Critics praised the Dresden Staatskapelle's brass sound in the Tannhäuser overture on this recording, comparing it to the brilliance heard under Fritz Busch in 1932.
Composition History
Wagner's early opera, Das Liebesverbot, had its second performance cancelled after a fistfight broke out on stage, though this was due to a private conflict among the cast.
Compositional Technique
Wagner often used the technique of skilfully elaborating major themes from his operas in the overtures, making them memorable for the listener, a method he also used in the Tannhäuser overture.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Wagner's artistic ambition for his opera Rienzi was not merely to imitate grand opera, but to surpass all its previous manifestations with 'unbridled extravagance'.
Composer Biography
Richard Wagner, despite early struggles with his operas, became one of the two most significant opera composers of the 19th century.
Performer Biography
Hiroshi Wakasugi, the conductor on this album, was a Japanese conductor who founded the Tokyo Chamber Opera and was instrumental in bringing European operas to Japan.
Recording & Production
The recordings on this album were made between 1982 and 1991, during Hiroshi Wakasugi's guest contract with the Dresden Staatskapelle.
