Wagner: Siegfried ~ Keilberth (1955)
This live-from-Bayreuth 1955Siegfried, in stereo, was professionally recorded by Decca's engineers as part of what was to be the first fullRingCycle on records. Contractual disputes and producer John Culshaw's desire to produce an "ideal"Ringin the studio killed the release of thisRing, and the tapes were locked away in some dark chamber until now. The result is breathtaking: Hotter, Windgassen (playing his first Siegfried), Neidlinger (as Alberich), and Varnay at their best, with Joseph Keilberth at the helm. Keilberth was not one for "interpretation" or anything other than telling a good story with drama, fine pacing, and musical accuracy. His tempi are invariably quick without ever being rushed, and he has some of Böhm's intensity, some of Solti's visceral excitement, and some of Furtwängler's grandeur, while at the same time presenting aSiegfriedthat is very much its own. I'm not certain that this is the "best" performance of this opera, but if it were the only one you owned, it would be enough.--Robert Levine