Wagner Die Walküre - Erich Leinsdorf London Symphony Orchestra

The BEST Die Walküre recording ever

Thanks to Birgit Nilsson's impatience we got the best Walküre recording ever. She was due to record it for Solti in 1965 for Decca/London, but after her successes singing Brünnhilde in London in 1957, Vienna in 1959 and both the MET and Bayreuth in 1960, she insisted on it being recorded. RCA took up the challenge. It has Vickers and Brouwenstein, the best Wälsung Twins on record with the great David Ward as Hunding (who would also become a great Wotan two years later) George London was the finest bass-baritone around and his recording captured here is the only one of him in this role at his best. He later sang it in Cologne Germany in 1962 in a new Wieland Wagner production and was immediately booked for Bayreuth in 1965 to sing all three Wotan/Wanderer roles. Unfortunately his vocal health declined rapidly in 1964 and his early 1965 Walküre at the MET was a poor reflection on what had become a shadow of the voice that once was. His Bayreuth engagement was cancelled and within 18 months his career as a singer was over. Rita Gorr was an oustanding Fricka and Nilsson was in her absolute best voice for this recording, better even than with Solti. Erich Leinsdorf had by this time been conducting Wagner at the MET for almost 25 years and his wealth of experience brought out the very best from the singers. This recording is in every way far superior to the Solti SET from 1965. As usual HDTT's transfer is impeccable. BRAVO !

Dream cast for Die Walkure

Solti's Ring cycle is (justly) considered one of the great opera recording projects, but in this stand-alone recording of Wagner's Die Walkure (1961), Leinsdorf had an even better cast than Solti had for the same opera... truly a dream cast, and each of them in their best voice, particularly Nilsson and Hotter. This remaster/restoration sounds so much better than the currently available cd releases. HDTT has done an outstanding job here.

Leinsdorf's Die Walkure

For many Wagnerians the title above will seem silly, for this is "The Nillson/Vickers Die Walkure", or "The Nillson/Vickers Walkure captured in listenable sound" or "The Die Walkure that the Solti Die Walkure should have been but wasn't". In fact, swapping this into the Solti ring works quite well. We have Solti's Brunhilde in fresher voice and Solti's Rheingold Wotan in much better voice than Hotter was in by 1965. Losing Solti for Leinsdorf is no great loss in this instance. HDTT gives this underappreciated recording more love than Decca ever has, the sound is vastly improved from the CD and all in all, this might just be the most important HDTT release yet. Perhaps the Leinsdorf Lohengrin might be next?