The 1953 Rome Radio recording of Das Ring der Nibelungen from which this Die Walküre is taken was not Wilhelm Furtwängler's first recorded Ring cycle. Parts of the great German conductor's 1937 London Ring were recorded and issued later as pirates, and all of his 1950 La Scala Ring was recorded and likewise later released as pirates. This Rome Ring, too, was recorded, and though it was later broadcast on the radio, it was only much later released on LP by EMI in 1972. Part of the delay was caused by Decca's refusal to ...
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The 1953 Rome Radio recording of Das Ring der Nibelungen from which this Die Walküre is taken was not Wilhelm Furtwängler's first recorded Ring cycle. Parts of the great German conductor's 1937 London Ring were recorded and issued later as pirates, and all of his 1950 La Scala Ring was recorded and likewise later released as pirates. This Rome Ring, too, was recorded, and though it was later broadcast on the radio, it was only much later released on LP by EMI in 1972. Part of the delay was caused by Decca's refusal to surrender the rights to several of its singers who appeared in the cycle, and part of the delay was caused by EMI's belief that in comparison to the sonic splendors of the Solti/Decca and Karajan/DG Ring recordings, its aging monaural recording would seem old and dowdy.It was wrong. Despite antique sound and a minimal advertising budget, Furtwängler's Rome Ring sold very well in its time -- and it continues to sell well on CD since EMI released it in 1991. It's easy to understand why. For...
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