Furtwangler: Siegfried's Funeral March from Gotterdammerung

[MsPandaRosa]

and yet I still see Adolf Hitler, in the darkness, staring at a map of ruined Berlin, fuming, glowering, turning a vain hope to the Japanese, yet knowing in the end all his evil dreams are lost, lost, lost...

Thank God they were lost.

[Aubury]

his relationship with fascism, and his post war career were blighted, I do not know the history, but were as other anti fascist conductors went abroad, he stayed. But as a conductor he was outstanding, no question on that at least

[ThePanzerfist44]

imagine being in the reich chancellry bunker with the T34's over your head and the red army closing in on all sides  - Hitler and Eva go into thier room and lock the door , tomorrow is walpurgis nacht and The twilight of the gods is upon you.

[operalover67]

great wagner...great furtwangler...

[Bdcorpuschristi]

Genius



[kitthevideoman]

In music appreciation class in college, the professor said Wagner took tonality to its limits, with great feeling. Coming later, 12-tone serialism was an avant-garde experiment which kind of threw tonality out the window, interesting as a mathematical exercise, but not really music that folks wanted to listen to. Richard Wagner was a bit of an egotist and made various enemies in his personal life, but everyone agrees he was a musical genius. I think this is a cut about 1-4-5 rock tunes.

[Epeolatry1]

In my view, Wagner is the only composer who ever 'finished' his music. It seems so full, so beautifully thick and rich and colourful, that you couldn't fit anything more into it. Genius.

[AspergianMind]

Oh, yeah, remember this playing in Captain America? The scene with the professor entering Schmidt's room to talk about their upcoming assassination while Schmidt was posing for a portrait without his mask.

Though he turned off the lights, the hints of the artist painting with a lot of dark shaded red paint and his ghastly look staring had the audience sold that Schmidt was no longer human.

And that music was icing on the cake. Perfect music selection.

"What do you think?"

"Marvelous!"

[rlopez1255]

The rude comments however vulgar, thankfully do not detract from the beauty of this musical masterpiece. 

[MegaDocalex]

Relax men!

[baalisgod666]

@deathtoyoumyenemy Cos a asi

[jetzt0844]

I have no words to express such a beauty !!!

[fastborzoi]

Furtwangler had a marvelous texture, intensity and rhythm, love this recording

[aimeemacdn]

I've been looking for this piece of music since I heard it in Boorman;s Excalibur.

[balloimassimo]

I think Wagner was a wanker, albeit talented.

[shellac1925]

@balloimassimo "Wanker" would be a huge understatement.

[baalisgod666]

@balloimassimo You must be an untalented asshole then?

[marcap1000]

Breath-taking! How much is lost forever.......

[pinintra]

Furtwangler the best!

[BulletFoss]

"What do you think Herr Zola"

"A masterpiece Herr Schmidt"

[BINGFRYSRDUN]

The Gods tremble before Wagner at 6:00!

[RzzRBladez]

if only each and every person on this planet could express her/himself this way, I think war would be a thing of the past.

[fdlmotorsports]

This wagner march is in a french documentary on a tennis match between John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl. A 4th round in 1988 at French open. Their last great match, in a afternoon-evening, under a small rain and a very dark sky. Two tie break 76 67. Stop at 09:30 PM at 4-2 for Lendl in the 3rd set. An amazing match, still has the record of TV spectators in 2011 !

[123must]

Magic !

[atlatahuac]

Sadly, the Great One was approaching the end of his own illustrious career. Such brilliance and lucidity of interpretation in the twilight of his own moments at the podium can only mean he stepped down too early, or was forced to.

[Ragland1952]

@atlatahuac Furtwangler's mystical Beethoven's 9th ('51 Bayreuth Festival) is incandescently subjective. This recording approaches its brilliance and lucidity. However, disappointing is the out of tune playing and ragged attacks by a truly great orchestra. Yes, this "dead" studio recording sounds like those of the NY Phil in the original A. Fischer Hall, and concert hall reverb covers many tonal sins, even so... My personal favorite is Szell and the Cleveland, also on youtube.

[richarddvijay]

This tune will definetly be played at my funeral.

[666madmonk]

This piece and "Ride of the Valkyries" as conducted by Furtwangler, got me hooked on Wagner. Awesome music!

[MrUggamugga]

FURTWANGLER!!!!!!!

[Derkaderkaderkderk]

Brilliant piece of music. Listening to this in the right mood will neve fial to send tingles down my spine. Incredibly dark and sinister.

[aclarar47]

Uds. me han hecho recordar esta pieza y este director, para mi, el mejor de todos los tiempos,Beethovenn, con su tercer movimiento nunca ha sonado tan sublime como.- con este director. Tengo la suerte de tener esa versión y las muy respetables de Karayan, y dos o tres mas entre los mas famosos, buenas versiones, pero él gana lejos. Ojalá llegue el momento en que el artista sea juzgado por su arte, lo demas no nos atañe

[vvsignin1]

This could possibly be the most inspirational piece I've ever heard...

[fastborzoi]

Furtwangler among the very best of the Ring conductors, love his set

[huntar8]

спасибо

[sweetawsomeful]

Ah, the much maligned Furtwangler. Never has Wagner nor Beethoven met such an interpreter; never the same, never duplicated; each performance a masterpiece.

Thanks for posting

[sobelou]

Thanks for uploading this, Furtwaengler really was of an absolute greatness, this is such a moving interpretation of one of the most megnificent works ever written....

[MusiqueLivresPatrie]

Wagner en avait quand dans la tête.Exceptionnel

[KalinkaMalinkaful]

They don't appreciate the music, only the shallow interpretation they have of it!

[DDLjawoll]

Great music by a great composer who would shit on all the rock, ska and reggae Skinheads and phony BNP grandsons.

[111lisi]

This is a masterpiece and incredible unparalleled beautiful music.

[waldemar2101]

Although Wagner's music almost always impresses, as it does here, it would seem that the orchestra does not have the typically Wagnerian number and sound. The music was written for a very large orchestra, especially in the wind section. Did the size of the studio compromise this production?

[pianoman74]

Wagner, the movie composer. Even when there were no movies yet at his era :) He should have lived 100 years later ;)

[TommyDombek]

@pianoman74 Then he would not have been a genius, but an average composer.



[pianoman74]

@TommyDombek Well, not necessarily. He could as well have made a great competitor to John Williams or James Horner! :)

[frzam7]

Majestic.

[shellac1925]

What's with all these comments? Can we just focus on the music here and nothing else?

[aarondad]

@shellac1925 Agreed. Thank you for posting this. Beautifully played.

[DENDROID2]

but does that really matter? For me it doesnt... greets

[DENDROID2]

there is no greek mythology that can match any oft the stories that only ancient egypt speaking people can fully understand today. 3000 years before greek mythology was ever written or more accurately compilated.

But neither the greeks nor the egyptians had wagner. ;-)

[AkaMouTinn]

There is no german mythology that can match any of these stories that only greek speaking people can fully understand today. 3000 years before german mythology was ever written or more accurate copied.

[AkaMouTinn]

Nevertheless, Cadmus was deeply troubled by the ill-fortune which clung to him as a result of his having killed the sacred dragon, and one day he remarked that if the gods were so enamoured of the life of a serpent, he might as well wish that life for himself. Immediately he began to grow scales and change in form. Harmonia, seeing the transformation, thereupon begged the gods to share her husband's fate, which they granted (Hyginus).

[AkaMouTinn]

Cadmus the founder of Thebes in Greece killed the sacred Dragon guarding the holy spring of god Ares (Mars). Then he was adviced by Athena to sow the teeth of the dragon. When he did, armed men sprang up from the furrows (the "spartoi" literal translation: "sown men", from σπείρω speírō "to sow"). These helped Cadmus to found the city of Thebes around 2000BC. 

[atlatahuac]

@AkaMouTinn thanx Aka Mou Tinn. Intriguing info.

[AkaMouTinn]

someday another wagner will write the music for the REAL father of all mythology which is the Greek mythology. Its so bad that holywood destroyed all these stories with their stupid marketing parody movies. Someday the music for the Greek Titans will be written by another wagner. 5000 year old living legends still living through greek language.

[Nuker1337]

@AkaMouTinn MY ancient mythology is better, which is why wagner wrote about odin, thor, etc, and not zeus nor any of those pagan gods.

[Aphidboy]

Whew! Great brass section.  Real snappy! The eagle soars.

[krischan67]

To be played at your funeral? No problem, just kill a dragon before...

[Sieglinde84]

@krischan67 No... poor dragons! <3 They need love (and heads, very soon), not dragonslayers.

What an awesome music. And Furtwängler is special.

[kappelmeister123]

@krischan67 Ha

[yehrightify]

Calls to the Viking blood inside me. This should be played at your funeral if you are at all Nordic, great glory awaits... Wôdan!

[FellowTraveller]

WHEN I finally die, I want THIS song to be played at the graveside. or maybe at the wake. then just pop me into the ground for the resurrection! ha ha ha FT

[FellowTraveller]

you just to love Richard Wagner, not just another classical composer with works filled with one million violins. nothing against violins, but I like percussion, dramatic brass, etc. Ha Ha Ha did I leave out CYMBOLS??????? (spelling?)

[FellowTraveller]

most excellent. somber, brooding, perfect funeral dirge. thanks for the up load. FT

[mikaelangelus]

excelent! Thanks!!!