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From: oscar@utcsrgv.UUCP (Oscar M. Nierstrasz)
Newsgroups: net.music.classical
Subject: Wagner on disc
Message-ID: <4130@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 2-May-84 14:29:02 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcsrgv.4130
Posted: Wed May  2 14:29:02 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 2-May-84 15:34:21 EDT
Organization: CSRG, University of Toronto
Lines: 25

Wagner, like beer, seems to be an acquired taste.  I got a deleted copy
of Karajan's Gotterdammerung (Goetterdaemmerung??? -- yech!) a few
years ago, and I've been playing it faithfully at least once a year
(!).  I also recently got Kleiber's Tristan und Isolde and Janowski's
Rheingold (Dresden performance on Digital Eurodisc).  Although it's
growing on me, I must confess I find the whole thing rather a murky
mess.  There are many different interpretations on the signifigance
(?!) of the Ring, and I can only assume that the particular
interpretation colours a performance.  Having little to compare these
performances with and not much exposure thus far (how often do *you*
unplug your telephone to listen to four hours of uninterrupted Wagner?)
I find it difficult to evaluate what I'm hearing.

Bulfinch's has a good synopsis of Wagner's Ring, the Penguin guide
suggests some good performances, and various other books tell me when
Wagner lived and died, but I'm not sure what all of this really means.

Can someone tell me a bit more about interpretations of Wagner in live
*or* recorded performance?

NB: Janowski's Walkure is on sale cheap here -- is it worth getting or
would I be better off with a different recording?

Much obliged.
				Oscar Nierstrasz