{"product_id":"paco235","title":"KONWITSCHNY Wagner’s Ring: 1. Das Rheingold (Covent Garden, 1959) - PACO235","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cspan style=\"font-size:18px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWAGNER\u003c\/b\u003e Das Rheingold\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:12px;\"\u003eLive broadcast performance, 1959\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:12px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 2hr 30:46\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003eWotan - \u003cb\u003eHans Hotter\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003eLoge - \u003cb\u003eRichard Holm\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003eAlberich - \u003cb\u003eOtakar Kraus\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003eFasolt - \u003cb\u003eKurt Böhme\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003eFafner - \u003cb\u003eMichael Langdon\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003eErda - \u003cb\u003eMarga Höffgen\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eChorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003econducted by \u003cb\u003eFranz Konwitschny\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PACO235.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fAmong the many surviving post-war \u003ci\u003eRing \u003c\/i\u003ecycles, the 1959 Covent Garden performances occupy a particularly fascinating place. They unite an almost ideal cast of Bayreuth veterans with one of the great Wagner conductors of the German tradition, all captured in vivid BBC broadcast sound from a house whose Wagner performances had, by this time, become annual landmarks for British listeners. Heard today, this \u003ci\u003eRheingold\u003c\/i\u003e offers not merely a starry cast list but a revealing snapshot of Wagner performance practice at the close of the 1950s: a style rooted in textual clarity, dramatic momentum and vocal characterisation, with the orchestra driven less toward symphonic monumentality than toward theatrical urgency. It is precisely this combination of seasoned singers, sharply profiled conducting and live theatrical electricity that gives the performance its enduring fascination.\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the 1950s, the BBC broadcast Richard Wagner’s four-part \u003ci\u003eDer Ring des Nibelungen\u003c\/i\u003e every year, either from Covent Garden or from Bayreuth. By the time this Covent Garden cycle was broadcast in 1959, the radio audience would have been very familiar with the key principals: Astrid Varnay as Brünnhilde, Hans Hotter as Wotan, and Wolfgang Windgassen as Siegfried. But it is hard to imagine that any listener would have been disgruntled since they had the privilege of listening to some of the finest singers of the time in roles they had completely mastered. An added bonus in 1959 was that the singers came to Covent Garden in September 1959 comparatively fresh since there had been no Ring Cycle in Bayreuth that year.\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eDas Rheingold\u003c\/i\u003e has a large ensemble cast but is led by Wotan and Alberich. Hans Hotter’s mastery of the role of Wotan is unquestioned, able to convey the nuances of text with utmost clarity. Hotter had been singing professionally for nearly thirty years by 1959, but his magnificent portrayal of the arrogant deity in the opening of the cycle remains utterly captivating. Otakar Kraus, incidentally the same age as Hotter, provides us with an absorbing and convincing Alberich, which one reviewer noted “was more than merely a nasty specimen of the power-maniac but a bully much wronged, so that his final curse had the ring of truth.” Critics also singled out the “singularly plausible” Loge of Richard Holm, the “radiant” Freia of Una Hale, and the “warm vibrant-voiced” Fricka of Ursula Böse - whom \u003ci\u003eOpera\u003c\/i\u003e magazine compared to Kathleen Ferrier. Singular praise indeed.\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThe newcomer to this production is the conductor Franz Konwitschny. Rudolf Kempe, the Royal Opera’s music director, elected not to conduct the Ring as he had done in 1957, and instead invited Konwitschny, General Music Director of the Deutsche Staatsoper in Berlin, to come to London. Konwitschny was particularly attentive to the needs of his cast, ensuring that the orchestra supported rather than overwhelmed the singers. Critics naturally compared the two conductors, believing that Kempe constructed an over-arching narrative that treated the four operas as one entity, while Konwitschny concentrated in on small sections providing “brilliance and surge” to create a true sense of excitement. The descent into Nibelheim is just one example of a thrilling Konwitschny “surge” that can be heard in this BBC broadcast of \u003ci\u003eDas Rheingold\u003c\/i\u003e.\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nQuite apart from the stature of the performance itself, what is especially striking today is the quality of the original BBC engineering. Despite the inevitable challenges of a live 1959 Covent Garden relay, the balance between stage and pit is remarkably natural, preserving both vocal presence and orchestral detail with impressive consistency. There is a tangible sense of the theatre in the air around the voices, the orchestra emerging with clarity and weight while still retaining the excitement of live performance. For this release, Pristine’s Ambient Stereo XR remastering has further opened out the original broadcast image, restoring depth, warmth and spatial realism to the soundstage. The result is a listening experience that brings this great Covent Garden \u003ci\u003eRheingold\u003c\/i\u003e vividly into the present, allowing modern ears to appreciate not only the magnificence of the singing and conducting, but also just how expertly the BBC captured these landmark performances.578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Track Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:24px;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eWAGNER\u003c\/b\u003e Das Rheingold\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eDISC ONE\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(73:30)\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSCENE 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\n1. Prelude \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(4:54)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n2. Weia! Waga! Woge, du Welle! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(2:43)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n3. Garstig glatter glitschiger Glimmer! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(5:21)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n4. Wallala! Lalaleia! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(2:49)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n5. Lugt, Schwestern! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(6:37)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n6. Der Welt Erbe gewann ich zu eigen durch dich! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(4:26)\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSCENE 2\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\n7. Wotan! Gemahl! Erwache! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(9:46)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n8. Sanft schloß Schlaf dein Aug’ \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(7:10)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n9. In ihrer Mitte sei sie entführt! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(2:10)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n10. Endlich Loge! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(3:45)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n11. Immer ist Undank Loges Lohn! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(7:21)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n12. Ein Runenzauber zwingt das Gold zum Reif \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(3:15)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n13. Hör’, Wotan, der Harrenden Wort! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(2:59)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n14. Was sinnt nun Wotan so wild? \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(4:39)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n15. Auf, Loge, hinab mit mir! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(4:22)\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSCENE 3\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\n16. Hehe! Hehe! Hieher \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(1:13)\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eDISC TWO\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(77:18)\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\n1. Dem Haupt fügt sich der Helm \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(1:20)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n2. Nibelheims Nacht walzt mich umher. Heil! Wer dort? \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(5:29)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n3. Nehmt euch in acht! Alberich naht! Sein harren wir! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(8:13)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n4. Vergeh, frevelnder Gauch! - Was sagt der! - Sei doch bei Sinnen! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(4:34)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n5. Ohe! Hahaha! Ohe! Hahaha! Schreckliche Schlange! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(6:55)\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSCENE 4\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\n6. Da, Vetter, sitze du fest! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(5:36)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n7. Gezahlt hab' ich; nun laßt mich zieh'n! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(6:23)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n8. Bin ich nun frei! Wirklich frei! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(4:12)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n9. Fasolt und Fafner nahen von fern \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(5:11)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n10. Gepflanzt sind die Pfähle \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(6:19)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n11. Weiche, Wotan, weiche! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(5:16)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n12. Hort, ihr Riesen! Zurück, und harret! - Halt, du Gieriger! \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(6:27)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n13. Schwules Gedunst - Zur Burg führt die Brücke \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(3:12)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n14. Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(4:19)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n15. Rheingold! Rheingold! Reines Gold! Wie lauter und hell \u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003e(3:52)\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eChorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size:14px;\"\u003eLeader: Charles Taylor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nconducted by \u003cb\u003eFranz Konwitschny\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\nCAST\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\nWotan - \u003cb\u003eHans Hotter\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nDonner - \u003cb\u003eDavid Kelly\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nFroh - \u003cb\u003eEdgar Evans\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nLoge - \u003cb\u003eRichard Holm\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nAlberich - \u003cb\u003eOtakar Kraus\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nMime - \u003cb\u003ePeter Klein\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nFasolt - \u003cb\u003eKurt Böhme\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nFafner - \u003cb\u003eMichael Langdon\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nFricka - \u003cb\u003eUrsula Böse\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nFreia - \u003cb\u003eUna Hale\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nErda - \u003cb\u003eMarga Höffgen\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nWoglinde - \u003cb\u003eJoan Carlyle\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nWellgunde - \u003cb\u003eJosephine Veasey\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nFlosshilde - \u003cb\u003eMarjorie Thomas\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\nBBC radio broadcast from Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London\u003cbr\u003e\n18 September 1959\u003cbr\u003e\nXR remastered by Andrew Rose\u003cbr\u003e\nCover artwork based on a photograph of Franz Konwitschny\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:16px;\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eTotal duration: 2hr 30:46\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover Art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcover_art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/thumbs\/PACO235.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PACO235.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Ambient Stereo 24-bit FLAC","offer_id":59435043881294,"sku":null,"price":32.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ambient Stereo 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":59435043914062,"sku":null,"price":22.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Ambient Stereo MP3","offer_id":59435043946830,"sku":null,"price":18.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1691\/2535\/files\/PACO235_a46db48b-091e-45d0-8a0f-5e1833afbde8.jpg?v=1776384008","url":"https:\/\/www.pristineclassical.com\/products\/paco235","provider":"Pristine Classical","version":"1.0","type":"link"}