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Live Recording Of Wagner's First Opera "Die Feen " On Orfeo .

834 views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  Reichstag aus LICHT 
#1 ·
I've been listening to a live Munich recording of Wagner's rarely performed first opera "Die Feen " , and it's not only fascinating , but a surprisingly good opera for a first attempt by a young composer !
The conductor is the late Wolfgang Sawallisch , one of the foremost Wagner conductors of our time ,leading the Bavarian Radio symphony and chorus , and the cast is top notch, with the late John Alexander , Linda Esther Grey and June Anderson among others . This was recorded in 1983, the centennial of Wagner's death .
The story is based on the Carlo Gozzi play "La Donna Serpente " and has some curious similarities to the story of "Die Frau Ohne Schatten " by Richard Strauss .
The fairy Queen Ada has entered into a relationship with the king an imaginary kingdom by the name of Arindal , and they have two children who do not appear in the opera . Aridness has been absent from his kingdom for 8 years , and his sister Lora and the populace are wondering what has happened and are under attack by a foreign nation . Aridness' father has died of grief in the meantime, and his ghost appears at one time in the opera to warn everyone about the crisis .
The King of the fairies has caused Ada to turn into stone , but somehow, everything works out and the fairy King reunites Ada and Arindal, who is now immortal because of his courage and has become one the the fairies .
The music is of course immature Wagner and shows the influence of Weber, whom Wagner greatly admired . But you can hear Wagner's own emerging voice and shows Wagner's enormous melodic gift . This recording can also be heard on youtube , and i recommend it highly . It's a must for any Wagner fan .
 
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