Last week I stuck up for Josef Greindl as Wagner's Daland, and this week too, as both Daland and Hunding -- but only up to a point

"Ich weiss ein wildes Geschlecht" ("I know of a wild race") -- Josef Greindl as Hunding, from the video of the June 1963 Knappertsbusch-Vienna Philharmonic concert performance of Act I of Die Walküre (with Fritz Uhl as Siegmund and Claire Watson as Sieglinde)

"Ich weiss ein wildes Geschlecht"
HUNDING: I know of a savage family [race?]
who hold nothing sacred
that others honor.
Everyone hates them, as I do.
I was called to vengeance
to make amends
for family blood.
I came too late,
and now, returning home,
the tracks of the villain who fled
I discover in my own house.

"Mein Haus hütet, Wölfing, dich heut' "
[He walks upstage.]
My house will shelter you,
Wolf-Cub, for today;
for this night I put you up.
But with stout weapons
arm yourself tomorrow.
I choose the day for fighting.
You must pay me for those deaths.
[SIEGLINDE walks anxiously between the two men.]
[to SIEGLINDE] Leave the room!
Don't dally here.
Prepare my night drink
and wait till I come to bed.
[SIEGLINDE remains standing and undecided for a time. Then she moves slowly and with dragging footsteps to the store room. There she pauses again and stands lost in thought, her face half turned away. Quietly but firmly she opens the cupboard, fills a drinking horn, and sprinkles spices into it from a pot. Then her eyes turn to SIEGMUND so as to meet his, which are continually on hers. She realizes HUNDING is watching her and at once goes towards the bedroom. On the steps she turns round again, looks passionately at SIEGMUND, and with a fixed, eloquent glance indicates a spot on the trunk of the tree. HUNDING rises and drives her away with a violent gesture. After a last glance at SIEGMUND, she goes into the bedroom and closes the door behind her. HUNDING removes his armor from the tree.]
With his armor a man protects himself.
[Turning to SIEGMUND as he goes]
You, Wolf-Cub, I will meet tomorrow.
You heard what I said.
Take good care of yourself.
[He goes, with his armor, into the bedroom and is heard closing the bolt on the other side.]

["Mein Haus hütet, Wölfing, dich heut' " at 1:01] Josef Greindl (bs), Hunding; Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Hans Knappertsbusch, cond. Live performance, Aug. 14, 1956

by Ken

Hunding's exit leaves us right at the start of Siegmund's monologue, which we happen to have been listening to recently (as sung, twice each, by Jon Vickers, James King, and Plácido Domingo). And we happen also to have heard Hunding's "Ich weiss ein wildes Geschlecht" sung (in bass mode, and closer-cropped) by bass-baritone Gerd Nienstedt, while also hearing him (in baritone mode) clearing the mists with his hammer as Donner in Das Rheingold, both from Philips's 1966-67 live Ring cycle from Bayreuth conducted by Karl Böhm.


["Mein Haus hütet, Wölfing, dich heut' " at 0:47] Gerd Nienstedt (bs-b), Hunding; Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Karl Böhm, cond. Philips, recorded live at the 1967 festival


NOW I'D MUCH RATHER LISTEN TO GERD, BUT ESPECIALLY
AFTER WATCHING JOSEF G. IN THE 1963 CONCERT VIDEO . . .

. . . well, here's what I wrote last week ("Ohmygosh, it's turned into Garrulous Old Moneygrubbers' Week here at Sunday Classics -- or has it?)":

The voice doesn't sound any better than one would expect, but he's so clear and strong in his deployment of words combined with music, and combined in turn with his physical presence, that even in formal concert dress he gives us a Hunding of enormous power and scarily implacable resolve. I understand better why serious conductors -- Furtwängler, say, or Knappertsbusch -- were happy to have him in their casts.

I can respect Greindl's performance, and can believe that in the theater he was a formidable, more than a little scary Hunding. And these are good qualities for a Hunding: formidable and more than a little scary. At the same time, the singing quality of the singing, which can open us to a whole other dimension of not just aesthetic pleasure but dramatic resonance.


WHICH WAS JUST AS TRUE LAST WEEK WHEN WE WERE
CONCERNED WITH THE FLYING DUTCHMAN'S DALAND

I'm afraid I still haven't been able to dislodge from my mind that unfortunate picture of Greindl as "Daland the Fat Clown."


And while I'm not sure that Josef G. was above playing cartoon characters, especially as the never-exactly-luxuriant voice grew raspier, that isn't what we heard here.

WAGNER: The Flying Dutchman: From the opening scene, Daland, "Kein Zweifel! Sieben Meilen fort" ("No doubt! Seven miles away")

A steep rocky shore. The sea occupies the greater part of the stage a wide view over it. DALAND's ship remains anchored near the shore after the violent storm that came up suddenly. The sailors are noisily occupied in furling the sails, casting ropes, etc. DALAND has gone ashore and has climbed a cliff to look landwards to get his bearings.

DALAND [coming down from the cliff]:
No doubt of it! Seven miles the storm
has driven us from safe heaven.
So near our goal after this long voyage
this trick was saved up for me!
STEERSMAN [on board, shouting through his cupped hands]:
Ho! Captain!
DALAND: How goes it on board with you?
STEERSMAN [as before]: All's well, Captain. We have firm moorings.
DALAND: This is Sandwike! I know the bay well.
Damnation! I saw my house on the shore,
and thought to embrace Senta, my child!
Then came this blast from the depths of hell . . . to rely on the wind is to rely on Satan's mercy!
[Going on board] Ah well! Patience, the storm abates;
so fierce a storm could not last.
[On board] Hey, my lads! You've kept watch a long time:
now get some rest! There's no more to fear!
[The sailors go below.]
Now, steersman, will you take the helm for me?
[DALAND goes into his cabin. The steersman is alone on the deck. The storm has somewhat abated and returns only at sporadic intervals; the waves are still rough on the open sea. The STEERSMAN goes his round once more, then seats himself near the rudder.]

-- translation by Lionel Salter

Karl Ridderbusch (bs), Daland; Harald Ek (t), Steersman; Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Karl Böhm, cond. DG, recorded live, July-Aug. 1971

Matti Salminen (bs), Daland; Graham Clark (t), Steersman; Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Woldemar Nelsson, cond. Philips, recorded live, August 1985

Gottlob Frick (bs), Daland; Fritz Wunderlich (t), Steersman; Staatskapelle Berlin, Franz Konwitschny, cond. EMI-Eterna, recorded 1959

Josef Greindl (bs), Daland; Ernst Häfliger (t), Steersman; RIAS Symphony Orchestra (Berlin), Ferenc Fricsay, cond. DG, recorded 1952

I have to say, I'm a lot less inclined to give Josef G. a pass when we reencounter him as Daland nine years later.


Josef Greindl (bs), Daland; Georg Paskuda (t), Steersman; Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch, cond. Philips recorded live, August 1961

Oh my! And Georg Paskuda isn't exactly a treat as the Steersman. The first time we heard the previous four recordings of this bit, I wrote:

I can't tell you how much I hate stopping at this point, when we are literally about to hear the Steersman sing the song with which he means to keep himself awake during his deputized watch. (Spoiler alert: He instead puts himself to sleep.) Especially when we've got such a good group of steersmen, headed of course by Fritz Wunderlich, who indeed sang the Steersman in the 1959 EMI-Eterna coproduction. (By the way, we've got a bunch of clips of the Steersman's song in the archive if anyone wants to hear them.) For that matter, the clip picks up too late; I wanna hear the whole damned scene!

None of that applies here. (I hope I don't need to add that Paskuda's Steersman was not among that group of archived Steersmen.)

And here's the Josef G. of 1961 attacking Daland's Act II showpiece "Mögst du, mein Kind."

WAGNER: The Flying Dutchman: Act II, Daland, "Mein Kind, du siehst mich" ("My child, you see me") . . . "Mögst du, mein Kind" ("Might you, my child")

A spacious room in DALAND's house. On the side walls, pictures of sea subjects, maps, etc. On the rear wall, the picture of a pale man with a dark beard and in black clothes.

SENTA, who earlier in Act II shared with the village girls the legend of the Flying Dutchman, her private obsession, is now alone and has been staring at the portrait of the legendary character on the wall. The door opens. DALAND and the DUTCHMAN enter. SENTA's gaze sweeps from the portrait to the DUTCHMAN, and remains as if spellbound, without taking her eyes off him.

The DUTCHMAN slowly comes forward.

DALAND [having remained standing at the threshold, comes forward]: My child, you see me at the door . . .
What? No embrace? No kiss?
You stand rooted to the spot --
Senta, do I deserve such a greeting?
SENTA [as DALAND comes up to her, grasps his hand]:
God give you greeting! [Drawing him closer to her]
Father, say, who is this stranger?
DALAND: Do you press me?
Might you, my child, bid this stranger welcome?
He is a seaman like me, and asks our hospitality.
Long homeless, always on far distant voyages,
in foreign lands he has gained great wealth.
Banished from his native land,
for a home he will pay handsomely:
Speak, Senta, would it displease you
if this stranger stayed with us?
[SENTA nods her approval.
DALAND turns to the DUTCHMAN.]
Say, did I praise her too much?
You can see for yourself -- does she please you?
Should I let my praises still overflow?
Confess, she is an ornament to her sex.
[The DUTCHMAN makes a gesture of assent.]
Should you, my child, show yourself well disposed to this man,
he also asks for the gracious gift of your heart;
give him your hand, for bridegroom you will call him.
If you are true to your father, tomorrow he'll be your husband.
[SENTA makes a convulsive movement of pain. DALAND produces some jewelry and shows it to his daughter.]
Look at this ring, look at these bracelets!
Of what he owns, these are but a trifle.
Dear child, do you not long to have them?
All this is yours if you exchange rings.
[SENTA, disregarding him, does not take her eyes off the DUTCHMAN, who likewise, without listening to DALAND, is absorbed in contemplating her. DALAND becomes aware of this; he looks at them both.]
But no one speaks . . . Am I not wanted here?
I see! I'd better leave them alone.
[to SENTA] May you win this noble husband.
Believe me, such luck will not occur again.
[to the DUTCHMAN] Stay here alone! I'll leave you.
Believe me, she is as true as she is fair.
[He goes out slowly, watching the two with pleased surprise.]

-- translation (mostly) by Lionel Salter

["Mögst du, mein Kind" at 1:45] Josef Greindl (bs), Daland; Anja Silja (s), Senta; Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch, cond. Philips recorded live, August 1961

By way of comparison, here are the other performances we heard:


["Mögst du, mein Kind" at 1:52] Karl Ridderbusch (bs), Daland; Gwyneth Jones (s), Senta; Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Karl Böhm, cond. DG, recorded live, July-Aug. 1971

["Mögst du, mein Kind" at 1:52] Karl Ridderbusch (bs), Daland; Ingrid Bjoner (s), Senta; RAI Rome Symphony Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch, cond. Broadcast performance, Feb. 15, 1969

["Mögst du, mein Kind" at 1:51] Kurt Moll (bs), Daland; Dunja Vejzović (s), Senta; Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan, cond. EMI, recorded 1981-83

["Mögst du, mein Kind" at 1:44] Gottlob Frick (bs), Daland; Marianne Schech (s), Senta; Staatskapelle Berlin, Franz Konwitschny, cond. EMI-Eterna, recorded February 1960

["Mögst du, mein Kind" at 1:36] Gottlob Frick (bs), Daland; Christel Goltz (s), Senta; Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Rudolf Moralt, cond. Live performance, Mar. 28, 1953

["Mögst du, mein Kind" at 1:58] Giorgio Tozzi (bs), Daland; Leonie Rysanek (s), Senta; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Thomas Schippers, cond. Live performance, Mar. 5, 1960

["Mögst du, mein Kind" at 1:40] Ludwig Weber (bs), Daland; Kirsten Flagstad (s), Senta; London Philharmonic Orchestra, Fritz Reiner, cond. Live performance from Covent Garden, June 7-11, 1937

LEST WE POINT A FINGER AT THE CONDUCTOR --

Wolfgang Sawallisch (1923-2013), he just turned 38 in August 1961, and I suspect that the casting was more in the bailiwick of Wagner grandson Wieland Wagner (1917-1966), who was the director of this production and still very much the creative overseer of the postwar Bayreuth Festival -- though brother Wolfgang W. (1919-2010), who would wind up reigning over Bayreuth far longer than Wieland but had only just, in 1960, gotten to state his own Ring cycle, which since the brothers' takeover of "New Bayreuth" in 1951 had been, like most of the festival repertory, Wieland's province.

As it happens, when Sawallisch conducted a Rome Radio broadcast performance of Dutchman in 1966, and then again when he conducted the opera at La Scala in 1969, though his Dutchman was, as at Bayreuth, Franz Crass, his Daland was none other than Karl Ridderbusch (years before Ridderbusch's remarkable Daland was recorded at Bayreuth). We've already heard the Rome "Mögst du, mein Kind"; maybe we can hear some of the Scala performance as well.

The importance of beautiful singing in Wagner's operas doesn't get talked about much. Now that we've broached the subject of Hunding, I think maybe we should explore this a little more -- and maybe Hagen in Götterdämmerung as well.

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