"Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond to End of Act I" from Die Walküre by Richard Wagner (1813-1883) John Vickers (Siegmund) Gré Brouwenstijn (Sieglinde) London Symphony Orchestra Erich Leinsdorf, conductor London IX.1961
I am a tenor, and all I ever give a heck about in any recording is the tenor, and Vickers here is God incarnate. This is what singing is supposed to be
Yesterday this courageous man who possessd a voice of incredible depth and power stepped over into eternity. His voice was capable of dramatic sweep, intimate nuance and caress unlike others of his generation over a broad range of repertoire. Always with perfect diction. He was a very generous personal mentor to whom I am grateful. Rest in sweet peace dear Artist. I will never forget you.
Qué bellas palabras! Un homenaje merecido a un gran tenor heróico que nos hizo soñar con su voz! / Such beautiful words! A deserved tribute to a great Heldentenor who made us dream with his voice!
J.VICKERS Artista Straordinario dotato di una tecnica vocale ineccepibile in tutti gli "stili"della lirica!!!! HELDENTOR WAGNERIANO,TENORE VERDIANO,PUCCINIANO,VERISMO ITALIANO,OPERÀ FRANCESE ECC.ECC. WICKERS non conosceva ostacoli di natura tecnica e sfoderava interpretazioni magistrali!!! Grazie di❤👍per la condivisione. Purtroppo non sono riuscito ad ammirarlo dal vivo.
I was so moved by Vickers that I forgot to say how lovely, musical and feminine Gre Brouwenstijn is. So effortless and expressive. A perfect match for Vickers.
Years ago I had the privilege of playing Bass Trumpet in a CBC orchestra that recorded this segment with Vickers. I will never forget the incredible power of his voice soaring over the huge orchestra. It was superhuman.
I envy you this experience. Would you be willing to describe the effect his voice had in the room? Eg was it pointed or booming? Or did it soar and shake the room?
Vickers sings with such passion, his voice just soars above the orchestra. His diction is perfect and his vocal strength, amazing. I have never really enjoyed Wagner, but this recording could make me a convert.
A vocal miracle, I heard him as Tristan with the San Fran Opera when I was 18 with Birgit and to this day I can still recall the power in his body. He had a tremendous chest and Act 3 as he was dying and hallucinating will always stay in my memory as the greatest night of opera in my life
Richard Allen A lot of folks I know who were old enough to hear Vickers said that he had the biggest voice they had ever heard, and by a long shot. Was that the case? Or did Birgit match pipes with him?
Boris Van Druff . It was a remarkable evening as I had orchestra center seats. When Birgit sang you honestly felt at times an actual physical pressure on your chest from the force of sound. This was true of Vickers. His Act 3 was spellbinding. He had a large barrel chest and must have had enormous lungs as he was very loud also. I remember him tearing open his shirt in his delirium and writhing on the mossy rock. He too was a force of nature. His acting was superior to hers as he totally enveloped role. It was an incredible night i am so blessed to be part of.
Boris Van Druff True, i will going to Bayreuth for my first time next month to hear Parsifal. Hopefully the singing will be very good as I expect it will be. Nothing will ever surpass the Tristan I saw though.
Richard Allen I saw Vickers in quite a few roles: Otello, Grimes, Canio, Samson (Handel and Saint Saens). I don’t recall being as struck by his voice, but rather by his intensity. He could be truly frightening. No sobs at the end of the Pagliacci aria, just murderous rage. People who never heard Nilsson don’t quite understand her voice. I saw both Nilsson and Marton on the same stage; Marton had an ocean of sound, much bigger than Nilsson. But Birgit’s sound was so focused, it was like a laser beam and could probably be heard in Central Park!
Truly one of the great recordings of Walkure. Don't forget to take this in when teasing hi-end stereo salesmen and telling them you listen to classical. It's a riot watching them scramble for the remote when Wagner pulls up his sleeves!!
Glorious. Just listened to her Eva in the the 1956 Bayreuth Meistersinger -- poignant and deeply affecting! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-INJiX9vm1vM.html
Vickers is more than just outstanding in this role; he ascends to an exalted level that simply has not been equalled, let alone surpassed. Fate endowed him with one of the greatest voices of the golden age, and to it he added his nonpareil artistry. We are so blessed.
@@SymphonyBrahms How on earth can you know this? Did you hear them both in the same role in the same theatre? Or do you just go by recordings which are often very misleading. My father's favourite tenor in the 1930s was, not surprisingly, the very great Lauritz Melchior, whom he heard numerous times from the gallery in Covent Garden. Having heard most of he greatest Wagnerians of that time he was always very critical of the newcomers. However, when he went again to the Ring in the early1960s, sitting on the same old gallery benches, I remember him coming home very excited after hearing Jon Vickers as Siegmund. All he could say was "Best tenor since Melchior". There was no nonsense about "X being better than Y" as he was simply thrilled with the glorious performance he had just heard which reminded him of past glories. Jon Vickers is magnificent, so enjoy him wholeheartedly for his own fabulous singing.
I have never heard Brouwenstijn before watching this video. What a gorgeous instrument! And Vickers in his prime, sounding like an otherworldly hero. I was never a fan of Wagner until last year...but hearing this would have made me a fan much sooner.
Overall I have to admit I find Wagner somewhat boring but The Ring cycle shows his talent at it's height and IMO "Die Walkure" and "Gotterdammerung" his finest achievements, though I'm sure some Wagnerians wouldn't agree!
I have heard a recording of that performance. Maazel conducted, I believe, with Justine Diaz as a VERY solid Jago. One of THE best Otello’s I have ever heard…and I have heard and seen dozens and dozens in a number of houses and recordings. Would love to see it posted on RU-vid.
Gré Brouwenstijn, an almost forgotten artist today, probably because she made very few recordings. However this wonderful singer enjoyed a great career especially with the Royal Opera House/London where she appeared in many operas to great acclaim including the premiere of Visconti's legendary production of Don Carlos in 1958.
Another outstanding artist who seems to have been forgotten because she rarely set foot in recording studios was the lovely and talented soprano Mary Costa.
Marvelous! in this earlier recording, Vickers seems more 'natural' than in the later DG version under Karajan, and I also prefer Brouwenstijn's timbre to the sometimes harsher sound of Janowitz in the role of Sieglinde. Leinsdorf and the LPO work beautifully to support the vocal cast. - In the handful of roles that he "owned" Vickers was truly miraculous. I am thinking of his Florestan, Siegmund, Canio, Don Jose, and of course his Tristan. - In 1975, I literally happened by the Opera de Bastille in Paris just as the doors were being opened for people to buy standing room tickets. Seeing "Monsieur Vickers" on the playbill, I dashed in and, for the price of 10 Francs, heard Vickers as Otello. It was an indescribably powerful experience. The man's total commitment to his art, and to utterly inhabiting his role on stage, was a wonder to witness.
Birgit Nilsson said in several interviews that she much preferred the Leinsdorf and Bohm recordings to the Solti/Culshaw. She said the Leinsdorf and Bohm sounded much more natural.
Most people would probably agree. The Bohm cycle is probably overall the finest on disc even if not as technically excellent as Solti's studio recordings.
@@karldelavigne8134 Solti is the greatest recorded Ring cycle. Bohm is excellent. Leinsdorf is not s great conductor. He should have never touched the music of Wagner.
Eine bemerkenswerte Aufnahme! Gré Brouwenstijns wunderschöner lyrisch-dramatischer Sopran und der ausgeprägte Heldentenor John Vickers. Dies gibt einen großartigen Kontrast, der das Duett so faszinierend macht.Über Vickers braucht man nichts weiter sagen, aber die Brouwenstijn verdiente generell mehr Aufmerksamkeit. Auch das Orchester unter Leinsdorf ist herausragend. Dazu die ausgezeichnete technische Qualität für eine Aufnahme von 1961!
My first Walküre on record and my most cherished. Bought it in the 1960s when it appeared. Mainly because of Birgit Nilsson, my compatriot, but then discovered Vickers and Brouwenstijn. Still today, this is the best Walküre on record, although Teschemacher from the 1940s in warstricken Germany is fascinating. And Leinsdorf should have been given the task of conducting the whole Ring for Decca. He would have done it much better than Solti.
Well, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I have the Solti Ring of course but never listen to it. It is unbearable with its crude tempi and harsness. No musicmanship. Were are talking about Rings on record of course, not live performances never recorded. Of the recorded ones I think Hans Knappertsbusch`s Bayreuth performances are the best of all. He sets a standard no one else was able to reach. The music lives by itself, it feels like there is no conductor at all.
@@stenjerdenius1683 I'll stick with Solti. It does not have crude tempo and it is not harsh. And the musicianship is great. Down with Leinsdorf! He's third rate. Down with Knappertsbusch! His tempos are sloppy. I exalt Solti! And only Solti!
Oh, God, this is glorious! Did you enhance the sound in some way? A while ago, I bought this on iTunes (at a ridiculously low price) and it doesn't sound as rich. Whatever.... This is beyond gorgeous.
Vickers is great as Siegmund. Brouwenstijn is miscast. Her voice is too light for Sieglinde. Leinsdorf is ok but not great. And the sonics are wrong on this recording. It sounds like it was recorded in an echo chamber. I give it a three out of five. There are much better Walkures than this one. The Solti, the Bohm, and the Furtwangler are all superb.
SymBrahms: What about the Karajan recording where Vickers sings with Gundula Janowitz. I read that Solti and Vickers didn’t see eye to eye which is why Vickers never recorded the Wagner operas with him.
