WAGNER - 1936 GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG

ACT II COMPLETE

Act I: Hier sitz to the end of the act

Act III: Brünnhilde's Immolation

Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (14th, 29th May 1936)

Frida Leider, Lauritz Melchior, Herbert Janssen, Kerstin Thorborg, Ludwig Weber, Eduard Habich, Maria Nazedal / Sir Thomas Beecham

John Steane, the famed music critic, termed Leider's Brünnhilde one of the truly great ones: "it has the perfect character, existing at that rarely achieved point where the heroic has not become inhuman and where the human does not undermine tragic dignity." Leider sings Brünnhilde with a stellar cast ­ perhaps one of the most glorious ever recorded. In addition, this is the first time Act II has been heard with Habich, the famed Alberich who sang the role through the entire Beecham-led cycle. Also, all previously released editions of Act I have never offered Weber's Hier sitz and the musical continuity to Scene 3 as well as the conclusion to the act, all of which can now be heard in this Guild edition. The Immolation stems from the 78s Leider recorded in 1928. Guild's album contains articles about the singers and performance, a track-related synopsis, notes on the recording as well as pictorials. In all, the music, singers, conducting and sound come together to yield an unforgettable experience. Here is a grand memento of the fabled Wagnerian nights at Covent Garden in the 1930s.