"An excellent "Twilight" with Modl's fine performance as Brunnhilde. Still at her peak, she is in excellent form. Her middle and lower registers are as usual quite strong. Yes, we all know about her upper register being a bit problematic, but here she is in great voice -- truly a marvellous performance. Windgassen is very good as Siegfried. While I prefer a larger voiced singer such as Aldenhoff, Treptow or Suthaus in the role, Windgassen is a masterful musician and rarely disappoints. Hotter's Gunther lacks Hermann Uhde's vulnerability, but he is Hotter and incapable of mediocrity. Greindl, Neidlinger, von Ilosway, Brouwenstijn, Varnay and von Milinkovic are a cast for the ages. Add the astute Joseph Keilberth's conducting, an excellent orchestra and Wilhelm Pitz's chorus and you have a truly special Bayreuth performance -- certainly the equal of Knappertsbusch in 1951 and 1956, Krauss in 1953 and Keilberth himself in the earlier 1955 cycle.
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A Testament for Riding the Gravy Train
Jukeboxtheater | Georgia | 07/16/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Am I crazy or did Testament just release the earlier Keilberth '55 cycle only a few years ago? And weren't they charging a mint for each opera then? Well it appears Testament is unwilling to let the golden goose die because here they go again with the release of this Gotterdammerung. (Can the other three operas be far behind?) The principle change from the previous cycle is that the role of Brunnhilde is taken over by Martha Modl, another Bayreuth stalwart. All well and good except for one thing... Modl, despite having a nice voice and being a fine vocal actress is no Astrid Varnay. Not by a long shot. Just listening to the opening Dawn Duet compared to the earlier cycle lets one hear why Varnay and not Modl was the reigning Bayreuth Brunnhilde in the 1950's. Where are those glorious high notes from before? Yet despite its inferior casting Testament is once again charging a mint for this set. And unlike the earlier release, this Gotterdammerung doesn't even come with a libretto! Thanks anyway Testament, but I think I'll pass..."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1