Twilight of the Gods: The Essential Wagner Collection

Twilight of the Gods: The Essential Wagner Collection

Twilight of the Gods: The Essential Wagner Collection
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Brand: WAGNER,R.
Composer: Richard [Classical] Wagner
Conductor: Antal Dorati
Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
Conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli
Conductor: Karl Böhm
Conductor: Otto Gerdes
Conductor: Rafael Kubelik
Orchestra: National Symphony Orchestra
Orchestra: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Orchestra: New York Philharmonic
Orchestra: Bayreuth Festival Orchestra
Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra of London
Orchestra: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Orchestra: Dresden Staatskapelle
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1998-08-11
Music Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
  1. The Valkyries: Ride Of The Valkyries
  2. Twilight Of The Gods: Siegfried's Funeral March
  3. Lohengrin: Prelude to Act III
  4. The Flying Dutchman: Overture
  5. The Flying Dutchman: Sailors' Chorus
  6. The Rheingold: Journey Down To Nibelheim
  7. The Mastersingers Of Nuremberg: Overture
  8. Tannhauser: Overture
  9. Tannhauser: Entry Of The Guests
  10. Tannhauser: Tannhauser's Pilgrimage
  11. Siegfried: Act III Orchestral Interlude
  12. Twilight Of The Gods: Siegfried's Rhine Journey
  13. Twilight Of The Gods: Finale
  14. The Rheingold: Entry Of The Gods Into Valhalla
Music CD 2
  1. Lohengrin: Prelude To Act I
  2. Lohengrin: Bridal Chorus
  3. Parsifal: Prelude to Act I
  4. Parsifal: Good Friday Music
  5. Parsifal: Transformation Scene
  6. Tannhauser: Venusberg Music
  7. Tannhauser: Pilgrims Chorus
  8. The Mastersingers Of Nuremburg: Prelude To Act III
  9. The Rheingold: Vision Of Valhalla (Scene II Introduction)
  10. Siegfried Idyll
  11. Siegfried: Brunnhildes Awakening
  12. Tristan And Isolde: Prelude To Act III
  13. Tristan And Isolde: Death Of Isolde

Free Music Notes for Twilight of the Gods: The Essential Wagner Collection

Free Music Review: AND NOW FOR A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC . . . RECOMMENDATION
Hit: 5 Stars

One would think from the title that I am about to rave about a Mozart CD that I happened across. But instead, let me sing (pardon the pun) the praises of "Twilight of the Gods" a wonderful double CD set of the music of Richard Wagner.

My favorite types of music come from the classical and baroque eras, and my favorite composers are Bach, Mozart and Handel. The cerebral nature of their music attracts me, and makes them primus inter pares in my personal musical firmament. And as mentioned before, Bach's Goldberg Variations are my favorite work of music--ever.

But that doesn't mean I don't like music from the Romantic Era. Chopin and Liszt are wonderful at satiating my desire for dazzling piano music. Brahms' orchestral works are grand and haunting. Schubert's string quartets show an astonishing range of power and depth.

And Wagner . . . Good Lord, Wagner is amazing.

Of course, I love, as does everyone the famous "Ride of the Valkyries." But there is so much on this double CD set that is just jaw-dropping in terms of the genius that it contains. "Siegfried's Funeral March"--which was part of the soundtrack for the movie "Excalibur"--is awesome and majestic in its tone and scope. The music from the "Transformation Scene" in "Parsifal" is utterly beautiful--there are no other words to describe it. And the music marking "The Entry of the Gods into Valhalla," from "Das Rheingold" has always been one of my favorites ....

Two pieces that I was introduced to upon the purchase of the CD set are "The Sailors' Chorus," from "The Flying Dutchman," and "The Entry of the Guests" from "Tannhauser." "The Sailor's Chorus" is wonderful, especially because it doesn't sound like a bunch of opera stars singing it. Instead, it really does sound like carousing sailors bawling out a tune, but doing it in a manner that makes one respect their musical talents and their voices. The singers don't sound like professional opera stars who are incidentally playing sailors. Instead, they sound like sailors who really can sing. The result is delightful.

As for "Entry of the Guests," the flourish played by the brass that begins the piece gives it a regal air, and the singing gives it a warm and welcoming feel. Combining these two emotions into one piece takes a lot of work and imagination, and yet Wagner pulls off the task flawlessly. The piece also evinces Wagner's maturity in composition, as he successfully manages a complicated harmonization with flair and aplomb.

After listening to both CDs (exhaustively, I might add), I can now fully understand why people would want to engage in a Wagnerthon--attending consecutive performances of his major operas in a manner that would exhaust and drain a normal human being. It's because while the performances may drain, they also revitalize. The music virtually sweats genius. One gets wet and soaked by it just from listening. It seems like it would be easy to replicate Wagner, but if it is possible, I have yet to meet the modern composer who can. When a CD player is turned on, and such timeless talent oozes through the speakers, the only hope that can be entertained is that we will find something to excel at in our lives, as Wagner excelled in music.

...

Twilight of the Gods: The Essential Wagner Collection Poster

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: WAGNER,R.
Title: TWILIGHT OF THE GODS-ESSENTIAL
Street Release Date: 08/11/1998
Domestic
Genre: CLASSICAL COMPOSERS
If you like your Wagner served up in bleeding chunks or if you're simply in a hurry to hear the tunes, then this compilation is for you. The performances, drawn from the Polygram (mainly Deutsche Grammophon) back catalog, are for the most part authoritative. They feature the likes of Herbert von Karajan, with the Berlin Philharmonic, and Karl Böhm, with the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra (and chorus), in extracts from recordings of complete operas, and conductors Giuseppe Sinopoli, Otto Gerdes, and Antal Doráti in some of the more familiar overtures and preludes. Singing, without which it is impossible to get the full flavor of Wagner's work, is skirted whenever possible: this is an unapologetic tribute to Wagner the orchestral genius. At times the salesmanship is a little overblown--the glitzy packaging includes a cover shot of the helicopters from Apocalypse Now--and the sound, some of it from very good originals, seems to have been juiced with a little added digital reverb, resulting in an overall glassiness. The gaps between tracks are minimized, disco style, so there's no dead air, and the whole thing has an Entertainment Tonight feel to it. Were he around, Wagner would have screamed bloody murder, then happily taken his cut of the action. For today's on-the-go listener, this may well be the most practical way to enjoy Wagner's music, but we won't be happy until it motivates at least one newcomer to seek out a recording of a complete opera. Anyone who does that will find out what "apocalypse" really means. --Ted Libbey

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