steviefromalaska
06-13-2016, 05:11 AM
In 1955 conductor Leopold Stokowski proposed to RCA Red Seal, his long time label, a stereo recording with the NBC Symphony Orchestra and featured soloists of Richard Wagner’s massive 4 part operatic work, The Ring of the Niebelung, in its entirety. RCA declined saying that the projected sales of such a recording, even with a star conductor at the helm, would never turn a profit because of the high cost of producing it. Stokowski suggested alternately recording in England with the Philharmonia Orchestra instead but was still turned down. Stokowski had a unique provision in his recording contract that allowed him to shop any project RCA turned down to another label and so he took the idea to Columbia Masterworks and Capitol who also turned him down. Meanwhile English Decca had begun preparations for a complete Ring Cycle with George Solti conducting in Vienna which resulted in the first recording of the complete Ring. That now classic recording was completed by the early 1960s. But what would a Stokowski Ring have been like? There is no doubt it would have been very special, perhaps spectacular. Oddly enough, by the mid 1960s Stokowski began recording with Decca in their then new Phase 4 Stereo process and one of those recordings was a 1966 disc of orchestral highlights from the Ring with Stokowski using Wagner’s own concert arrangements as heard in the operas. This download features a newly remixed and remastered version of that brilliant recording which features Barry Tuckwell’s incredible horn playing with the London Symphony Orchestra at the peak of its powers, all the more virtuosic with Stokowski at the podium. Included as a bonus track to bring this program to CD length is Stokowski’s Symphonic arrangement of Brunhilde’s Immolation and Finale from Gotterdammerung, recorded also with the London Symphony by Decca for RCA in 1973. The spectacular sound of Stokowski and Wagner is still a wonder to hear a half century later and the orchestral playing is as amazing as on my recent posting of the same conductor’s Symphonic Synthesis of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde (Thread 205755). I hope you agree.
Leopold Stokowski conducts Orchestral Masterpieces from Richard Wagner's The Ring of the Niebelung
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Leopold Stokowski conducts Orchestral Masterpieces from Richard Wagner's The Ring of the Niebelung
THIS FILE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD