording (after that of Sir Georg Solti being the first) which is quite complete, with no cuts!!! "BRAVI e BRAVE" to Wolfgang Sawallisch plus Eva Marton and Marjana Lipovšek as well as to the Bayerischen Rundfunks Symphonie Orchester for doing this unabridged performance - WELL DONE!!!! A worthy competitor to Solti's magisterial recording. Someday, when I can get my hands upon it, I'll be very glad indeed to buy a copy of this recording!!! [The length-timing had me nervous lest this recording was also cut - which I'm pleased to say proved not to be the case: the opera here is performed in its entirety!!!] Here it has to be noted regarding that first recording that Solti and John Culshaw, with Regina Resnik's assistance (by putting back the one cut in Klytämnestra's part that frequently gets omitted) were *just barely* able to finally persuade Birgit Nilsson to specially learn and record the 5 or 6 portions of the rôle which very frequently get cut (especially in live performances) and which "standard" (cut) version Culshaw's team of Decca-London had to record initially. [Nilsson, assisted by a formal letter by Strauss' protégé and "expert" Karl Böhm, who also was a competitor with Solti, insisted initially that those cut portions were not necessary, necessitating an exhaustive investigation by Culshaw of what exactly Richard Strauss had said about cuts generally and specifically regarding this opera. In that way (by showing that Strauss tolerated but didn't really like having the excisions) they were able at last to persuade Nilsson to add back the cuts, so she gave them a date for when she could do the recording thereof - only for them all to find out that the bulk of the Vienna Philharmonic was unavailable for recording those parts that day as the orchestra was on tour in Germany. Since Nilsson wasn't willing to change her schedule, Culshaw and his team had to round up those VPO members that hadn't gone on the tour (fortunately a good number of the principals were among those who had remained behind!) and augment them with members of other orchestras whose standards of playing and musicianship were compatible with the VPO. Solti obviously was able to get them up to snuff into sounding almost every bit as good, while Decca-London's people were amply successful in splicing in those cut portions with virtually NO space to spare (the number of bars included immediately before and after the cuts were frighteningly small, with one such place having less than ONE BAR!!!), and the results are thus immortalised on a recording celebrating its 50th anniversary this year (2017). Thus, having now this Sawallisch recording - very good indeed in itself!!! - is most welcome in filling out a field where performances omitting the cuts are very much predominant (Böhm, Sinopoli, Ozawa, Andrew Davis among others).
The Solti recording has one major problem - Solti himself, who is obviously oblivious to the ebb and flow of the piece, intent on demonstrating his podium power.
@@Yves_Ka Before I heard Studer I had no idea the role is a Strauss bel canto one. Collier and Solti make a mess of the aria. Sawallisch was the 2nd recording I got at 18. I heard the Solti at 15 and could never understand the hype. It's not a well-thought out interpretation, the playing is over the top and the recording hammy and unpleasant. Solti doesn't get the Waltz rhythm going, or triple meter anyhow, either in the Klytemnestra confrontation or in Elektra's dance or anywhere. The whole thing is played for cheap thrills and I had no idea the opera was a masterpiece until I heard the Sawallisch. Then I heard other great recordings for sure but his remains the classic uncut studio version.
@@kedemberger8773 Well I must take my hat off to you. When I was 18, Strauss went completely over my head. When I was 20 I saw a performance of ELEKTRA with Nilsson and Carlos Kleiber at Covent Garden. To my shame, I remember being spectacularly unimpressed. The next 3 years following that I spent time in Vienna and saw over 100 performances at the Staatsoper. It was there that I became so passionate about Strauss. I heard Nilsson (together with Rysanek) sing this (and FROSCH) many times. She was by then actually somewhat "past it" but the top of her voice was really phenomenal.
@@Yves_Ka Actually Rysanek was never intended for this role on the Decca Elektra recording. Solti avoided working with Rysanek at any cost having done a few Tannhauser performances at the Met with her and never used her in Covent Garden for anything. He refused her for the RCA Aida which then became Leontyne Price. The Original choice for the role of Chrysothemis on the Decca Elektra recording with Solti and Nilsson was Berit Lindholm. She became ill and then Gwyneth Jones was chosen and got sick too and Collier was their last minute replacement.
A studio recording of Elektra with Jessye Norman in the title role remains unreleased, filed away in the Deutsche Grammophon vaults. Claudio Abbado conducted the Vienna Philharmonic. Cheryl Studer, Helga Dernesch and Victor Braun are the others. My understanding is that Norman blocked its release. The obvious reason has to be that she was dissatisfied with the results of her assumption. As folks learn of this hidden gem, I hope they pressure the record company into releasing the recording commercially. Can't wait for its release someday, I hope.
Yes that was true. Norman didn't like the end results. She also didn't like her high notes on how they sounded or something of that degree from what I've heard.
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
WOW, Maestro Sawallisch finds the MUSIC throughout this glorious score, no empty bombast for him!
Thank you
HALLELUJAH - so THIS is the famous second recording (after that of Sir Georg Solti being the first) which is quite complete, with no cuts!!! "BRAVI e BRAVE" to Wolfgang Sawallisch plus Eva Marton and Marjana Lipovšek as well as to the Bayerischen Rundfunks Symphonie Orchester for doing this unabridged performance - WELL DONE!!!! A worthy competitor to Solti's magisterial recording. Someday, when I can get my hands upon it, I'll be very glad indeed to buy a copy of this recording!!! [The length-timing had me nervous lest this recording was also cut - which I'm pleased to say proved not to be the case: the opera here is performed in its entirety!!!]
Here it has to be noted regarding that first recording that Solti and John Culshaw, with Regina Resnik's assistance (by putting back the one cut in Klytämnestra's part that frequently gets omitted) were *just barely* able to finally persuade Birgit Nilsson to specially learn and record the 5 or 6 portions of the rôle which very frequently get cut (especially in live performances) and which "standard" (cut) version Culshaw's team of Decca-London had to record initially. [Nilsson, assisted by a formal letter by Strauss' protégé and "expert" Karl Böhm, who also was a competitor with Solti, insisted initially that those cut portions were not necessary, necessitating an exhaustive investigation by Culshaw of what exactly Richard Strauss had said about cuts generally and specifically regarding this opera. In that way (by showing that Strauss tolerated but didn't really like having the excisions) they were able at last to persuade Nilsson to add back the cuts, so she gave them a date for when she could do the recording thereof - only for them all to find out that the bulk of the Vienna Philharmonic was unavailable for recording those parts that day as the orchestra was on tour in Germany. Since Nilsson wasn't willing to change her schedule, Culshaw and his team had to round up those VPO members that hadn't gone on the tour (fortunately a good number of the principals were among those who had remained behind!) and augment them with members of other orchestras whose standards of playing and musicianship were compatible with the VPO. Solti obviously was able to get them up to snuff into sounding almost every bit as good, while Decca-London's people were amply successful in splicing in those cut portions with virtually NO space to spare (the number of bars included immediately before and after the cuts were frighteningly small, with one such place having less than ONE BAR!!!), and the results are thus immortalised on a recording celebrating its 50th anniversary this year (2017). Thus, having now this Sawallisch recording - very good indeed in itself!!! - is most welcome in filling out a field where performances omitting the cuts are very much predominant (Böhm, Sinopoli, Ozawa, Andrew Davis among others).
The Solti recording has one major problem - Solti himself, who is obviously oblivious to the ebb and flow of the piece, intent on demonstrating his podium power.
@@kedemberger8773 and one not quite so major problem: Marie Collier (who was a last minute replacement for Rysanek)
@@Yves_Ka Before I heard Studer I had no idea the role is a Strauss bel canto one. Collier and Solti make a mess of the aria. Sawallisch was the 2nd recording I got at 18. I heard the Solti at 15 and could never understand the hype. It's not a well-thought out interpretation, the playing is over the top and the recording hammy and unpleasant. Solti doesn't get the Waltz rhythm going, or triple meter anyhow, either in the Klytemnestra confrontation or in Elektra's dance or anywhere. The whole thing is played for cheap thrills and I had no idea the opera was a masterpiece until I heard the Sawallisch. Then I heard other great recordings for sure but his remains the classic uncut studio version.
@@kedemberger8773 Well I must take my hat off to you. When I was 18, Strauss went completely over my head. When I was 20 I saw a performance of ELEKTRA with Nilsson and Carlos Kleiber at Covent Garden. To my shame, I remember being spectacularly unimpressed. The next 3 years following that I spent time in Vienna and saw over 100 performances at the Staatsoper. It was there that I became so passionate about Strauss. I heard Nilsson (together with Rysanek) sing this (and FROSCH) many times. She was by then actually somewhat "past it" but the top of her voice was really phenomenal.
@@Yves_Ka Actually Rysanek was never intended for this role on the Decca Elektra recording. Solti avoided working with Rysanek at any cost having done a few Tannhauser performances at the Met with her and never used her in Covent Garden for anything. He refused her for the RCA Aida which then became Leontyne Price. The Original choice for the role of Chrysothemis on the Decca Elektra recording with Solti and Nilsson was Berit Lindholm. She became ill and then Gwyneth Jones was chosen and got sick too and Collier was their last minute replacement.
A studio recording of Elektra with Jessye Norman in the title role remains unreleased, filed away in the Deutsche Grammophon vaults. Claudio Abbado conducted the Vienna Philharmonic. Cheryl Studer, Helga Dernesch and Victor Braun are the others. My understanding is that Norman blocked its release. The obvious reason has to be that she was dissatisfied with the results of her assumption. As folks learn of this hidden gem, I hope they pressure the record company into releasing the recording commercially. Can't wait for its release someday, I hope.
Yes that was true. Norman didn't like the end results. She also didn't like her high notes on how they sounded or something of that degree from what I've heard.
@@baritoneblazzin1965 That explanation makes abundant sense. I can’t imagine her coping with the tessitura of the role.
The amazon info says this is only 102 minutes long. Is that correct?
Never mind, I had a brain fart in my previous post.
LOL