… the comparison which kept coming to mind was with the work of Sir Reginald Goodall… there is… a similar warmth and care over detail that is reminiscent of his older colleague. Listen for example to the Act 2 prelude where [Asher Fisch] catches Fafner’s breathing so well in the lower strings, or indeed how well he sets up the atmosphere at the very opening of the opera.
With beautifully graded and articulated brass, lower strings and bassoons the orchestra creates a real atmosphere of the dark, forbidding forest of Mime’s cave. Into this he mixes a sense of the malevolent frustrated brooding of the twisted dwarf, and his dreams of wresting power from the awesome presence of the dragon Fafner. Yet in gentler more reflective music, for example the Forest Murmurs in Act 2, he also makes his mark. These are quite beautifully done, with some particularly attractive woodwind playing anticipating the appearance of the Woodbird…
I welcome the issue and look forward to encountering Götterdämmerung!