Excerpts from
Rheingold & Walküre
from Wagner’s “Ring
of the Nibelungs”
Selected from live
recordings of the
Bayreuth "Ring", 1956
Conductor Hans
Knappertsbusch
Greatest Wagnerian singers of the day
(Windgassen, Varnay, Hotter, et al)
This listening session will not be
a modern, state-of-the-art HiFi experience such as some
of the excellent studio-produced recordings of the Ring
may provide. However, with just a little imagination,
you should be able to transport yourself into a true
acoustical wonder: the Wagner
Festspielhaus in Bayreuth. Add to that the
incomparable immediacy of these historic live
performances, and I believe this should be an
ear-opener.
Wagner’s output for music theatre
had taken on revolutionary dimensions - not only in the
length of his compositions, but also in the refinement
of orchestral techniques, libretto, interpretive
potential, stage technology, and demands on the human
voice - and he felt it necessary to realize his own
conception of a working theatre, which should be built
to his unique specifications and located in surroundings
conducive to undistracted performance and enjoyment, or
even celebration of this high art form.
Of particular interest is Wagner's
idea of the "invisible orchestra", enabling the music to
magically appear as from nowhere, without visually
distracting from the stage action. (Precursor of movies
soundtracks?!) He achieved this by having the orchestra
pit constructed in different terraces, descending
downward away from the conductor and under the stage.
The strings occupy the highest terrace, below them the
woodwinds. The brass and percussions are on the bottom
terrace and under the stage, looking very far up toward
the conductor. This unique construction has obvious
acoustical implications, which were doubtlessly intended
by the "Meister". The visual and acoustical covering of
the revolutionarily large orchestra enables the
musicians to play with a romantic intensity and fervor,
at times even ferocity, while not overpowering the
singers, or without disrupting the balance between
instrument sections within the orchestra.
In listening, try to recognize that
Wagner – through the unique construction of his theatre
- was trying to achieve the same balance between singers
and orchestra, as well as within the orchestra, that
recording engineers today try to achieve through
electronic means. This is just one example of how
revolutionary and ahead of his times Wagner was!
This recording from 1956 was made
with a presumably simple microphone set-up, so basically
- within the audio standard of that day – we are hearing
the music exactly as it was performed. Of the
Bayreuth/Ring cycles that Knappertsbusch conducted in
the 1950’s, this 1956 performance is generally
recognized as uniquely inspired and successful. The
singers should each be eulogized separately, but in this
context I will draw your attention especially to Astrid Varnay’s Brunnhilde, devoid of all hysterical screaming,
as well as Wolfgang Windgassen’s Siegmund and
Siegfried (and that on back-to-back nights!!), which,
while certainly a Herculean feat, is never muscular or
brawny, but rather always lyrical, even in the most
commanding moments.
I would also draw your attention to
the interpretation and style of these performances. Hans
Knappertsbusch counts as a truly old school German
conductor. Note that he never abuses the tempo for
effect, but rather – within his deliberate and sometimes
just plain slow tempi – allows space within the music
for the true excitement of the moment to unfold. Beyond
these specific Knappersbuschian traits, you should also
notice some of the Germanic stylistic qualities such as
the very rhythmical phrasing, and a solid, bold and
dramatic presentation of motifs and themes – in many
ways the antithesis of impressionistic “French”
stylisms.
Brass players listening may miss
some sheer volume from their instrument groups playing
from the distant third terrace under the stage.
Occasionally the shuffle of a singer on stage (or the
falling of a sword!) can drown out parts of the
orchestra. On the other hand, the singing is beautifully
clear and unforced, and the singers can operate in a
volume range that enables nuanced poetic enunciation and
inflection. And isn’t that what opera is about?
I have annotated the story line and
some of the motifs as applicable to the chosen excerpts,
but must assume at least a working knowledge of the Ring
content, as this brief overview does not allow a
thorough delineation of the entire story line. There are
many excellent resources available toward those ends.
Relax and enjoy
listening!
Wednesday 3/2/05 in
MA452, 4-6pm
Siegfried &
Götterdämmerung will follow next semester!
