Operatic love duets are usually associated with Italian romantic opera, but two of the most ecstatic duets ever composed come from the pen of Richard Wagner; the final scene of Siegfried is certainly one of the longest love duets ever written. The Act 2 duet from Tristan und Isolde as recorded here features a concert ending written by Wagner which extends the duet and rounds off the scene with a closing orchestral passage. Why this authorized version has not been recorded before is a mystery, as it is much more effective ...
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Operatic love duets are usually associated with Italian romantic opera, but two of the most ecstatic duets ever composed come from the pen of Richard Wagner; the final scene of Siegfried is certainly one of the longest love duets ever written. The Act 2 duet from Tristan und Isolde as recorded here features a concert ending written by Wagner which extends the duet and rounds off the scene with a closing orchestral passage. Why this authorized version has not been recorded before is a mystery, as it is much more effective as an excerpt than simply ending the scene as written in the full score. This recording starts at "O sink hernieder, Nacht der Liebe" so we lose the very difficult open pages. Primary interest will be in Plácido Domingo's first recording of scenes from Wagner's most heroic roles. He is certainly the most lyric Siegfried we have had on disc in many years. His German is not flawless but his ability to sing through the long phrases and keep a full rich tone throughout makes this a...
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