Wagner: Tristan und Isolde: Prelude & Liebestod

The Summer Night Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic is an annual open-air event that takes place in the park of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna with the palace as a magnificent backdrop.

Everyone is invited to come to this unique occasion – with free admission.

Each year up to 100,000 people take up the invitation. The concert is also broadcast on TV and radio in more than 60 countries, and thus reaches an audience of millions.

Classical music at the very highest level, but without barriers, accessible to everyone.

In 2013 Lorin Maazel will conduct the Summer Night Concert for the first time.

Swiss tenor Michael Schade joins the orchestra as guest-soloist.

With this year’s program the orchestra celebrates Wagner and Verdi in honor of their anniversaries.

Since 2008 the Vienna Philharmonic has provided an outstanding experience for the people of Vienna and guests to their city with this free concert in the park of Schönbrunn Palace. The palace and its Baroque park, which have UNESCO World Heritage status, are an extraordinary setting for this musical gift.

In the recent years the orchestra has been conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, Valery Gergiev, Franz Welser-Möst, Daniel Barenboim and Georges Prêtre.

Among the previous guest soloists: Yefim Bronfman and Benjamin Schmid.

This year the concert takes place on May 30.

For over five decades, Lorin Maazel has been one of the world’s most esteemed and sought-after conductors.

Released for the Wagner bicentenary in May 2013, the first disc by a British organist entirely devoted to Wagner, and a major contribution to the small discography of Wagner transcriptions for a solo instrument.

Wagner’s major orchestral works, including the Overture to Mastersingers and Ride of the Valkyries, in virtuoso transcriptions for solo organ by Edwin Lemare.

Played by Jonathan Vaughn on the 1911 Harrison and Harrison organ of St Mary Redcliffe in Bristol – regarded as one of the finest high Romantic organs ever built.

Jonathan Vaughn is a former organ scholar of St John’s College, Cambridge, and is most often heard accompanying the world-class choir of Wells Cathedral in his capacity as assistant organist of the Cathedral.

This debut solo recording from Jonathan Vaughn demonstrates his supreme virtuosity in powerfully dramatic repertoire, as well as the immense range of tone colour of the Redcliffe organ, and will capture the imagination of all lovers of Wagner’s music.

As part of the Wagner 200th birth date celebrations, Israeli/German piano duo Yaara Tal & Andreas Groethuysen release "Goetterdaemmerung - Transcriptions for two pianists from Wagner’ most famous operas" on Sony Classical.

Themes of love and passion dominate these orchestral excerpts from Wagner’s music dramas. The legend of Tannhäuser contrasts the sensual allure of Venus with the ideals of courtly love and religious devotion. Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg pits an inspired but rash young singer against the traditions of the old masters in a song competition, with a beautiful girl as the prize. Tristan und Isolde, based on one of the world’s great love stories, is considered Wagner’s most revolutionary work, seamlessly blending themes of love and death into a shattering apotheosis. Gerard Schwarz’s other selections of Wagner excerpts can be found on 8572767 and 8572768.

Birgit Nilsson. Richard Wagner. It was an operatic marriage made in heaven that lasted for over twenty years and, thanks to recordings, continues to thrill music lovers around the world. She sang her first Wagnerian part in Stockholm. It was Senta in Der fliegende Holländer. It was greeted rapturously and throughout her long career it was for her Wagner and Strauss roles that she was most noted. Many of the greatest recordings of music dramas and operas by these composers have featured her, and many appear on Decca. However, she also made two Wagner records for Philips – one with Leif Segerstam in 1974 of extended scenes from Walküre and Parsifal, another, in 1972, with Colin Davis of the Wesendonck-Lieder and extracts from Der fliegende Holländer, Rienzi and the little-known early Wagner opera, Die Feen (The Fairies). Also included are scenes from Tristan und Isolde, one of her great calling cards and of which she made at least two live recordings, one studio recording with Georg Solti, and another of scenes (with Grace Hoffman as Brangäne) with Hans Knappertsbusch.

Nilsson’s voice had the clear, silvery sound that seems to be characteristic of Scandinavian singers. It was rock solid, encompassed over two octaves, and was perfectly even, top to bottom. It was also enormous. Especially in the upper part of the voice it could take on a laser-like quality that simply sliced through the densest orchestral sound and speared listeners to the backs of their seats. That meant the great moments of a Wagnerian opera were truly monumental – a surging orchestra and a soprano who dominated everything, combined into an overwhelming climax as Wagner must have heard in his dreams.

Here is a snapshot of some of those great moments, captured on record, and bringing together three complete LPs – two made for Philips (Segerstam, Davis) and one for Decca (Knappertsbusch).

This historical recording has been remastered from the original tapes and illustrates Stokowski’s advocacy for “New Music.”