RICHARD WAGNER

 

Arias and Duets from Lohengrin, Tannhäuser, Die Walküre

 

Petra-Maria Schnitzer - soprano

Peter Seiffert - tenor

 

Munich Radio Orchestra / Ulf Schirmer

 

It is clear from these excerpts of solo scenes and duets that both of these internationally acclaimed singers have long been associated with these roles and that they have appeared together on many different occasions. Rarely has Wagner been sung with such clarity of diction and such beautiful phrasing, producing a wonderfully cantabile approach to this repertory. One of the reasons for this is no doubt the fact that both Petra Maria Schnitzer and Peter Seiffert have built up their careers very slowly and without undue haste, initially proving themselves in the Mozart repertory before facing up to the challenges posed by Wagner's music dramas. In this way the word-tone relationship demanded by the composer is given its due, and the Sprechgesang so often derided as the "Bayreuth bark" is avoided. Elsa's Dream, the scene in the bridal chamber in Act Three and Lohengrin's Grail Narration have rarely been sung with such nuanced, subtle lyricism, while Elisabeth's Greeting to the Hall of Song and the following duet for Elisabeth and Tannhäuser are both crowned with radiant top notes. In Tannhäuser's Rome Narration, the character's inner turmoil and defiance are brought out to highly expressive effect, while avoiding the "effects without causes" decried by the composer himself. The great duet for the incestuous lovers in Die Walküre is a worthy conclusion to this Wagner CD, the success of which is underscored by the playing of the orchestra, which under Ulf Schirmer's direction is notable for its tonal beauty and avoidance of all bombast.

 

Orfeo C760091A