Word: lps
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WAGNER: DIE WALKURE (5 LPs; London). Following close upon last year's triumphant Gotterdammerung, London completes its new recordings of the complete Ring cycle with a wonderful Walkure. Conducting the Vienna Philharmonic, Georg Solti again heaps high all the sumptuous glories of the Wagnerian orchestra, at the same time charging every passage of Wotan's family fracas with drama. The lush and beautiful singing is alive with emotion, the stars being an international assemblage of accomplished artists: Birgit Nilsson as Briinnhilde, Regine Crespin as Sieglinde, Christa Ludwig as Fricka, and Hans Hotter as Wotan. Not quite so great...
OPENING NIGHTS AT THE MET (3 LPs; RCA Victor). A small swatch of the gold curtain from the old, abandoned house on 39th Street is tucked into the first 45,000 of these sets, and the albums are selling so fast that Victor would do well to look around for more dry goods. The musical part of the package is also pure nostalgia, consisting of several dozen duets, trios and arias sung by Met stars from Louise Homer (in 1905) to Zinka Milanov...
VERDI: NABUCCO (3 LPs; London). Lamberto Garelli, conducting the Vienna Opera Orchestra, has produced an unexpected smash hit. The biggest surprise is Elena Suliotis, a 23-year-old Greek soprano who has arrived like a gift from Olympus for opera fans who want Msria Callas reborn. Their voices have striking similarities: three-octave range, "white" tone, unflinching attack. But whereas Callas used all her skills and wiles to project a so-so voice, Suliotis is blessed with a strong, clear instrument that never quavers. It will be some time before she matches Callas' artistry, but in the florid role...
FALLA: LA VIDA BREVE (2 LPs; Angel). This short opera is about the short, unhappy life of Salud, a gypsy girl who is cruelly betrayed by her lover and falls dead at his wedding. The gypsy's passion and her pathos are exploited to the full by Spanish Soprano Victoria de los Angeles-unfortunately without much help from supporting singers. Falla's early work is studded with folk dances and flamenco songs, all fierily clicked off by the National Orchestra of Spain, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos conducting...
HANS WERNER HENZE: FIVE SYMPHONIES (2 LPs: Deutsche Grammophon). The modern symphony, says Henze, tends to be either "a replica, an elegy or an echo," and he illustrates the point with his work, which is reminiscent of Stravinsky. The 40-year-old composer's symphonies are nonetheless enjoyable and full of theatrical flair, as might be expected from a man who has written such successful operas as King Stag and Elegy for Young Lovers. Here the first three works, dating from his early 20s, provide atmosphere but no action. The fourth is richer, unwinding in one movement from gentle...