Richard Wagner: Die Walküre - An Opera in 3 Acts

"In this version of Wagner's Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), released by the record label Sterling, the Swedish soprano plays Brunilda, the Valkyrie in Germanic mythology. The story of Die Walküre, which is part of the Tetralogy, is based on Norse mythology told in the Völsunga saga and the Poetic Edda. Wagner's sensibility is beyond doubt in the musical presentation of the characters Sigmund, in the voice of tenor Sven-Olof Eliasson, and Sieglinde, played by soprano Lisbeth Balslev; Both are excited by what fate has prepared for them. It should be noted that the splendid bass-baritone soloists Leif Roar (Wotan) and the mezzo-soprano Minna Nyhus (Fricka) – Wotan's twin children separated in childhood – have a reckless relationship (an incestuous love) in which they fit perfectly. As Hunding, the bass Aage Haugland was suitably vile; His resonant dark bass was very careful. Francesco Cristofoli's musical direction is convincing; captures the fluctuating moods and depth of feelings divinely expressed in Wagner's leitmotifs. The Aarhus Symphony Orchestra did a very elaborate and deeply intuitive work. Christopher conducted this titanic opera vehemently and highlighted its terrifying orchestral sound." Marçal Borotau, Sonagram Magazine

"That the sound is remarkably good is evident from the opening bars depicting Siegmund’s desperate escape. A bit of clumping and creaking and stage noises are inevitable but can actually be quite atmospheric – and of course indicative of this being live...The conducting and playing are first rate – an absolutely lovely cello solo precedes Siegmund’s “Kühlende Labung gab mir der Quell”  and the famous Ride of the Valkyries is splendid, despite a couple of singers struggling..."Ralph Moore

"For a 1987 recording, a live one at that, one might think that the sound quality might even now seem somewhat dated, or at least surpassed by today’s gleam of a perfectly recorded orchestral palette. Not a bit of it. Put your headphones on, close your eyes and revel in the magnificent sound of the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra; its rich, melancholy cello playing, and throughout the string section, the immediacy, the close-up, gutsy sound of real, present-before-you violins ~ not a studio-engineered sheen... Brunnhilde’s defiance of Wotan (sung by the splendidly-named bass-baritone, Leif Roar) is one of the great moments in Wagner, and it is clear from this Danish performance that Laila Andersson-Palme has the full measure of her brave, but foolhardy character ~ foolhardy, because she ends the opera, thanks to Wotan, on an inaccessible mountain peak, cut off from the world by a circle of magic fire, which only a true hero could breach.... This Wagner box set is a firmly recommended for those who seek true realism in their listening, not just the authentic Wagnerian atmosphere generated by the singers and orchestral players, but by the inclusion of the wild applause of that 1987 Danish audience ~ transporting you to the very edge of the stage. And with an informative booklet, synopsis and interview with Laila Andersson-Palme in which she discusses her career and the challenges of performing Wagner, this is an opera CD not to be missed." Stuart Millson, The Quarterly Review

“This is extraordinarily meritorious. Official recordings are rare. Recordings from different countries are used. They give perhaps the better impression of this spirited and spontaneous artist. It's hard to imagine her in front of a studio microphone. She needed the stage to show off her highly dramatic talent.

A complete Valkyrie from the opera house of the Danish city of Aarhus from 1987 presents the latest box (CDA 1870, 1871, 1872). The sound in the best stereo is not to be interpreted. At the podium of the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Francesco Cristofoli unleashes Wagner's music drama in all its splendour, between the finest lyrical ramifications and a roaring storm. The strings are his foundation…

Laila Andersson-Palme plays an extraordinarily determined Brünnhilde, who uses her steely height fiercely against the angry father of the gods like whips. "What have you thought of that I endure?" Breathless and hurried, she throws the question down and thus comes close to the truth of the moment through expression alone – and not through beautiful singing.” Rüdiger Winter, Opera Lounge

"One of Andersson-Palme’s strengths is that she never forces her voice. She also has enough technical ability to perform the trills in Brunnhilde’s music so often left out by other sopranos. In this recording she sounds the young, hoydenish, defiant Valkyrie to the life in her opening `Ho-jo-tojo!’, yet she has the sensitivity and dramatic skill to convince us of Brunnhilde’s maturation into a wise woman. All of these qualities are carried over into her portrayals of the other two Brunnhildes The Sieglinde, Lisbeth Balsev, was the Senta in Harry Kupfer’s 1978-85 Bayreuth production and later on sang Brunnhilde herself in the Aarhus Ring preserved on video (though not widely released). Her singing is colorful and often exciting, though the voice itself can sound a little raw and shrill (but never excessively so)…

Sterling offers a booklet containing an interview with Andersson-Palme, a rather quirky synopsis, and notes on the singers and conductor in both Swedish and English. No text or translation, but those can be found elsewhere. I’d love it if Sterling released Das Rheingold to complete their Ring, but since Andersson-Palme doesn’t have a lead in that opera (she did sing Freia at one point in her career) that isn’t likely to happen." Reynolds, American Record Guide