Richard Wagner: Gotterdammerung [New York -- January 11, 1936: Marjorie Lawrence, Lauritz Melchior, Friedrich Schorr, Eduard Habich, Ludwig Hofmann, Dorothee Manski, Kathryn Meisle, Doris Doe, Irra Petina, Editha Fleischer; Artur Bodanzky] Remastered by Ward Marston in 2002.

Description

On Naxos 811022830; 3 CD's; On this historic "Gotterdammerung," Marjorie Lawrence, heard here in her vocal prime, brings a freshness of voice to Brunnhilde, and an excitement and conviction that this passionate warrior-maid was a loved and loving woman. Her timbre is clear and lustrous, penetrating the orchestral surges and complying with the energetic tempi that the conductor, Artur Bodanzky, preferred. It was with this performance that she astounded the audience by riding a real horse onto the funeral pyre as directed by Wagner. The other members of the cast are similarly inspired; The glorious Lauritz Melchior is in magnificent voice and is as tireless as ever; he brings his unique heroic timbre to the role of Siegfried, in his only surviving complete recording of Gotterdammerung. The incomparable Friedrich Schorr is a sonorous Gunther, caught here well before his vocal decline; the German bass Ludwig Hofmann is a dark-voiced Hagen; Eduard Habich contributes a suitably unpleasant Alberich. This recording is one of the great documents of Wagnerian performance for it preserves the interpretations of (at least) three of the finest singers of their day (Lawrence, Melchior, and Schorr) in some of their most impressive roles. Bodanzky's conducting is sweepingly brisk and dynamic. The sound has been excellently remastered by Ward Marston.