CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

R. Strauss - Salome

starring: Teresa Stratas, Astrid Varnay, Bernd Weikl, Hans Beirer, Wieslaw Ochman
directed by: Götz Friedrich

Release Date July 10, 2007
I saw this production on TV many years ago and thought then that it was really good, I have now changed my mind, it is brilliant, although Teresa Stratas probably could not have sung the role on stage she excels here, her acting, dancing and singing is superb, is there any end to this womans talent? the rest of the cast is so well made that this is a masterpiece, the great Astrid Varnay is well cast here, vocally she is well past her prime but her experience in opera makes her the ideal Herodias. I have a number of performances with Stratas including Nedda and Violetta in La Traviata and she never puts a foot wrong no matter what she is doing. If you want Salome this has to be the only way to go. Brilliant, tense, sexy and overall frightening ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

Wagner - Tristan und Isolde

starring: Daniel Barenboim, Johanna Meier, Rene Kollo, Matti Salminen, Hanna Schwarz
directed by: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle

Release Date August 14, 2007
Having heard and read so much praise I expected much more from the Ponnelle/Barenboim "Tristan und Isolde" from the Bayreuth Festival of 1981. For one thing, the DVD's video quality is extremely disappointing. Darkness is extremely grainy. Even bleeding most of the color out the video, the quality is that of early VHS which is not good.

Ponnelle's direction and designs are overly quirky and the sets are extremely ugly looking. The opening scene with Isolde on the floor with a cape spreading out covering most of the stage and wearing a ridiculous looking crown (which she rips up after the Narration and Curse) set the tone for most of the balance of the performance, which is a series of misfires better known as opera singers behaving ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

Wagner - Die Walkure / Hofmann, Altmeyer, McIntyre, Jones, Salminen, Schwarz, Boulez, Bayreuth Opera (Boulez Ring Cycle Part 2)

starring: Peter Hofmann (II), Matti Salminen, Elisabeth Glauser, Marga Schiml, Carmen Reppel
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date August 09, 2005
This is a well done version of "Die Walkure," perhaps the most compelling of the four "Ring" operas. Patrice Chereau's production is well done. From Hunding's house to the Valkyries' rock, the scenes work. Pierre Boulez does a fine job conducting the Bayreuth Orchestra. And, finally, the cast does its job well. Peter Hofmann (as Siegmund) and Jeannine Altmeyer (as Sieglinde) are credible lovers (and twins) and sing their roles well. Wotan (Donald McIntyre) captures his character well and has the voice to make his part work. Gwyneth Jones is a good Brunnhilde. Matti Salminen provides an appropriately dark characterization of Hunding. Thus, major characters are up to the task of making this a strong version of "Die Walkure."

This ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Pierre Boulez, Bayreuth Opera (Complete Ring Cycle, Parts 1-4)

starring: Peter Hofmann (II), Matti Salminen, Elisabeth Glauser, Marga Schiml, Carmen Reppel
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date October 11, 2005
This Bayreuth centennial production of Wagner's Ring is historically one of the most celebrated and scandalous in the entire history of the festival. It's strengths and weaknesses have been well documented for over thirty years, from the controversial staging by a young filmmaker to the consistancy (or lack of) of the cast.

Although the cast is a group of some of the best Wagnerians at time, it is sometimes painfully obvious that not every generation has a Nilsson/Flagstad/Melchior caliber of singer, but over all the music is served well. Gwyneth Jones in particle was inconsitant vocally, her upper register at times sounding worn, flapping in the breeze uncontrollably. On a good day however, she could sing like an absolute goddess. Here she ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

Wagner - Das Rheingold / McIntyre, Zednik, Jerusalem, Salminen, Becht, Schwarz, Boulez, Bayreuth Opera (Boulez Ring Cycle Part 1)

starring: Matti Salminen, Marga Schiml, Helmut Pampuch, Siegfried Jerusalem, Ortrun Wenkel
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date August 09, 2005
A wonderful introduction to the Wagner Operas
filmed at Bayreuther Festspile
unusal sets but beautiful music and production

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

Wagner - Gotterdammerung

starring: Wolfgang Schmidt, Deborah Polaski, Falk Struckmann, Eric Halfvarson, Anne Schwanewilms
directed by: James Levine, Alfred Kirchner

Release Date September 11, 2007
When this production of Wagner's RING was introduced at the Bayreuth Festival it caused quite a stir. People really discussed it and debated it at every intermission and end of performance. Rosalie's sets and costumes were the main topic of discussion. People were not sure how to take them. Today, they don't seem all that controversial to me; in fact they seem tame compared to some of today's Euro Trash Abominations. In my humble opinion they are not my favorite but, they work. I've seen a lot worse. This would not be my first recommendation; yet, I don't find the concepts offensive at all. A creative mind has definitely done some real thinking and applied it to solving some of the Ring's challenges. Many of her solutions really work. I would be interested in seeing the rest of this ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Patrice Chéreau - Pierre Boulez, Bayreuth Festival (Complete Ring Cycle)

starring: Donald McIntyre, Martin Egel, Siegfried Jerusalem, Heinz Zednik, Fritz Hübner
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date October 30, 2001
ABOUT THIS DVD: Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen Director Pierre Chareau, Conductor Pierre Boulez Centennial Bayreuth Opera production. CAST: Manfred Jung (tenor, Siegfried) Gwyneth Jones (soprano, Brunhilde) Fritz Hubner ( bass, Hagen) Franz Masura (bass, Gibechung) Jeanne Altmeyer (mezzo soprano, Gutrune) Gwendolyn Killebrew (soprano, Waltraud) ....Four Operas..Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried and Gotterdammerung.

I have never given a 1-star rating to anything before but after watching director Patrice Chereau' Centennial production of Wagner's Gotterdammerung at the Bayreuth Opera (filmed in the 80's)I have to. This is by no means the best Gotterdammerung nor the way the opera should be staged or represented. While I'm sure there are worse productions (Peter Sellers is another abstract, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

Wagner - Das Rheingold / Boulez, McIntyre, Zednik, Becht, Schwarz, Bayreuth Festival (Ring Cycle Part 1)

starring: Donald McIntyre, Martin Egel, Siegfried Jerusalem, Heinz Zednik, Hanna Schwarz
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date October 30, 2001
A wonderful introduction to the Wagner Operas
filmed at Bayreuther Festspile
unusal sets but beautiful music and production

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

Wagner - Die Walkure / Boulez, Jones, Altmeyer, Schwarz, Hofmann, Bayreuth Festival (Ring Cycle Part 2)

starring: Peter Hofmann (II), Matti Salminen, Elisabeth Glauser, Marga Schiml, Carmen Reppel
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date October 30, 2001
This is a well done version of "Die Walkure," perhaps the most compelling of the four "Ring" operas. Patrice Chereau's production is well done. From Hunding's house to the Valkyries' rock, the scenes work. Pierre Boulez does a fine job conducting the Bayreuth Orchestra. And, finally, the cast does its job well. Peter Hofmann (as Siegmund) and Jeannine Altmeyer (as Sieglinde) are credible lovers (and twins) and sing their roles well. Wotan (Donald McIntyre) captures his character well and has the voice to make his part work. Gwyneth Jones is a good Brunnhilde. Matti Salminen provides an appropriately dark characterization of Hunding. Thus, major characters are up to the task of making this a strong version of "Die Walkure."

This is a dark version of the opera, with many of the scenes in shadows and without ... Read More: