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Sunday, 5 October 2014

Ring Cycle Player - Listen While You Read

Wagner Composing The Ring of the Nibelungen: L. Balestrieri
We have tried various methods of bringing a permanent Wagner music player to the site over the years - I think the first was back in 2011. However, there have been problems with most of them, meaning that often either the player did not display in certain browsers, it refused to play or simply slowed things down for too many readers, However, we are hoping the newest addition will be compatible with as many users operating systems and web browsers as possible. Indeed, using HTML5, as it does, it may even work in many mobile/phone browsers - hopefully. Although, should you be having any problems with it please let us know.

It can be found on the upper left hand corner of any page you might be on. Alas, it will restart if you left  click an item. We could resolve this by changing things so that a left hand mouse click automatically opens a new browser tab but some browsers may treat this as a "pop-up" and prevent the page opening. The easiest way to circumnavigate this issue is that for the first time you click on a new article to read, simply right click and chose "open in new tab". A pain we know, but an easy work around.

The details of the Ring Cycle playing can be found below. Should it prove popular we may add other Wagner works in the future.



Perhaps one of the greatest recorded Ring Cycles few people have heard and with an overall recording quality - with the exception of some acts (act three of Walkure being of especial note) - that, given its age, is truly astounding.

Ignoring it's "musicality" for a moment, Moralt's (nephew of Richard Strauss) Ring is important for a number of reasons:

It is the earliest uncut Ring Cycle (recorded between 1948 and 1949 and the first after WW 2). It predated - and may have guided - Furtwangler's 1953 Ring by being recorded act by act (hence the recording dates of 1948 - 49).It has fallen into legend that while attending Moralt's Walkure Furtwangler found his 1950 Siegmund in Günther Treptow.
Although this truly has a fine cast, particular attention should be given to Günther Treptow's Siegmund and Siegfried, Ferdinand Frantz's Wotan, Herbert Alsen's Hunding is a revelation (Ever thought it would be possible to "like" Hunding? Alsen nearly pulls it off), Hilde Konetzni's Sieglinde, and first (in Walkure) Helena Braun Brünnhilde taken up next in the cycle by Grob-Prandl.

Moralt is unjustifiable considered a "second rate" Wagner conductor but this (and to some degree his Parsifal) attests otherwise. But it is is easy to say these things - and "taste" is always highly subjective. However, it does, in-part allow us fulfill Wagner's wishes to make the Ring available freely to as many people as possible.

If you wish to buy a copy we believe the best remaster and transfer has been provided by MYTO

Cast:


Das Rheingold


Ferdinand Frantz (Wotan), Elisabeth Höngen (Fricka), Julius Pölzer (Loge), Adolf Vogel (Alberich), Ilona Steingruber (Freia), William Wernigk (Mime), Rosette Anday (Erda), Marjan Rus (Fasolt), Herbert Alsen (Fafner), Alfred Poell (Donner), Willy Friedrich (Froh), Esther Rethy (Woglinde), Martha Rons (Wellgunde), Sieglinde Wagner (Flosshilde)

Wiener Symphoniker, Rudolf Moralt



Die Walküre


Günther Treptow (Siegmund), Herbert Alsen (Hunding), Ferdinand Frantz (Wotan), Hilde Konetzni (Sieglinde), Helena Braun (Brünnhilde), Rosette Anday (Fricka)

Wiener Symphoniker, Rudolf Moralt


Siegfried


Günther Treptow (Siegfried), Gertrude Grob Prandl (Brünnhilde), Ferdinand Frantz (Der Wanderer), William Wernigk (Mime), Rosette Anday (Erda), Ruthilde Boesch (Woodbird)

Wiener Symphoniker, Rudolf Moralt
Götterdämmerung
Günther Treptow (Siegfried), Gertrude Grob Prandl (Brünnhilde), Ludwig Weber (Hagen), Alberich (Adolf Vogel), Karl Kamann (Gunther), Hilde Konetzni (Gutrune - Acts One & Two/Dritte Norn), Judith Hellwig (Gutrune - Act Three), Rosette Anday (Waltraute/Erste Norn), Georgine von Milinkovic (Zweite Norn), Elisabeth Rutgers (Woglinde), Martha Rons (Wellgunde), Sieglinde Wagner (Flosshilde)

Wiener Symphoniker, Rudolf Moralt.

Also. If you are new to the Ring and can access Spotify, a good an introduction to the Ring in audio format as any commercially available can be found below from the ever reliable Naxos.