Richard Wagner: Siegfried at Music Hills.com

Music CD 1

Act 1: Vorspiel
Act 1: "Zwangvolle Plage! M?h ohne Zweck!"
Act 1: "Hoiho! Hoiho! Hau ein! Hau ein!"
Act 1: "Da hast du die St?cken, sch?ndlicher St?mper"
Act 1: "Als zullendes Kind zog ich dich auf"
Act 1: "Vieles lehrtest du, Mime"
Act 1: "Mein Kind, das lehrt dich kennen"
Act 1: "Wo hast du nun, Mime, dein minniges Weibchen"
Act 1: "Einst lag wimmernd ein Weib"
Act 1: "Und diese St?cken sollst du mir schmieden"
Act 1: "Da st?rmt er hin!"
Act 1: "Heil dir weiser Schmied!"
Act 1: "Hier sitz' ich am Herd, und setze mein Haupt"
Act 1: "Du r?hrtest dich viel auf der Erde R?cken"
Act 1: "Viel, Wanderer, wei?t du mir aus der Erde Nabelnest"
Act 1: "Viel, Wanderer, wei?t du mir von der Erde rauhem R?cken"
Act 1: "Fragen und Haupt hast du gel?st"
Act 1: "Nun, ehrlicher Zwerg, sag mir zum ersten"
Act 1: "Wie doch genau das Geschlecht du mir nennst"
Act 1: "Ha ha ha ha! Der witzigste bist du unter den Weisen"
Act 1: "Dreimal solltest du fragen"
Act 1: "Verfluchtes Licht!"
Act 1: "He da! Du Fauler!"
Act 1: "F?hltest du nie im finstren Wald"
Act 1: "Sonderlich seltsam mu? das sein!"
Act 1: "Feine Finten wei? mir der Faule"
Act 1: "Notung! Notung! Neidliches Schwert!"
Act 1: "Bald schwing' ich dich als mein Schwert!"
Act 1: "Hoho! Hoho! Hahei!"

Music CD 2

Act 2: Vorspiel
Act 2: "In Wald und Nacht"
Act 2: "Wer naht dort schimmernd im Schatten?"
Act 2: "Mit mir nicht, hadre mit Mime"
Act 2: "Fafner! Fafner! Erwache, Wurm!"
Act 2: "Nun, Alberich! Das schlug feh!"
Act 2: "Wir sind zur Stelle!"
Act 2: "Da? der mein Vater nicht ist"
Act 2: "Aber - wie sah meine Mutter wohl aus?"
Act 2: "Meine Mutter - ein Menschenweib!"

Music CD 3

Act 2: "Haha! Da h?tte mein Lied mir was Liebes erblasen!"
Act 2: "Da lieg, neidischer Kerl"
Act 2: "Zur Kunde taugt kein Toter"
Act 2: "Wohin schleichst du eillig und schlau"
Act 2: "Was ihr mir n?tzt, wei? ich nicht"
Act 2: "Willkommen Siegfried!"
Act 2: "Sieh, du bist m?de von harter Last!"
Act 2: "Neides Zoll zahlt Notung"
Act 2: "Hei? ward mir von der harten Last!"
Act 3: Vorspiel
Act 3: "Wache, Wala! Wala! Erwach!"
Act 3: "Stark ruft das Lied"
Act 3: "Mein Schlaf ist Tr?umen"

Music CD 4

Act 3: "Dir Unweisen ruf' ich ins Ohr"
Act 3: "Dort seh' ich Siegfried nahn"
Act 3: "Was lachst du mich aus? Alter Frager!"
Act 3: "Kenntest du mich, k?hner Spro?"
Act 3: "Mit zerfochtner Waffe floh mir der Feige?"
Act 3: "Selige ?de auf sonniger H?h'!"
Act 3: "Das ist kein Mann!"
Act 3: "Heil dir, Sonne!"
Act 3: "O Siegfried! Siegfried! Seliger Held"
Act 3: "Dort seh' ich Grane, mein selig Ro?"
Act 3: "Kein Gott nahte mir je!"
Act 3: "Ewig war ich, ewig bin ich"
Act 3: "Dich lieb' ich: o liebtest mich du!"
Act 3: "Lachend mu? ich dich lieben"

Music reviews of Richard Wagner: Siegfried

Music Review: Buy!
Rating: 4 Stars

The cast is excellent. Tomlinson is in great form as Wotan, even better here than in his recording in Die Walkure. His changing emotions in Act III from desparation to his acceptance, and indeed joy that Siegfried & Brunnhilde will inherit the world, to his grief because the grandchild whom he loves (Siegfried) does not even know who he is, up to his challenge of Siegfried. This was the best performance of Siegfried Act III I have heard on any disk.

Graham Clark gives a wonderful performance of Mime, cunning and evil (not a sympathetic reading at all.) Siegfried Jerusalem portrays his best "Siegfried" character; much better than his previous performances in the live Metropolitan opera video and in his version with Hatink. His Siegfried is more aggressive here than other notable Siegfrieds (such as Windgassen), which takes some getting used to for those who (like me) grew up with the "sensitive hero" interpretation, though Jerusalem is sensitive when the role demands it.

Only Brunnhilde disappoints. Evans just does not have the vocal qualities required for Brunnhilde. The orchestra and Jerusalem drown out her voice during the duet, and she simply does not have the vocal qualities of the great Wagnerian sopranos of the past (such as Nillson), or even the current Brunnhilde, Hildegard Behrens. Her role demands a godlike powerful, yet sweet voice, which Evans does not convey (she lacks the "woman in her power" aspect), and she has an excessive vibrato. However her performance is acceptable, if not brilliant, and does not significantly diminish the performance. Also, her voice improves as she warms up during the long duet.

The only faults of this recording are minor: Jerusalem misses the beat a few times during the forging song; the dragon does not roar when Siegfried awakens it, and later during the fight when Siegfried injures it (as it does under Solti); Siegfried's horn call in Act II is not as pompous as it was in Solti (which I quite liked), and the problems mentioned with Brunnhilde, above. These faults prevent is from the five star rating, but still make it an excellent CD.