Wagner - Die Walkure | Naxos - Opera 866039497

Wagner - Die Walkure

£29.40

Usually available for despatch within 2-3 working days

Label: Naxos - Opera

Cat No: 866039497

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 4

Genre: Opera

Release Date: 11th November 2016

Contents

Artists

Matthias Goerne (baritone)
Michelle DeYoung (mezzo-soprano)
Stuart Skelton (tenor)
Heidi Melton (soprano)
Petra Lang (soprano)
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor

Jaap van Zweden

Works

Wagner, Richard

Die Walkure

Artists

Matthias Goerne (baritone)
Michelle DeYoung (mezzo-soprano)
Stuart Skelton (tenor)
Heidi Melton (soprano)
Petra Lang (soprano)
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor

Jaap van Zweden

About

Comprising four separate operas, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) is one of the supreme works in the history of music. Part 2 of the tetralogy, Die Walküre, centres on the young lovers Siegmund and Sieglinde, whose relationship angers Fricka, goddess of marriage, and on the disobedience of the Valkyrie Brünnhilde who is sent to carry out Fricka’s wishes. Performed by an all-star international cast, the work features thrilling set-pieces such as Wotan’s Farewell and the Ride of the Valkyries. The Prologue, Das Rheingold, can be heard on Naxos 866037475, selected as ‘Album of the Week’ by The Sunday Times, which praised its ‘thrilling sense of drama’.

Gramophone wrote: ‘Matthias Goerne sings Wotan beautifully, with much baritonal sophistication, predictable (from an experienced Lieder recitalist) care for words and able negotiation of trickier moments…’

Cast:
- Wotan: Matthias Goerne (baritone)
- Fricka: Michelle DeYoung (mezzo-soprano)
- Siegmund: Stuart Skelton (tenor)
- Sieglinde: Heidi Melton (soprano)
- Brünnhilde: Petra Lang (soprano)

Reviews

Skelton and Melton are well established Volsungs, but both their voices seem to have taken on fresh lustre and clarion ring, giving memorably intense performances. … Among bargain performances this is outstanding, and ideal starting point for newcomers, and it’s competitive even among full-price versions.  Michael Scott Rohan (Opera Choice)
BBC Music Magazine January 2017
Recorded in concert in Hong Kong at the beginning of this year, the second part of Jaap van Zweden’s Ring Cycle for Naxos easily maintains the high standard and promise of Das Rheingold, 12 months ago. As before, the playing of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra provides the foundation of the performance, putting down its marker in a taut, intense account of the first-act prelude and maintaining its grip right through to the radiant account of the Magic Fire music with which Die Walküre ends. Van Zweden’s sense of pacing and drama never falters either, and some of the climaxes he engineers are thrillingly vivid – the orchestral depiction of Wotan’s rage as he seeks out Brünnhilde in the third act is as frightening as any on disc.  Andrew Clements
The Guardian 9 November 2016

Error on this page? Let us know here

Need more information on this product? Click here