It seems a curious idea to offer a CD centring on selections from Gotterdammerung where Brunnhilde is consigned to the flames in the first 22 minutes; then Siegfried's funeral is celebrated before he sets off on his Rhine journey. But of course, on CD one can select one's own order and begin with the Tannhauser excerpts which are generally the most successful of the items offered here: the performance has zest and is well played. Anne Evans is a most impressive Bronnhilde. Her voice is beautiful and her sense of Wagnerian line is secure. She is not altogether helped by her conductor whose control of the ebb and flow of tension in the Immolation scene suggests insufficient theatrical experience and although he makes a good climax, on the way—in spite of an excellent response from the Philharmonia—his grip is not always sure. He conveys undoubted sympathy for this repertoire, and in the Rhine journey he creates a strong forward momentum and the result is undoubtedly exciting; in the Funeral sequence he is less convincing.
The orchestra are set well back within a resonant acoustic. But the use of St Barnabas Church Mitcham, while producing some spectacular cymbal-capped climaxes, means that the sound focus spreads and the big fortissimos do not have the sharper clarity of the theatre. The brass, however, is rich and full. The documentation is inadequate. A translation and text is only available with the LP—Cassette and CD purchasers are asked to write to the manufacturer'