☆ 沈睡50年,古典音樂史上的無價寶藏,華格納「指環」全本傳奇名演首度曝光!
☆ 感情最豐沛的指揮大師約瑟夫凱伯特(Joseph Keilberth)傳世鉅作,超越蕭提版本的唯一選擇。
☆ 著名華格納的女高音 Astrid Varnay、德奧最重要藝術歌曲演唱家Hans Hotter、托斯卡尼尼御用男高音Ramon Vinay、永遠的齊格菲男高音 Windgassen,華格納經典班底全員到齊,空前絕後同台演出。
☆ 1955年Decca六軌立體聲live錄音,忠實紀錄生動演奏與空間聲響效果,宛如置身德國拜魯特劇院現場。
☆ Decca 鑽石錄音陣容,傳奇大師 Kenneth Wilkinson、Roy Wallace聯手打造錄音史上的無價瑰寶!
☆ 全球限量1000套‧音響迷與愛樂者終身典藏
☆ 獲得 Gramophone 2006 年度最佳唱片大賞。
☆ 四度在拜魯特音樂節指揮「指環」,指揮家約瑟夫凱伯特最令人激賞的實況錄音。
THE LOST RING CYCLE – NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER
華格納的偉大樂劇,尼貝龍的指環,龐大的神話樂劇演出,由「萊因的黃金」、「女武神」,「齊格菲」,「諸神的黃昏」所組成,管弦樂加上演唱,總共花了 20 餘年才完成,各作品也可獨立拿出來演出。每年並在拜魯特音樂節演出,本片指揮『凱伯特』(1908-1968),德國指揮家,17 歲就是劇院的實習指揮,1940 年成為布拉格德意志愛樂管絃樂團首席指揮,1945 年該團移居德國成為班貝格交響樂團時,就任常任指揮,同時 1945 年起擔任德勒斯敦國立歌劇院總監,並曾在柏林歌劇樂團指揮,1950 年出任漢堡愛樂首席指揮,1951 年起擔任巴伐利亞國立歌劇院首席,1952 年起在拜魯特音樂節擔任客席指揮,本片就是他在 1955 年七月拜魯特音樂節的演出,立體聲的錄音,第一次全球首次發行,珍貴優秀典藏音樂。
音響前輩蔡克信醫師:「........此一凱伯特版的現場錄音,在迴音相當明顯以表達劇院寬闊空間的音場中,不論台上台下的音像仍然非常直接透明,實體感與人氣感更讓聆聽者彷彿置身現場觀劇。在台上演員前後左右的各種動作,尤其是奔走踏足發出的震撼低頻(絕對是超低音!),以及不銳不破、清晰厚潤的昂揚歌聲真個活龍活現。在台下,管弦同樣生氣勃勃,並且弦群不論高低綿密通透,銅管不論大小金亮穿揚。總之,這一版本將現場特有的堂韻人氣,藉著 M49 真空管麥克風的優異特性以及錄音師的巧手布局,濃郁呈現,極其動人。」
The most coveted performance of Wagner's legendary epic Ring Cycle was in fact recorded by Decca in Stereo live at the 1955 Bayreuth Festival. But until now, that lost performance has remained but a memory.
Thrillingly conducted by Joseph Keilberth (called by Astrid Varnay, "a conductor with so much love, who was always there for you"), the cycle provides the opportunity to hear complete for the first time on commercial release the definitive performances of Hans Hotter, Astrid Varnay, Ramon Vinay, Josef Greindl and Paul Kuen, in addition to the much-loved Siegfried of Wolfgang Windgassen, here heard in his prime.
These live Bayreuth performances were taped by a Decca team led by Peter Andry and including the noted engineers Kenneth Wilkinson and Roy Wallace, with Gordon Parry as assistant. Using a new six-channel mixer designed by Wallace, the team made both stereo and mono recordings of each opera. Three microphones were placed in the sunken orchestra pit and three were hanged from a lighting bridge about 20 feet above the stage. "This was brilliant; it worked beautifully," remembers Wallace. The company prepared for an expected release, but John Culshaw, recently returned to Decca, vetoed the project. He disliked "live" recordings and already had plans for a studio Ring with Solti, which began four years later. Decca's recording vividly captures in wonderful stereo sound the unique acoustic and stage/pit balance of the Bayreuth Festival theatre with its sunken orchestra, in addition to preserving the leading singers from a Wagnerian golden age in live performance.