Richard Wagner: Die Walkure: Opera: Score

Of the four episodes of the 'Ring Cycle' 'Die Walkure' is most often performed separately and may be Wagner's best-loved work. The source of this affection is certainly the sensitive depictions of Siegmund and Sieglinde's loveand the father-daughter relationship of Wotan and Brünnhilde.Siegmund stumbles into an unfamiliar house Sieglinde's for shelter and the two fall for each other quickly. However Sieglinde's husband (from a forcedmarriage) Hunding is a kinsman of Siegmund's foes and challenges Siegmund to a duel. Sieglinde gives Hunding a sleeping potion and the two realise they are brother and sister. Siegmund claims Sieglinde as his bride. Watching Wotan and Fricka tell Brünnhilde that she must defend Hunding's marriage rights. Brünnhilde sets out to observe the lovers. When Sieglinde falls asleep Brünnhilde berates Siegmund but when he argues she decides to help him.Hunding and Siegmund battle when Siegmund is about to win however Wotan appears and shatters his sword; he is killed. Brünnhilde escapes with Sieglinde and the broken sword. Wotan fells Hunding with a wave of his handand leaves to punish Brünnhilde. Sieglinde realises she bears Siegmund's child so takes the pieces of the sword and rushes off into the forest to hide. Brünnhilde herself flees to the Valkyries' Rock to hide but Wotan fins herand sentences her to become a mortal woman: she must lie in sleep to be claimed by any man who finds her but behind a wall of fire that only the bravest hero can pierce. This is the Schirmer edition of the Libretto inthe original German with an nglish translation by Stewart Robb.

In 1857 and 1858 as Richard Wagner had come to the completion of Die Walkure the second installment in his epic opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen he took time out to write a series of lieder for (and based on poems by)Mathilde Wesendonck with whom Wagner was believed to have been at the very least extremely infatuated. Whatever the truth might have been behind their relationship it is known that Wagner had met Mathilde's husband Otto inZurich and his ensuing friendship with the couple led to this beautiful set of lieder.Wagner himself called two of the set's songs (Im Treibhaus and Traume) 'studies' for his magnificent opera Tristan andIsolde and though originally intended for female voice with piano all of these songs were eventually orchestrated either by Wagner (in the case of Traume) or by other composers. When they were first performed in 1862 they weretitled Five Songs for a Female Voice. In the 20th century they also became very popular songs for some of the greatest tenors.Much earlier in 1839 Wagner had composed a three-song cycle called Trois Melodies. The firstpiece entitled Dors mon enfant was a lullaby that Wagner ascribed to an unnamed young poet of his publisher's acquaintance and of which he wrote that his wife had called 'heavenly for sending one to sleep'. He thenset Ronsard's song Mignonne and Victor Hugo's L'attente (from that author's Orientales) to round out the set. Wagner offered L'attente to the reigning diva of the time Pauline Viardot who is said to have flatly refused it.Wagner wrote in his memoirs My Life 'I have no reason to be ashamed of these small pieces.'Listen to brilliant tenor Jon Robert Cart perform these lieder. Then he steps aside and you take center stage with yourvirtuoso accompanist Narciso Solero at the piano.

Capturez la grandeur et la force des meilleurs thèmes d'opéra dans cet ensemble de piano solos spécialement sélectionnés. Des premières oeuvres de concert de Haendel et Purcell, aux productions amusantes et exotiques de Mozart et Rossini, en passant par les innovations spectaculaires et captivantes de Wagner, Tchaikovsky, cet ensemble de mouvements spécialement sélectionnés, a été arrangé avec soin en piano solos. Une collection essentielle pour tout amoureux de l'opéra et une superbe source de répertoire pour piano inhabituel. / Classique / Partition /