Certainly some amazing voices here... But HOW COULD YOU LEAVE OUT GEORGE LONDON... probably the greatest vocal Wotan of all. Tomlinson in this recording sounds the most like him. Gotta love just the sheer elegance of Rene Pape and the overwhelming authority of that basso profundo Hines though. We have been so blessed to have so many wonderful performances to indulge our senses. Wonderful!!
Jerome Hines is in a class by himself! Absolutely the most stunning considering sheer weight and authority of voice. Hotter and Tomlinson are wonderful, too. Where the hell is George London in this list?
Wow one of my favorite moments in all of Wagner with all these great bass baritones singing ! it is as if Wotan is singing Seigfried into existence and why not he’s his grandfather As others have pointed out pity we don’t hear an example of George London singing this
This particular passage was owned by George London. Here the whole Abschied with the fabulous Vienna Philharmonic under Knappertsbusch: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2Ojhx-cFsJw.html
@@brunegilda2453 Glad you enjoyed it! Another tremendous interpretation (besides all the great Wagner roles) is his Scarpia in Tosca, with Renata Tebaldi and Mario del Monaco. It's absolutely phenomenal. London's Don Giovanni (both in German and Italian) was also a true force of nature.
Friedrich Schor was the Melchior of baritones. This performance must have been a live performance that's why he's covered by the orchestra. My dad said even Melchior didn't dominate the orchestra in the hall!
Even in his prime Schorr had great beauty of sound and interpretative skill, but a short top. In many of the late live recordings you wonder why he was still being hired. And very ironic he should have been Cornell MacNeil’s teacher!
Schorr was WAY passed his best years when he recorded this. Toscanini fired him from the Salzburg Meistersinger because he sounded so bad and hired Nissen instead.
It is so difficult to compare singers of different eras and different acoustic environments and recording technology. For me the ultimate test is what I call the "earwax" standard. Does the voice make my earwax dance IN THE ACTUAL HALL? Based on these recordings, I would rate John Tomlinson tops. But it is a modern recording. People who heard Hans Hotter in the flesh say he sang and looked, truly, like a god.
Thank you, it is a good idea this comparison between these Wotans ! If George London, one of the greatest, is missing, we could add Rudolf Bockelman, Hans Hermann Nissen, Georg Hann, too much unknown today, and for after the WWII, Ferdinand Frantz (THE Wotan of Furtwängler), Sigurd Björling (no kinship with Jüssi), Alexander Kipnis, Ludwig Weber, a very dark Wotan, Lawrence Tibbett, and even Cesare Siepi, who never sang the role on stage but made a very good recording of the "Abschied"...
I am fond of James Morris' rendition. (the one in this clip is not a good example) He has a ton of power behind his voice and his emotion in Wotan's farewell gets me every time!
I never heard Morris live. But on the Levine DVDs I find him always a bit disappointing. His German is not very good. In this clip he does a very weird thing with the word "nie" (the last not on the E). My choice for Wotan would always be Hotter.
Among all those greats finaly I came to love two Wotans especialy. Surprisingly - or not surprisingly - they are the two that for me carry the most dramatic interpretation into the roles. Looks like loud or beautifull singing comes second for me. Stewart and Tomlinson both here and in the respective full rings ( Karajan and Barenboim/Kupfer ) are the greatest of the 20th century to me.
Me pregunto por qué no Ferdinand Frantz? Él formó parte del elenco de Die Valküre dirigida por Furtwängler 1954, uno de los mejores roles de Wotan que he oído... Por cierto de esta lista sobresalen Hotter y Tomlinson
all great, diverse shadowing of the words ... like having great actors read out 'To be, or not to be, that is the question.' Yet, Tomlinson, witnessed live at Bayreuth in the Kupfer production of the 90's, was unforgettable ... totally so!
Ideally it should be sung a very big, commanding voice. Basses have that, but very few basses can sustain the play's high tessitura. Bass-baritones are the most advantaged here, since they still have darkness and depth, while being better able to cope with singing higher.
1. Tomlinson, 2. Hotter, 3. Hines. I miss London too, but mostly I miss Terje Stensvold which in my opinion (the most overlooked, present Wotan) sings the part great and probably made one of the latest Wotan debuts ever (although his dutchman is better I think). His performance in Stockholm in 2005 was awsome!!
Hehe, I know were you're coming from; Morris has never had a beautfiul sound, though admittedly, for some reason, I like his singing. Nevertheless, Tomlinson also takes the cake for me, even though I consider Hotter legendary. Sir John actually sounds like a god when singing this, even with such a high tessitura; and he's not even a bass-baritone but a true bass.
Hotter is sublime, the best in these selections here! But Fr. Scorr was even greater, in this MET Matinee he was at the end of his career, there are better recordings of him from Europe in the early 30s. But who is really missing is the immense Rudolf Bockelmann - just find his ACT III Covent Garden 1937 live reconding with Flagstad under Furtwangler and you will understand.
Not really possible to judge very well from these clips, as the vocals are at such inconsistent levels relative to the orchestras. Hotter is definitely the most prominent in the mix, though.
I think Schorr sounds awful mostly because of the sound quality, he's known to have been great; however, wher indeed are Frantz and Bailey? And George London, and Alan Titus? Heck, even more recent ones like Falk Struckmann, Juha Uusitalo, and Vitalij Kowaljow!
I prefer Hotter, Tomlinson and Hines. I found that Thomas Stewart looks like he could be Jon Vikers brother...similar shaped head and interestingly I hear a similar timbre in the voice albeit it lower. Great voices! 👍
Hans Hotter immenso, senza dubbio il più grande Wotan! Terrificante James Morris...orrore. Manca però alla lista l'ottima interpretazione di George London e quella più recente di Juha Usitalo
I have seen James Morris perform this live several times as well as on DVD. He does the most incredibly heart rending performance of this emotional farewell. The volume in this montage is lower for him than for some of the others soit is hard to fairly compare. I think he is as great as any who has ever sung this role. He has my vote.
I love James Morris too and have heard him as Wotan. I have the Met DVD ring cycle with him as Wotan and he is fabulous.. and you're right this recording does not do him Justice. I didn't even recognize his voice
Yes. Terfel gave a remarkable performance of this in Lucerne with Abbado-even though he is not a high bass as demanded he has all qualities to shine in this-as he did. You may also like to listen to american bariton Tibbett here on youtube-very large, firm and ringing voice with Wotans farewell. And believe it or not the great Siepi sang this, too. Still- nobody holds a candle to George London in this one.
by which of course I mean Tibbett never sang Wotan live in its ENTIRETY. I'm aware of his doing it in concert (the whole abschied at least), but singing all of Act 2 and 3 is much more demanding than singing the last ten minutes. It's just the purist in me...
Thank you for the interesting comparison! May I inquire as to why you left out the two greatest renditions of this line, those from Lawrence Tibbett and George London?
Wotan is a a hybride role, a baritone is often to light, a basso faces Problems with the tessitura.All of the singers are doing a great job. I miss London. I enjoyed Hines, Adam, but also Pape and Tomlinson. Stewart and McIntyre both great singers seem to be rather light. Same for Schorr (although difficult to judge). Hotter's voice is sometimes wobbly when attacking. Still a giant.
This clip came up again on my list and it occurs to me to comment on how difficult the last word ‘nie’ is to sing. It’s an E natural, either just after or precisely where the singer covers depending on his voice. Here I think the ones who try to preserve the pure ‘ee’ come to grief with a squeezed tone that threatens to crack. But you can’t sing ‘nah’ without sounding ridiculous. It’s a problem.
I had the great fortune of seeing Die Walkrie live at the Met in NYC during Levine's direction. It was a special night as James Morris took the night off for Donald McIntyre (along with Hildegard Behrens) to reprise their Bayreuth roles. It was a magical night and to this day the most amazing stage performance I've had the pleasure of watching.
A half of this list was acceptable. Michael Bohnen is missing, so is Ferdinand Frantz, so is George London, so is David Ward, and so is Robert Hale. The last specimen on the list is an insult to Wagner, or to singing in general. Pape shouldn't
For me this is a "win" for Hotter. With Tomlinson as a close second. And Morris and Dohmen absolutely last..... Too sad to hear that the otherwise superb Pape isn't at all comfortable in this part....
Your playlist given I have to vote for Hines-his voice has nobless and sonority and adequate strength and authority. Hotter is close second. Pape`s voice is basically well-suited for Wotan- an elegant bass not on the heavy side and with good dynamic range, but i feel he lacks a bit of force here. But of course, as mentioned by others and rightly so, the unsurpassed singer in that role is missing here-George London.
Of the also-rans, Dieskau never sang it live, London barely had a chance before his health problems set in. Of those who sang it long and well, I pick Hotter for his monumentality and overall mastery; Stewart for intensity, imaginative detail, and surprising ferocity; Adam for all-round professionalism and reliability; and Tomlinson for his cavernous sound and rascally humor. The one contemporary who DOES belong here is Uusitalo - for handsome, comprehensive, consistently cultivated vocalism.
George London's career was tragically cut short (I witnessed one of the first performances as Wotan when his voice painfully fell apart.) But his recordings Rheingold and Walkure are forever--and I heard him sing The Wanderer in his prime. He was indescribably great.
pretty simple, tibbett never sang wotan live as far as I know. it's more interesting to compare them after singing for the entire time than in a selection.
Thats good to hear that there are better recordings of Schorr. My God ... he was Cornell MacNeil's teacher! On this one he sounds like a first year voice major!
Ce court extrait illustre de manière sublime l'art inimitable de Wagner ( orchestration , utilisation des "leitmotive " etc ... ) ....je ne m'en lasse pas !!!!! Bien sûr , il y a d'autres "Wotan " tout aussi remarquables : G. London , Bryn Terfel pour ne citer qu'eux !!!!!!
There is a recording of Schorr singing this from the late 1920s that is remarkably good. Schorr and Hotter are the class of the group. It is too bad that many only know Hotter from the Solti Ring where he was well past his prime. Ferdinand Frantz was not included and he's not that far behind Hotter and Schorr. Norman Bailey is another Wotan omitted. Bailey is probably up there with Schorr and Hotter. You can hear Bailey either in the Goodall Ring or in a separate performance of this excerpt with Otto Klemperer.
Hotter, Hines, London, & perhaps (in his prime voice) one should include McIntyre as well. For sheer voice (circa 1990) I would include James Morris & although I have not heard if Rene Pape has taken Wotan on, I would imagine he could also be included in this list were he choose to do so. With apologies to the late John Steane, I do not find Friedrich Schorr (circa the 1940 Recording) to be a contender here. Perhaps some 5 to 10 years earlier but not in that present excerpt. His contemporary Bockelmann would belong on this list. As for Nimsgern or some later singers, they might have some positive attributes but not enough for these to be included on this list. A word about George London though. Although he was beginning to have vocal problems sometime after he began recording Wotan complete, there are enough fine examples of him singing this music when he was younger to realize his awesome potential for this role
Schorr never sounded good to me. Love Hotter for his soulful Wotan. Stewart had a gorgeous voice - my favorite Hans Sachs. Saw Tomlinson live at the Lyric - he was great. Let's face it, it's a difficult part. lol Believe it or not, Lawrence Tibbet, certainly not known for Wagner, sang a moving and powerful Wotan's Farewell. Thanks for this great video.
Pity my favourite is not included - Boris Christoff live in concert with RAI Torino orchestra and Alfredo Simonetto, 1954. Anyway, great compilation of voices. And this line together with powerful orchestra afterwards is certainly one of the greatest opera moments ever composed. Thomas Steward wins my heart from all listed here. Perhaps because I love his performance in the studio recording of Karajan and this live performance is by no means worse, if not better actually. Thanks for posting.
None as good as London IMHO though Tomlinson usurps his performance on the Barenboim recording (which I also admire, by the way). Pape is wonderful, though he keeps to what Wagner wrote on the last note, whereas I think most Wagnerites would want it held longer. A chacun son gout, as the French say!
But Frantz 132/5000 But Frantz has a very important theatrical career and his live recordings do not give proof of that supposed "scant" projection ...
Yes, he had an outstanding career & a very distinct & memorable voice. Unfortunately recordings will never give an accurate representation of the size of a voice. From what I've read, compared to the likes of Hotter he was very underpowered.
Terfel is an absolutely magnificent Sachs, but is unconvincing as Wotan, IMO. He just doesn't have the same vocal power and sense of authority as the other great Wotans. I agree that Hotter in his heyday is arguably the best Wotan to date - this is a splendid example of him near his peak: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JR4_9-4cW_o.html. For me, Tomlinson comes a close second and is by far the best Wotan in the modern era. His voice was tailor made for this role and his acting ability was second to none. It's a pity that his voice is no longer up to it.
Despite the warmth and firmness of his midrange, Schorr didn't have a reliable upper extension, not even in his early years. There are a number of recorded Farewells from him, and in NONE of them does he sound well on the top E and F in this closing passage.
IDK. This passage isn't that discriminating; the soft passage (where Wotan says he will no longer see Brunnhilde's eyes, etc) is more revealing. I think most of these singers do a fine job. The one that stood out for me was Tomlinson; Hans Hotter stood out only because I recognize his voice. Albert Dohmen's voice is too small; Morris and Schorr seem to struggle.
Lots of fine Wotans but I think Jerry HInes was potentially the finest. He gave up doing the role early on because he felt it was a little high and was a little too taxing for the long haul. Where is Ferdinand Frantz? Hans Sotin?
If you listened to all these and picked anyone other than Hines, understand that your ear for vocalism is under developed. Edit: or you’re a groupie for a particular singer and were listening with your heart.
Hotter and Hines are the two best by far. A powerful case can be made for putting either first. Hotter had the advantage of having the more suitable voice for the assignment, being (at that time) a Heldenbariton while Hines was an out-and-out bass. Schorr was badly off form musically and vocally. None of the others came near the level of Hotter and Hines. There were egregious absences from this lineup, which should have included Bockelmann, Tibbett, De Angelis (even if in Italian), London, Kipnis, Nissen, Weber, and Siepi.
Hotter sounds quite good. He gets into the phrase so emotionally he loses a bit of focus in the voice, but recovers. Nimsgern ... hmmm ... Pat ... can I buy a vowel please?
Why have you used this recording of James Morris when then are many fabulous recordings of him singing the Abschied?? I've heard James Morris sing Wotan many times and he is, by far, the best Wotan of our time. This doesn't show the beauty of his voice at all. How about making a change?! And how about picking a better recording for Schorr? If we're comparing, make it fair.
