Kirsten Flagstad "Immolation Scene" Götterdämmerung Scala 1950

[@roythomas5837]

By very good fortune, I served as a student auxiliary usher at the San Francisco Opera in 1949 and 1950. I saw Kirsten Flagstad perform in both Tristan Und Isolde, and Die Walkure. Five years later I attended a Sunday evening radio concert called, "The Standard Hour," at the SF Opera House. Mme. Flagstad was the guest artist, and sang the, "Immolation Scene." She was about 60 years old at the time, but it made NO difference. I am still in awe at just remembering. Her voice, even when at a whispering softness, could be heard clearly in every inch of the house. She filled the air with an indescribable flood of gorgeous sounds that I don't believe will ever be reached, or even challenged by anyone else, (and I have been listening for 60 years since that magic night.) There will never be another like her.

[@murrayaronson3753]

+Roy Thomas You are a lucky man to have heard Kirsten Flagstad as both Isolde and Brunnhilde plus the Immolation Scene. Wow!

[@thomasnawn5086]

+Murray Aronson flagstad is co wonderful I sm now 77 heard nilsson at the met in new York the audience went wild ovation after ovation we who love opera are very fortunate to sppreciate the greats of the opera world my personal thanks to all who post recordings on you tube, I recently discovered the standard program from the 1950 the human singing voice golly it warms my heart thanks to the sheer wonder of the internet we live in the greatest country in thw world thank you steve jobs tim cook I love you so much I am in your eternal thanks

[@roythomas5837]

I like Nilsson better than any other power hitter since Flagstad...Her Turandot with Bjoerling is heroic...

[@MrSkylark1]

YES, THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER LIKE FLAGSTAD BECAUSE NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO SING TODAY AS NOTED BY THE ROSA PONSELLE FOUNDATION WHICH HAS CLOSED ITS COMPETITION.

[@albanosimini4169]

Roy Thomas

[@trudykretschmer9694]

Greatest singer ever recorded. I feel her voice inside of my own body when I listen to her. Her voice is like a life force all it's own. Amazing! Stunning! Gorgeous, beyond compare!

[@Disneylover2023]

That is a really nice thing to say about her she is amazing I like her voice she would be very appreciated of your comment and everyone elses

[@randysills4418]

christin smith I agree! Nilsson had bad pitch problems later in her career. Kirsten's pitch never seemed to falter. Unfortunately, I have perfect pitch, and it is a curse usually! It was good for college music theory classes though, although I was not popular with some of the other students...

[@annakimborahpa]

Did you mean listening to her truly was like digesting nutritious Kretschmer wheat germ?

[@SymphonyBrahms]

@@randysills4418 I never noticed that. But then I don't dislike Nilsson. I like Nilsson. I like Flagstad. I like Traubel. I like talent, and I'm not against other artists, even when they aren't my favorite.

[@roideschats8799]

@ Trudy Kretschmer : oui ! c'est la même chose pour moi !

[@joaopauloribas8495]

This is the voice of an era! She sings Wagner as belcanto , with unbelievable authority ,ease and atemporal style. If they lived in the same period I’m sure Wagner himself would be honoured to have Flagstad in most of his premieres. She was never surpassed nor equalled. She reigns supreme since her debut at the Met back in 1935. She’s my favourite singer, I collect almost all her recordings and I’m planning a trip to Norway to visit her museum in Hamar , her birthplace

[@SuperMiguelito2000]

@ João Paulo Ribas, why not ALL of her recordings?

[@joaopauloribas8495]

@@SuperMiguelito2000 I just couldn't find all of them yet lol

[@elsalohengrin7777]

Belcanto??? She is singing absolutely the opposite! PURE Wagner! And to my knowdledge I never heard that she sang Puccini and Verdi etc at all, why she should than have per se a Belcanto voice!

[@n.n.5293]

@@elsalohengrin7777 She did sing Tosca, Mimi and other lighter roles at the beginning of her carrier. She stated that she thinks that is a necessary prerequisit to singing wagner as one needs to build up the voice for Wagner. The clip where she explains it is on youtube.

[@haraldkjl1452]

You are welcome! Friendly greetings grom Harald, Oslo in Norway

[@jamesforrest5318]

With no disrespect whatever to others in this music . . . Traubel, Varnay, Moedl and Nilsson in particular who have enriched my life and listening experience . . . whenever I come back to this performance, I am simply overwhelmed. At 80 years of age, I've been listening to it for a long time. The impact is as great as the first time I heard it. James Forrest

[@jamesforrest5318]

. . . and of course Frida Leider as well as her later successors . . . James Forrest

[@georgepbucklin189]

Yes the wonder of the 20th century no wonder she was considered the voice of the century..and also saved the Met during the thirties!

[@matthewbrown17]

She is so confident and has such command and presence over this mammoth orchestra and this piece that she makes the listener feel like they could sing this themselves. The challenge seems like child's play coming out of her. That's the hallmark of total ability and insane talent.

[@giambattistaarameoarmell7822]

The dramatic wagnerian fach into its fullest splendour , with the most absorbing and formidable music in the hands of this two geniousses of singing and conducting it is truly a goodlike musical experience, impecable,sublime and mesmering ,without words

[@sueayers7065]

Pure bliss to listen to Flagstad sing. Perfection in every way.

[@Serhii_Uk]

It is the pinnacle of performing arts. I'm impressed. Listened to this performance many times and never paid much attention because of the poor quality. In this capacity, the recording sounded all the colors. Reference, unattainable fulfillment of the great Flagstad and Furtwangler. Thank you very much WeicheWotanWeiche for the incredible pleasure!

[@em468]

Con unos buenos audífonos mejora la calidad

[@hostlangr]

*EQ-Regelung* hat *nichts* direkt mit Restauration zu tun. Sie wirkt eher wie eine 'Hörbrille' und kann bei sehr alten Aufnahmen fast stets zu einem klareren Ergebnis der *Wiedergabe* führen - so mAn. eindrucksvoll auch hier! Es ist *NICHT LEICHT,* mit einem EQ merkliche Besserung der gesamten Klangqualität sehr alter Aufnahmen zu finden. Dazu gibt's kein Preset! Die meinerseits angegebene Einstellung hat hunderte Stunden kleiner Schritte der Verfeinerung erfordert (mit Abgleich vieler alter Aufnahmen von ECaruso, Orgel, Violine, Klavier usw. - mit WFurtwängler, ATatum, KRichter, ACortot, etc. etc.), um alle 'Tests' zu bestehen. Insofern ist nur eine *GENAUE* ! Befolgung wirklich wertvoll: Dabei sein 'in 1. Reihe'.

[@FriedrichZettl]

Moved to tears whenever I hear this. Definitely an historic highlight.

[@jeighlynn2667]

Just as Glorious an ending as can be or can ever be for that matter.

[@stefankorrinz]

thank you for this treasure

[@leonardogiacobbe5422]

FURTWANGLER MITICO!! UNICO E SOLITARIO ARTISTA CHE RIESCE A SVELARCI TUTTA LA MAGNIFICENZA DI QUESTA MUSICA SUBLIME.

[@robertoconti6969]

Voce grandiosa, ricca di colori e di una potenza unica.

[@arturoonzari5402]

che peccato che gli acuti non girano

[@randysills4418]

I was too harsh with my comments about advertisements below. I know they are necessary. It is a pleasure to hear this great scene in better sound than I ever heard before!

[@haydenwayne3710]

Total voice!! Remarkable talent!!

[@Johnny1206]

Flagstad is not a dramatic or lyric.soprano. She's just unique , the most glorious and never surpassed singer in the History of Music

[@sueayers7065]

One of a kind; a voice for the ages.

[@eduardomila2614]

Exacto

[@MrSkylark1]

Flagstad was a Dramatic Soprano who began with Lyric Roles.It is still the Greatest Wagnerian Soprano.

[@floramalerba4959]

This link doesn't work. Can you repost it?

[@ShoyuTao]

Sublime yet powerful and stirring!

[@Alpha6.31]

To me, the voice of the 20th century.

[@saintrhg]

Flagstad: Not a Lyric soprano. Maybe the best Dramatic Soprano of all time.

[@terryhammond1253]

OMG! Is there anything greater in all of musical dramatic art than this?

[@johapadula]

Thank you so much for sharing this marvelous recording

[@petrof4056]

This is so sublime...

[@randysills4418]

Roy Thomas: I wish I was 20 years older. You were so fortunate to have heard Flagstad live!

[@MartyMusic777]

Can you imagine how collosal her voice was? The orchestra of over 80 players is going full-tilt at the end, and she just defiantly sings above and louder than them. It's like Nilsson, only where Nilsson's best notes were at the top, Flagstad's sit in the middle.

[@randysills4418]

Flagstad has a warmth that Nilsson never had...

[@elsalohengrin7777]

​@@randysills4418Right! I addition to over beyond voice. Nilson sang perfectly, but I call it kind of cold

[@wolfyohare568]

An actress I knew in the 1970s told me that she'd heard Flagstad sing when she was a young woman - she said that she'd never been so transfixed in her life - Flagstad's voice live was like listening to 'molten gold'.

[@paulwhiteoak2209]

Beautiful.

[@FranciscoFerrerGaliana1930]

Kirsten Flagstad. Una Brunnhilde magnifica

[@francescaemc2]

E come!

[@Rien8888]

Oh so greatfull, one enorm explosion of expressions

[@arturolpc3593]

Wunder bar ! Kirsten y Furtwängler" !!!

[@june-hilde2667]

Amazing. True, thoughtful, takes me there. And all this,beauty at the end of singing 3 operas. I always feel bittersweet about this aria. I look forward to it, but then it is over. The experience has transformed me. And I am always surprised when I begin breathing again, and realise I have been holding my breath for four days. The magic of Wagner is leitmotifs that let us know there will be another Ring. Soon. I am always tempted to shout “ENCORE “!!!!!

[@BritinIsrael]

Flagstad and Nilsson could drown any orchestra ! Great voices that make your hair stand on end.

[@WelshHomo87]

So could Joan Sutherland

[@Immenreiner]

So could Hildegard Behrens

[@stevenault2839]

I heard both Nilsson and Behrens in live performances at the Met in Wagner roles. There really is no comparison. Nilsson was vastly superior, and no one since her comes close.

[@Gillie2tat]

Absolutely terrific. When I was a child my father used to play me his records of Flagstadt singing Brunnhilde, particularly her waking up after the long sleep. I always remembered it and it's wonderful to hear her sing again.

[@Zva26]

You refer to her name as "Flagstadt", as in German. Flagstad loathed people addressing her as Mme. Flagstadt, as though she were German. She would get very curt with them and tell them that she was Norwegian, and that her name was FlagSTAD. She once admonished a reporter after he made this error.

[@randysills4418]

*Flagstad

[@Alan-co1hu]

Absolutely glorious I am now transported to another place !

[@nickwright6034]

Magnificent - as always.

[@MartyMusic777]

14:50 onwards just gives me life... Seriously, though I have a bias for Hildegard Behrens (as hers was the first recording of the Ring that I ever experienced), dear GOD Flagstad knocks it out of the park and somewhere into the orbit of Jupiter (possibly further). The second she strives above the staff, she just drowns out the full 80-piece orchestra. It's legitimately terrifying, but more than that, her voice isn't sharp and cold the same way that Nilsson's was at full volume (in the best sense), it's just such a warm, beautiful sound from top to bottom...I have no words.

[@randysills4418]

MartyHasNoLife I can understand your attachment for Berens because it was your first time with this amazing music, HOWEVER, Berens did not have a big enough voice for this music. I watched her broadcast of "The Ring" and she was fine in the softer orchestral passages, but when the orchestra was playing full out there simply not enough voice. You are correct: Flagstad hit this out to Jupiter or most likely beyond, Behrens barely made it to Mars....

[@randysills4418]

MartyHasNoLife Sorry! I typed Behrens' name correctly, but auto-correct took over. I hate that feature: I know how to spell!

[@theonewhoknocks6353]

​@randysills4418 I liked Behrens and also liked that she couldn't go over the orchestra sometimes (which she did one specific example is the scene in the Prologue with Siegfried). I find Brunnhilde to be one of those characters like Kundry that tend to scream rather than sing so it's nice to have a Brunnhilde that allows the music to be heard but also has a beautiful voice. That's what I like about Behrens' version which is my favourite along with her Elektra and Salome.

[@randysills4418]

​@theonewhoknocks6353 Well Behrens couldn't get over the orchestra in places because her voice was too small. What good is a singer who can't be heard? Sorry...

[@perfectblue8443]

We just witnessed a miracle

[@terryhammond1253]

Glorious. I have heard Nilsson live many times but Flagstadt Was a generation removed from mine.

[@randysills4418]

*Flagstad (a Norwegian name) not Flagstadt as in German...

[@stevenault2839]

Same here. For that reason it is rather difficult to pass judgement when comparing a live performance vs a recording. There must have been some who attended performances of both Flagstad and Nilsson. I'd like to hear what they had to say. However, it should be noted that since Nilsson's departure, no one has come close to approaching her level.

[@operaman2078]

The greatest Wagnerian Soprano of all time. No one was her equal. Not even Nilsson. Flagstad legato is legendary.

[@celloguy]

Especially not Nilsson!

[@angryjalapeno]

Have you heard either of these singers live? For sure Flagstad sounds warmer in recordings; but also they say Nilsson sounds much fuller and warmer in person than in recordings.

[@SymphonyBrahms]

Nilsson is the greatest Wagnerian soprano of all time. Traubel is next. Flagstad is third behind them.

[@stanleyworkman5982]

@@SymphonyBrahms Very wrong! Flagstad is the ultimate vocally!

[@randysills4418]

Sy.phonyBrahms: Nilsson didn't have the gorgeous full enveloping tone that Flagstad had. Also, Nilsson's intonation suffered as she got older. Believe me, I was there! Nilsson may have had more "temperment" in her performance but the phrasing of Flagstad and the smooth delivery of Flagstad far surpass Nilsson. Compare the phrasing of their Gooterdamerungs. As for Traubel, almost immediately she had trouble with high Bs, Cs, and even B Flats. Flagstad may not have had good Cs after the first few years at the Met, but she kept her high Bs into her 59th year...

[@carmenramonlluc]

Impresionante. Y siempre me admira su "Weiss ich nun, was dir frommt? Alles, Alles..." hasta el irrepetible "Ruhe, ruhe, du Gott!" No he escuchado a ninguna que interprete este fragmento con tanta perfección e intensidad. Gracias por compartir.

[@Zva26]

Again - FLAGSTAD was NO LYRIC SOPRANO. One needs to ignore her recordings of the 1930's because the sound technology of that time couldn't accommodate the sheer size of the Godzilla voice in her throat. The splendid truth becomes evident on her recordings made AFTER WORLD WAR II. Recording techniques had improved and Flagstad's voice was allowed to flower and bloom in all it's glory uncompromised by the primitive techniques of the 1930's. She was indeed fortunate that she maintained her voice to the very end of her life in 1962. Had she not died at age 67, she would probably have continued singing for another five years. She took her voice with her when she left this earth.

[@Zva26]

+metropolitan1966 -Flagstad was born with a voice that was never equaled BEFORE her birth or since her death in 1962. It's very interesting and very unusual that Birgit Nilsson, the other great Wagnerian soprano of the century, was just starting to begin her career as Flagstad was ending hers. We will not hear their like again.

[@Alexmeister25]

Dramatic sopran :-)

[@colleenwelch2330]

I think we will get back to the basics. We need to get rid of the horrible non talent of today that our youth are focusing on like the pop industry and get back to what made this genre tick.

[@thomasgrass6357]

Halt doch die Klappe du Wichtigtuer....

[@leonardhall6674]

What power in her voice! You should view her Ho Jo To Ho! from Valkyrie from 1938.....it is timeless....

pure genius!!!! I am green with envy

[@silvinoperez5956]

No sé qué decir... Simplemente me hace más humano,me rompe el corazón y me hace mejor. Gracias wagner y flasgtad.

[@michelescales2813]

LA Brunnehilde DÉFINITIVE ????..... malgré Nilsson, Behrens, Mödl et autres Varnay.....Quel légato, quel phrasé, quelle ampleur !!!!! Une Brunnehilde comme Wagner a dû en rêver !!!!

[@francescaemc2]

Vous avez raison. Nilsson n'est pas capable .... Flagstad est l'unique pour sa musicalité.

[@randysills4418]

Behrens voice was too small, Nilsson had pitch problems and couldn't sing legato, Varnay's voice was not pleasant (!) and Modl was similar. Kirsten was supreme!!!

[@alexandrkolesnikov9062]

Flagstad’s singing is outstanding. They performed in one happy time: Flagstad, young Callas and Tebaldi, Carteri and many others!

[@1z1zz1z1zz]

A sublime human experience ... ...

[@SymphonyBrahms]

The Golden Age of Wagnerian Opera. During that time we had Flagstad, Traubel, Modl, Varnay, and Nilsson. And Melchior. And Furtwangler. Giants. Today we have pygmies.

[@leonardogiacobbe5422]

VOCE GLORIOSA E INCORRUTTIBILE!!

[@GazmendCeno]

Flagstad singing... my dream!

[@alexander9093]

bellissima edizione

[@opusnigrum1229]

I love her feeling

[@MarcelloPoleggi]

nonostante gli anni della incisione la voce è incompaabilmente splendida. Grande ! grazie

[@jackfrymire4566]

What amazes me most is the absence of "register breaks," or ledges, in the voice. Farrell also had that unbroken line, but whacked the high notes. --Jack Frymire

[@jackfrymire4566]

Come to think of it, so did Nillson. Jack Frymire (not whacked--unbroken)

[@randysills4418]

When I first heard this performance, it was from a bad transfer off of 78 RPM records! Still, the great singing of Flagstad The Great came through. It is amazing that modern technology has improved this live performance astronomically! Kirsten Flagstad had perfect pitch and an incredibly even voice from top to bottom, and it shows here even at the age of 55! There will nobody as great for Brunhilde, Isolde, Sieglinde, Senta, Kundry, or Elsa again, ever!

[@francescaemc2]

Grazie!!!!!!!

[@em468]

Extraordinaria interpretación 👍👌 😭🙏

[@MrArkadin]

Toujours aussi époustouflante cette chère Kirsten !

[@leonardogiacobbe5422]

DIVINA!!!!!

[@Alan-co1hu]

simply stunning it is so subliminal

[@stanislawbragiel2359]

This is taken from the live La Scala. Now available in amazing sound from Pristine Classical. Flagstad said the most important thing I've have heard - Wagner comes to you. You do not go to Wagner. Nuff said.

[@SVen-fh2dh]

This is definitely from La Scala. But I wonder which version? This is not Pristine, on Pristine I can't here Flagstaff's voice as good as here. A clue which one this is?

[@stanislawbragiel2359]

Maybe it's the Archipel Desert Island Version which, when I listened to again sounds actually better but then again I am a Flagstad maniac and to me she has the right gravitas for this role.

[@walterbenjamin1386]

@@SVen-fh2dh could it be from Richard Caniell’s Dream Ring? I think it was released on Guild but is probably available from Immortal Performances. His work is excellent, meticulous and creative.

[@yanyu3055]

es gibt mir immer noch Gänsehaut

[@herrbrucvald6376]

I wish they would bring back a Ring with shiny breast plates and armor, forest light and real pine trees on stage. (hate most modern productions.....)

[@SymphonyBrahms]

The Boulez production was bad. (Updating the time frame to the industrial era). The Barenboim production was worse. (People in evening wear sipping cocktails and watching Brunnhilde's Immolation on tv sets). The recent Met production was the very worst. (The wooden 'Machine' creaking and groaning as the singers perched themselves on it and tried to keep from falling off. Appalling). But I will mention one outstanding good production. The best production that I have seen is the 1992 Met traditional setting. Beautiful. I hope that we can return to that sort of production.

[@MrSkylark1]

There are NO SINGERS who can come up to this standard, unfortunately. The Art of Singing has been lost.

[@roythomas5837]

I have wondered in this growing era of evermore spectacular movie magic due to computer generated/enhanced special effects, why they have never put Wagner on film. (I guess it's probably too expensive for a limited market.)

[@jgesselberty]

No one would change a word of the text. No one would change a note of the music. Yet, Wagner had an assistant make volumes of notes on how the work was to be staged, and the modernists ignore them. I think that in pushing their political, social justice messages, many productions fail to acknowledge the binding force of the entire Ring. That of nature. The entire work is filled with nature. And, yet, we reduce the beauty of the flickering flames of the Magic Fire, to laser beams and neon lights. Tragic.

[@timothykeenan3743]

But Wagner was provocatively asking for the impossible. Just read his stage directions. What he asked for could not, nor cannot ever be staged. He is implicitly asking designers and stage directors to respond imaginatively. He certainly didn't fix it as fake breast plates, fake real trees, etc. All that stuff does is emphatically demonstrate what it is not. The Appia-inspired (lighting and space) productions of Wieland Wagner in the 50s and 60s by contrast let the imagination run free.

[@Rien8888]

the combination Furtwängler Flagstad = great

[@randysills4418]

She thought so too! Furtwangler was her favorite conductor for Wagner...

[@Rien8888]

@@randysills4418 Thank you Randy, the combination Flagstad Furtwängler was so very good!!!

[@raphaelfournier8273]

Sublime, cosmique.

[@clivepapayanis3121]

One of the most beautiful expressive voices recorded. There is no better... for what she chose to sing. Don't think she would have made the best Rosina... but you never know do you?

[@Zva26]

You obviously have no knowledge of opera or voice. Rosina is a light and very florid role. Putting Flagstad in that kind of role would be like letting a bull run amok in a china shop. Flagstad's voice was much too big and gigantic for such a role as Rosina. HER composer was Wagner!

[@gerardcohen7780]

​@@Zva26Dans les années 20, elle chantait pourtant Offenbach !

[@vanmusician]

OMG - I've heard dozens of Immolation Scenes, but never one that worked up to such a frenzy. It's hair-raising!. But what happened to Hagen's 'Zurük vom Ring!' at the end? Did some scenery fall on him???

[@randysills4418]

This gives me chills! I am pretty old now, but I wish I were fifteen years older so I could have heard Flagstad!

[@susannevollmer2347]

Flagstad und Furtwängler! 💯💥💔💔❤‍🔥

[@hostlangr]

Meine *EMPFEHLUNG* der EQUALIZER *- Anpassung* *'Caruso'* Einstellung (classical modified) -11,2 dB (60Hz) -13,0 dB (230Hz) -14,8 dB (910Hz) -15,0 dB (4kHz) +15,0 dB (14kHz) Der Eintrag wurde ergänzt, weil es sehr unterschiedliche EQ gibt. Profis wissen das. Er bezieht sich hier allgemein auf eine *'Bass Booster App'* 🎧 ohne das Zuschalten des BASS BOOST. Die meisten gehen ja heute mit *Bluetooth* an ihrem Endgerät/Handy richtig um (Advanced settings der App überprüfen, den BBoost selbst vorsichtig verwenden, falls man ihn nutzt). 'Compatibility Mode' und 'Sound Field *FLAT'* der Anlage. Beeindruckende Brillanz!

[@hostlangr]

Es ist *NICHT LEICHT,* mit einem EQ merkliche Besserung der gesamten Klangqualität sehr alter Aufnahmen zu finden. Dazu gibt's kein Preset! Die meinerseits angegebene Einstellung hat hunderte Stunden kleiner Schritte der Verfeinerung erfordert (mit Abgleich vieler alter Aufnahmen von ECaruso, Orgel, Violine, Klavier usw. - mit WFurtwängler, ATatum, KRichter, ACortot, etc. etc.), um alle 'Tests' zu bestehen. Insofern ist nur eine *GENAUE* ! Befolgung wirklich wertvoll: Dabei sein 'in 1. Reihe'.

[@francescaemc2]

grazie infinite!!!!!!!!

[@diogenesmenotti2169]

¡Que me perdone la Gran Birgit Nilsson pero, en mi modesta opinion, Kirsten Flagstad es la más extraordinaria cantante Wagneriana de la historia!

[@gomongio]

A Mme Nilsson nunca pude entenderle una sola palabra, sobre todo en los agudos. Su dicción, a mis oídos, le resta muchos puntos.

[@arturoonzari5402]

Flagstad una voz maravillosa, pero que lastima que sus agudos no giran, ni de joven tampoco

[@Felipe.Taboada.]

Es verdad, Flagstad tuvo problemas con los agudos. Ya tenía dificultad en los agudos en el famoso hohotoho del "the broadcast of 1938".

[@Patriotman54]

I like her dress the best. I think this fits the meaning of Wagner. Her voice reaches into the German spirit. She is like a time machine carry the work in the purest form!

[@Patriotman54]

yes you are right !

[@shirleyrombough8173]

A few years ago I attended this opera with some friends. I'd never seen an opera by Wagner. Programs were given but were worthless. The house darkened. Strains of music began and the curtains opened. Colorful images, transcendent music continued, flowing formlessly. It was too dark to read the program and I don't speak German. It was no use for me to try to follow the plot and there were no intermissions. I just surrendered to what seemed like a psychedelic experience. When the lights came on my party and I just sat for a long time, overwhelmed by what we had seen and heard. Yes, I would go back, even under the same circumstances.

[@stevenault2839]

Wagner's music has been doing that to people for a long time.

[@Jazzdog40]

Mind-boggling.

[@richardfrance2539]

I had the privilege of hearing both Flagstad and Nilsson live (Flagstad in her last Goetterdaemmerung Covent Garden 1951). I thought that we should never hear voices like these again. I now think that perhaps I was wrong. Has Norway produced another - different but equal- we will see?

[@giorta]

Sublime è l'unico termine che mi viene in mente per descrivere questo trinomio Wagner/Crepuscolo - Furtwängler - Flagstad.

[@thomasgrass6357]

Flagstad ist eine der wenigen Wagnersängerinnen, die man hören kann. Die meisten wobbeln sich durch die Opern, dass man seekrank wird und am Ende bleiben Stimm Ruinen übrig.

[@saintrhg]

Without Flagstad and then Nilsson where would we be? Without Wagner, that's where......

[@romearomeo]

Sublime, divina

[@francescaemc2]

Grazie mille!!!!

[@Serhii_Uk]

Продолжаю слушать и упиваться невыносимым совершенством! Восторг на грани оргазма!

[@Tsquare07s]

15:50 This has to be the most unbelievable high Bb that I've have ever heard!

[@culturevulture2011]

Boy! Furtwängler has some fast tempos in this performance. Not what I would have expected from him. But very interesting. I wonder how the strings got along with their parts in these tempos! But then they would have been used to Toscanini I guess.

[@susannevollmer2347]

That is Furtwänglers genius personalty as a conducter,

[@magnusjonsson1316]

Sublime!

[@Zva26]

Will there ever again be voices in Wagner like those of Flagstad or Nilsson???? Doubt it very much!

[@damarius4life705]

Larry Mitchell Mona Somm can!

[@colleenwelch2330]

I think there will be but we need to get back to the basics. Get through this period of excess and narcissism and cell phones.

[@innocenzobarrera1505]

un'esecuzione memorabile!

[@carmeloserafin5101]

Come si fa a paragonare la Flagstad ad Altre interpreti storiche di questo ruolo...lei credo dimostri senza dubbi che la natura l'aveva forgiata di una vocalità lussuosa che però lei sapeva gestire al meglio...con un direttore che era Rimasto in Germania a combattere la sua battaglia artistica.Leggendo vedo ignorate...molte ottime interpreti di questo ruolo. Ascoltate con gioia e riconoscenza...ma poter godere di questa registrazione per merito di Legge...è un vero regalo.Qui siamo nella storia della musica...dove anche l'orchestra scaligera abituata al bel canto...degli autori italiani...viene sfruttata dal Furtwangler in tutte le sfumature....mistico/ religioso in cui Wagner aveva esaltato Sempre le sue Eroine come delle Giovanna d'Arco dove sia il mito degli dei che la fragilità della terra ci dice che il Destino...(das Umgluck ?) abbia abbandonato il Loro coraggio; alla merce delle spinose Parche, indifferenti.Che regalone poter ascoltare questa esecuzione. Chapeau!!

[@francescaemc2]

Grazie.

[@francescaemc2]

grazie!!!!

[@randysills4418]

The last line of this scene is missing. It is sung by a man. Flagstad appeared with Furtwangler again JUST for the Immolation scene in 1951 or 1952. I have a suspicion that this is from that performance. I will go through my recordings soon. I am almost positive that this was that later performance. I will find out...

[@stanislawbragiel2359]

Randy, I have four different pressings of the La Scala and I can't hear Hagen in them BUT on the Archipel version there are some extra scenes from 1952 Rai with Furtwangler and Flagstad and you can actually hear Hagen (sung by Josef Greindel) sing "Zuruck vom Ring"

[@randysills4418]

I can't imagine that the Archipelago from 1952 would be a complete Wagnerian opera that Flagstad would have been in. She stopped singing Wagnerian operas in 1951...her hip was bothering her a lot. Maybe Furtwangler talked her into doing a complete act...hence us hearing Hagen. I need youth to look thru all my recordings, but I will check "The Flagstad Manuscript" to see if it sheds any light on this... Anyway, this performance is SO stunning!!! Thank you for your imputed about Flagstad The Great!

[@randysills4418]

IMPUT...I DESPISE auto-correct!!

[@randysills4418]

She has the most even voice that I have ever heard....maybe that is one reason that it lasted so long...

[@skyboyq]

@@randysills4418 What was the outcome of your search here? The missing Hagen line must surely mean it was a concert version. Unless he was somehow struck dumb by Flagstad, or the mike was pointed only at her?

[@manfriedvonstarhemberg3504]

Possibly the best lyric soprano of all time - I named my daughter Kirsten after her.The last time I saw her life was in the early 50's in Vienna

[@randomperson902]

Manfried von starhemberg She wasn't a lyric soprano. She was a wagnerian soprano.

[@laurentiletinni3698]

Manfried von starhemberg lyric-SPINTO to me.

[@laurentiletinni3698]

randomperson902 I want to agree with you. As soon as I heard the first few bars of music< I placed her between Wagnerian and a commanding spinto soprano.

[@Zva26]

Laurenti Letinni Sorry all you guys: Kirsten Flagstad was a full fledged huge Dramatic Soprano. Lyric sopranos do NOT sing Brunnhilde and Isolde. Flagstad's voice was HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Zva26]

***** Of course you are correct. The Flagstad voice could not be captured adequately during the 1930's, but by 1948 through 1952, you can hear the splendid truth. My great uncle, now long gone, used to tell me that he heard Flagstad live both before AND after World War II and that she was a vocal ocean of sound. As she matured further and technology improved, the full gleaming splendor of her voice burst forth like a gusher. Even her last stereo recording made for Decca in the late 1950's demonstrate that the huge sound endured, albeit with a diminished top B and a nonexistent top C. Her sound was immense and umangous.

[@AB-rb2hk]

Unica. Il suo registro acuto è celeberrimo. Ma è il registro centrale e grave che trovo impressionante, tanto più in quanto unito a quegli acuti puri, marmorei, eroici. Dobbiamo dire grazie in eterno a Kirsten Flagstad, e a quella generazione di cantanti.

[@ulrichschmidt5559]

The audience drowns the last 30 seconds of the music... What a shame, the very soft and gentle ending of this great drama is completely spoiled... :-(

[@jefolson6989]

The ending of the world and rebirth of life shouldnt be quiet! One of the greatest moments in music

[@francescaemc2]

Grazie di nuovo

[@randysills4418]

Did anyone hear the attempt of the soprano at the metropolitan opera sing this last Saturday on the afternoon broadcast? Flagstad must be rolling over in her grave!

[@francescaemc2]

grazie ancora

[@FranciscoFerrerGaliana1930]

RECORDANDO ESTE PRODIGIO DE VOZ

[@bettinaalmasan8468]

Where is Hagen's line, "Zuruck von Ring !" ?

[@roythomas5837]

EVERYTHING she recorded over 40+ years was superlative. It is so fortunate that a few of her later year recordings with vastly improved technology are available. (even a little Bach at age 62.) kzbin.info/www/bejne/faSZfKmajN-cnbs

[@ЕвгенияМалышева-г7в]

Это божественно!!!!

[@masayanpetibon]

フラグスタート、素晴らしい！！！　Bravvissimaaaaa!!!!!

[@arbiterveritatis1063]

Res ipsa loquitur. All things taken into consideration, the greatest Brunhilde of all time. (Not to mention, Isolde!) Nilsson and Varnay had superior "parts", but Flagstad the integrated "whole", perfection.

[@leofcpm]

Arbiter Veritatis Her voice is just superior, plain simple.

[@juanardatorrente9431]

Utique domine

[@MrBulky992]

I wonder why Gutrune's lines are sung but Hagen's "Zuruck vom Ring!" is not?