Mendelssohn, Wagner, Schumann

Description

Sony Classical releases Nikolaus Harnoncourt's only Wagner recording, live at the Styriarte Festival 1999To mark the tenth anniversary of Nikolaus Harnoncourt's death, Sony Classical presents a rare live recording of the legendary conductor, captured during his 1999 concert in Graz.This previously unreleased performance brings together works by Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann and, exceptionally, a sensational rarity: Richard Wagner.Although Harnoncourt is considered one of the most extensively documented conductors of his generation, his musical legacy has revealed a surprising discovery.Recorded by Austrian radio ORF, this concert unveils three works never before released in his discography: Schumann's Requiem für Mignon, Mendelssohn's Overture to The Fair Melusine, as well as excerpts from Wagner's Tannhäuser and Tristan und Isolde.Harnoncourt never defined himself as a Wagner interpreter; it was the theme of love, chosen for the 1999 edition of the Styriarte Festival, that led him to this unique foray into the Wagnerian universe.The program thus includes the Overture to Tannhäuser and the Venusberg Bacchanale, as well as the Prelude to Act I and Isolde's Transfiguration, better known as the Liebestod, from Tristan und Isolde, performed by soprano Violeta Urmana.Framed by works by Mendelssohn and Schumann—two composers whose complex relationships with Wagner enrich the emotional and historical depth of the program—these excerpts bear witness to the richness of the concert.The recording also includes Harnoncourt's spoken commentary, offering a rare insight into his artistic vision.The CD booklet, enriched with archival documents from the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz, contains QR codes providing access to Harnoncourt's annotated scores, with his handwritten notes.With this release, Sony Classical, in collaboration with ORF, Styriarte, and the Harnoncourt family, pays tribute to one of the most influential musical minds of our time.