Re-pitched DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG Jones, Adam, Kmentt, Hemsley - Böhm - Bayreuth 25VII68

[@garfreed]

This is *so* magnificent. Waldemar Kmentt is incredible!!!

[@hcleskov-fischer6033]

Yes, my absolute favourite Stolzing. I'm so glad I've still seen him countess times, but sadly only in comprimario roles (and Eisenstein).

[@ValzainLumivix]

One of the best Die Meistersingers von Nuremberg performances!

[@ColonelFredPuntridge]

Yes, I'm listening to it now. Böhm is doing really well. The orchestra is unusually crisp and clear, especially the brass and percussion (listening to Act 3, with Beckmesser in Sach's study finding the Prize Song script - but generally, the orchestra in this performance is exceptionally fine.) And Kmennt is surprisingly strong in this very demanding role. The lesser masters are fine in ensemble, and Kurt Moll is a treat. In fact, the only flaw is Theo Adam.

[@ValzainLumivix]

Yes, that's the only reservation I have regarding this performance - if only Ridderbusch and Adam switched roles.

[@davidhansel4198]

Thank you for all your work! Prelude: 0:00 Act 1: 8:58 Act 2: 1:18:01 Act 3, s.1: 2:16:42 Act 3, s. 2: 3:32:00

[@tabarro1877]

Thank you!!!

[@ER1CwC]

This is a great performance all around. Bohm's conducting is extremely exciting as usual. Theo Adam is a little light for my tastes for Hans Sachs, but he delivers a sensitive performance. Kmett isn't the most subtle singer, and I guess his voice isn't for everyone. But I find him solid and exciting. The star, however, is Gwyneth Jones. She's spectacular here. I think this performance goes to show that the heaviest Wagner roles were probably too heavy for her. Her voice here is a perfect for a generously sung Eva.

[@garfreed]

Gwyneth Jones is unearthly in this performance.

[@ValzainLumivix]

2:06:46 Beckmesser's serenade

[@ValzainLumivix]

3:32:00 Festival music

[@lohsemichael6398]

Was für eine Aufführung, was für Sänger, warum klappt das heutzutage in Bayreuth, noch nicht einmal mehr annähernd so? Weiß jemand ob es diese Aufnahme auf CD gibt?

[@SConn-n1]

Bin ganz bei Ihnen. Warum? Kommt alles zusammen. Alles schnell schnell. Regietheater und kein Musiktheater mehr. Alles nur noch für die Premierenkritik im Feuilleton. Früher waren die Sänger am wichtigsten. Wegen denen sind die Leute ins Theater. Und dann kamen Verantwortliche die das abrasiert haben. Unwiederbringliches ist weg.

[@ianng9915]

@@SConn-n1 it's just that now, Bayreuth, or Wagner, is taken for granted, no longer putting the effort the create a good performance and production, rather merely a gathering for the Bayreuth goers to boo at the performance. And this is a very tragic trend

[@tobiaspeter6555]

Waldemar Kmentt is an absolutely first class Stolzing, but Jones has a problem with her wobble even back then.

[@petatap3737]

Are you sure the pitch of the festival orchestra was 447 Hz ?

[@hcleskov-fischer6033]

yes, absolutely sure. From 1960 (possibly 1958) until 1975. Why do you ask?

[@petatap3737]

@@hcleskov-fischer6033 because tuning changes with the years :)

[@hcleskov-fischer6033]

@@petatap3737 yes you are right. During the war it was 443, Neu-Bayreuth started with 444,until 1960 it rose to 447 where it stayed until 1975. 1976 445, from 1978 444 and nowadays it's 443.

[@sonettoclassics]

@@hcleskov-fischer6033 I am curious. Could you kindly tell us the source for those numbers?

[@maulwurfchenfischerartists]

@@sonettoclassics i tried to post this twice, but it didn't work, so im using my business account this time: yes, there are several ways of analyzing concert pitch of analogue recordings, and when they give the same result one can be quite confident. The most "elegant" way is identifying the mains background hum - or another one of which you know the frequency with certainty. The mains hum is at 50 Herz in Europe, 60 Herz in the US due to the different voltage. If you find this hum, the one that was actually captured by the microphones at tbe time of the performance, (a big "if", since you can often find several hums around 50 herz, sometimes overlapping, resulting from dubbing processes at a later time), then you only have to pitch this hum to 50 Herz precisely (not 49.9,not 50.1) and you have the original pitch /speed and can measure the concert pitch. This process is not 100 percent error poof, so you have to look a serveral recordings to rule out an error. An altogether different and easier way: video recordings were almost (!) always absolutely pitch reliable since the 1950ies. I'm not sure why, possibly because constant speed was essential owing to the frame rate. So, if you find video material of a certain orchestra in a certain year you just have to measure the pitch. If the results match your calculations based on the mains hum, this is a nice double verification. I've made very careful and numerous tests of many Bayreuth seasons and I'm rather confident that those findings are correct. Also they follow the general pattern: concert pitch rising after the war, reaching the highest frequency during the 60ies and early seventies, followed by a gradual lowering from the 70ies onwards. That is the pattern countless orchestras have been following.

[@illyaismaili6413]

I don't like Adam's sachs. I wish he and Ridderbusch would've swapped their roles 😂

[@a.f.4248]

Gwyneth Jones dans Eva !!! Pourquoi pas dans Olympia, tant qu’on y est ! 😂🤪🤣😜