Wagner Complete Operas

After buying and listening to the two-disc compliation of Wagner Through the Ages to break the ice with Wagner's complex and dramatic compositions, I simply HAD to get some more of his work. Oddly enough, he is not one of the composers who has managed to make it among the composers featured in the Rise of The Masters collections, so I knew my search for a more well-rounded collection of his work would be somewhat of a challenging endeavor. That is, until I found THIS amazing hunk of treasure. All I can say is - WHAT A DEAL!!!In all honesty, I could not have asked for a better bargain to fullfill my quest for a complete collection of the legendary Richard Wagner's masterpieces. As a lover of dramatic, complex, over-the-top classical music/opera music, I was overwhelmed with joy when I finally received this in the mail. The beatiful, flowing operas hold listeners' attention and never fails to disappoint. It was a bit of a hassle to be able to get all the music onto my computer so that I could put it on my mobile devices, but completely worth it. It is also truly amazing to know just how much of a prolific career Wagner had during his lifetime. He is every bit as deserving of his legacy as a composer as legends like Beethoven, Mozart, Brahams or Bach are of their legacies. He may not be as well known as they are, but he matters every bit as much to music history as they do, no questions asked. As I have said in my review on the aforementioned two-disc compilation, it is over-the-top classical music such as this with which the dark and intense atmosphere in music began, and it did not originate with heavy metal, and as a die-hard metalhead, I am fully aware that this is the case. Wagner, along with Beethoven and Mozart were actually mentioned in the documentary, Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, when they talked about metal's musical origins, so that says something.Overall, this collection deserves to be in the collection of anyone who loves beautiful, dramatic classical/opera music. If you have what could be called culture, class, and an ear for great, timeless music, then I encourage you to pick up this collection without delay. There is a reason that it has stood the test of time, and that people still listen to it to this day, and even pay big bucks to see these operas performed. Most importantly, NONE of that non-artistic, talentless pop dance/rap/EDM trash can ever touch pure magic like this. That is like comparing a piece of dust to all the gold ever mined on earth. I shouldn't even have to say that, because that is just common sense.Anyways, just buy this already. You will be very glad that you did. :)

2013 marks the Bicentennial of Wagner and Verdi and what a great year to celebrate these two immortal OPERA champions. They are as different as one would wish yet both are worthy of close listening. Fortunately, the folks at EMI Decca and DG are on the ball with bargain sets of both famous darlings. This DG set blows my mind. At around TWO BUCKS per disk, we are treated to all of Wagner's operas in great performances. The key to Wagner is to simply let the marvelous sound wash over you until it works its way into your psyche like no other music can ... and what sumptuous sound and unbelievable singing are stored in these 43 CD's.First of all, the production and packaging are outstanding. There are DG, Decca and EMI recordings here and I have listed these so you can read the reviews already on Amazon for these recordings. The big box is a gem with FOUR pictures of R W at various stages of his life. WOW. Great pics DG!!! The booklet is just fine and you have access to the German-English librettos on the DG website. They download as PDF files are are eminently useful. Thanks for the great packaging!Here are the operas with the recording year and conductor. (You can use these to read all the reviews already written for these recordings.)Die Freen (DG) rec 1972 Sir Edward DownesDas Liebesverbot (DG) rec 1975 Sir Edward DownesRienzi rec 1976 (EMI) Heinrich HollreiserDer Fliegende Hollander (DG) rec 1981 Giuseppe SinopoliTannhauser (DG) rec 1988 Giuseppe SinopoliLohengrin (Decca) rec 1985-6 Sir Georg SoltiDer Ring Des Nibelungen (DG) rec 1987-88 Metropolitan Opera James LevineTristan und Isolde (DG) rec 1980-82 Carlos KleiberDie Meistersinger von Nurnberg (DG) rec 1976 Eugen JochumParsifal (Decca) 1972 Sir Georg SoltiThese are all at least FOUR star performances and many are FIVE star. The Ring cycle is the earlier one with James Morris as Wotan. (Morris is a wonderful Wotan ... far better than Terfel in my opinion.) The playing of the Metropolitan orchestra is simply beautiful and does indeed wash over you with terrific beauty. The Isolde of Margaret Price is also very special and the Carlos Kleiber recording is worth the price of the set if it were the only recording.I have not had the time to listen to all these recordings but so far, all these performances are more than one could ask for. I'll try and upgrade my reviews as I savor the recordings but in the meantime, I strongly recommend the purchase of this big WAGNER box. There may be a few recordings out there which are better but these deserve repeated hearings and I have yet to be disappointed.

Twenty years ago, I visited Neuschwanstein Castle. This year I finally got around to reading The Swan King, a solid biography of Mad King Ludwig.I was surprised to learn about Ludwig's (aka Parsifal) tumultuous relationship with Wagner - so I then read The Wagner Clan, a great read. So, I decided to jump in with both feet and immerse myself in The Master's work.Three word review: buy this set ... now. The set is complete (all 13 operas), the quality is fantastic, and the performances are superb. Jessye Norman's Sieglinde (Die Walkure) breaks my heart.If you choose to buy individual operas or another (partial) set, caveat emptor ... I bought a 4-disc Die Walkure at my local used book store (Edward McKay, Greensboro NC, great store!) - it is atrocious. It sounds like it was recorded in an elementary school cafeteria, and half of the audience has a head cold.So, save yourself the time and the trouble. Buy this set.