Genre:

Opera

Release Date:

Sep 2015

Subtitles (Der fliegende Holländer):

En, Fr, De, Ko

Subtitles (Tannhäuser):

En, Fr, De, Ko

Subtitles (Die Walküre):

En, Fr, De, Es

Subtitles (Tristan und Isolde):

En, Fr, De, Es

Subtitles (Lohengrin):

En, Fr, De, Es

Subtitles (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg):

En, Fr, De, Es

Sound Format:

2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS

Catalog Number:

OABD7184BD

Wagner: The Bayreuth Edition (Box Set)

Kwangchul Youn (Hermann (Tannhäuser)); Torsten Kerl (Tannhäuser (Tannhäuser)); Georg Zeppenfeld (König Heinrich (Lohengrin)); Klaus Florian Vogt (Lohengrin (Lohengrin); Walther von Stolzing (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg)); Annette Dasch (Elsa of Brabant (Lohengrin)); Johan Botha (Siegmund (Die Walküre)); Albert Dohmen (Wotan (Die Walküre)); Edith Haller (Sieglinde (Die Walküre)); Linda Watson (Brünnhilde (Die Walküre)); Robert Dean Smith (Tristan (Tristan und Isolde)); Iréne Theorin (Isolde (Tristan und Isolde)); Franz Hawlata (Hans Sachs (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg));

Since its inception, Bayreuth has become the byword for innovative and daring productions. The six operas featured on this release are certainly no exception; showcasing the original sets, creative productions and outstanding singing that the opera house is famous for, they cement Bayreuth’s worldwide reputation for nurturing raw talent, constantly striving for innovation. Jan Philipp Gloger’s controversial production of Der fliegende Holländer is conducted by Christian Thielemann, ‘Germany’s most sought-after conductor’ (DailyTelegraph), while Axel Kober takes the helm in Sebastian Baumgarten’s thought provoking production of Tannhäuser, which casts the opera as one giant experiment. Die Walküre stars up-and-coming singers Johan Botha and Edith Haller, both praised in the German press for their standout performances. The radical Tristan und Isolde sees Christoph Marthaler setting the romantic opera in a Communist-era reception room, unencumbered by the traditional lakes and forests, instead more like a psychodrama of the 1950s. Concluding the six operas is Katharina Wagner’s debut production: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, the first ever live recording from the Festival, praised by Opera Canada for its ‘stunning theatrical spectacle’. Richard Wagner’s operas find their home at Bayreuth, and these six very different but equally compelling performances capture the spirit of the German composer perfectly.


DIE MEISTERSINGER (2008)

Hans Sachs - Franz Hawlata

Veit Pogner - Artur Korn

Sixtus Beckmesser - Michael Volle

Walther von Stolzing - Klaus Florian Vogt

Director - Tilo Steffens

Conductor - Sebastian Weigle


DIE WALKÜRE (2010)

Wotan - Albert Dohmen

Sieglinde - Edith Haller

Brünnhilde - Linda Watson

Director - Tankred Dorst

Conductor - Christian Thielemann


DER FLIEGENDE HOLLANDER (2013)

Der Holländer - Samuel Youn

Daland - Franz-Josef Selig

Senta - Ricarda Merbeth

Director - Jan Philipp Gloger

Conductor - Christian Thielemann


LOHENGRIN (2011)

König Heinrich - Georg Zeppenfeld

Lohengrin - Klaus Florian Vogt

Elsa of Brabant - Annette Dasch

Director - Hans Neuenfels

Conductor - Andris Nelsons


TANNHÄUSER (2014)

Hermann - Kwangchul Youn

Tannhäuser - Torsten Kerl

Wolfram von Eschenbach - Markus Eiche

Walther von der Vogelweide - Lothar Odinius


TRISTAN UND ISOLDE (2009)

Tristan - Robert Dean Smith

Isolde - Iréne Theorin

Conductor - Peter Schneider

Director - Christoph Marthaler


Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus

Reviews

"Thielemann and the Bayreuth Orchestra create a ravishing wall of sound and not a moment is less that aurally stunning: one listens, agape." (International Record Review - Die Walküre)

"... as all stage productions should be, this is 200 per cent a Meistersinger to see." (Gramophone - Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg)

"Despite the ferocious competition, absolutely unmissable." (Gramophone - Tristan und Isolde)

"All six solo singers are musically excellent and dramatically persuasive, with Petra Lang's excoriating Ortrud and Georg Zeppenfeld's grave yet warm-toned King Henry particularly memorable ..." (Gramophone - Lohengrin)

"... one revels in Christian Thielemann's masterly handling of the Overture's tempo modifications and, thereafter, the lustrous sonorities that support the singers in this single-act version of the opera... Youn is a particular revelation, with bass qualities to establish the character's emotional weight but also effective baritonal colours that convey anguish with great specificity." (Gramophone - Der fliegende Holländer)

"Especially in the Singers' Contest in the second act the performers act with heart and soul. Baumgarten developed a truly animated stage direction. It is exemplary how Opus Arte uses the opportunity to show how opera DVDs can be equipped nowadays. The audio-track has a very good sound. The crystal-clear visuals cope well with the quick cuts which are necessary to convey Baumgarten's stage direction. Interviews and short films showcase the whole production beautifully. These extras communicate a great deal of Wagner's and Bayreuth's musical world. The DVD deserves the same enthusiastic applause as the artists in Bayreuth who were celebrated cordially by the audience." (Opernnetz - Tannhäuser)