John Culshaw (1924–1980)

The 'Solti' recording of 'Der Ring des Nibelungen' made with the Vienna Philharmonic and recorded in Vienna (slightly out of sequence) between 1958 and 1965 is still unsurpassed 60 years on. That is not just my view, but one that carries a significant critical consensus. Musically and dramatically it is by far the most consistent account. Not just because of its casting (with a couple of important exceptions) with singers whose singing is never less than adequate and often more so and all of whom can act (stellar examples of both for example in Götterdamerung with Fischer-Dieskau and Gottlob Frick) but because of Solti's conception and his ability to hold to that over a seven year period. Sonically it sounds better than ever (remastered several times, the latest a Dolby Atmos remix in 2023) and crucially - as this book recounts - it was conceived of as a studio project which would capture an idealised stage version. It does this brilliantly and no subsequent set has come close, nor is it likely to. As Culshaw recounts this was an era when budgets for opera recording and classical music more generally were an all time high and it seems literally no expense was spared. Today's landscape is very different. Most opera recordings are DVDs from stage productions or of concert performances both of which can be problematic.
Anyway this is a genuinely interesting account. It's highly polite and indeed its status as the official history of this remarkable project was confirmed when Decca included it in its box set of the 2013 remastering. I found particularly fascinating that one of Culshaw's guiding principles was trying to capture great Wagnerian singers for posterity. Arguably Flagstad, Hotter, Windgassen (and I would maybe controversially add Nilsson) were all past their best, and yet (with the possible exception of Flagstad) all perform remarkably, cleverly supported by Culshaw and Solti's mindfulness of the need to give their voices as much chance as possible to recover between sessions. The account of how Windgassen ended up singing Siegfried after Culshaw had tried to stick with a relatively unknown, younger heldentenor is illuminating and reflects particuarly well on Windgassen who seemed to have no ego at all.
The written style is very of its time (BBC Third Programme syntax, standards and opinions) and the Epilogue slightly preachy and tedious but overall this is required reading for anyone who loves the recording.… (mer)

Culshaw died before he could finish this book and although the Epilogue by Erik Smith claims that this was the more or less the book Culshaw wanted to write - essentially an autobiography finishing with the end of his time at Decca - it's hard to credit that he would be satisfied with this. It's essentially a discography with added gossip, with some very dark things (e.g. the alleged strong anti-semitism of the Vienna Philharmonic of the 50s and 60s, or what Culshaw obviously thought were questionable financial behaviour of one of the Decca executives) thrown in for bad measure. It's really only for classical record nerds (like me), especially those (like me) familiar with that extraordinarily fecund period for recordings (opera in particular) which ran roughly from 1954 - 1967, when Decca/RCA, EMI and DGG were in real and productive competition with each other.
The book is also a sad reminder that Culshaw was a genius of sorts and his early death was a loss to music and the arts more generally.… (mer)

A very good read for opera lovers. The eight-year creation of one of the most iconic albums of the 20th century is told first hand by John Culshaw, one of the men who made it happen. It's full of the exciting - and sometimes hilariously mundane - twists and turns that affected the recording. Culshaw's closeness with soprano Kirsten Flagstad is prominent in the first half, which perhaps is a bit extensive but also is a fascinating look at the last years of a great singer, and casts a long shadow over the rest of the book, explaining both the legacy of performers and also some of the reasons (other than money-making) that the recording mattered.

Being fifty years old, the book does sometimes betray its age. But Culshaw's thoughts on recording and the future of opera are - if anything - more interesting from our vantage point. (His thinly-disguised contempt for the so-called "enthusiast" is also sublimely hilarious.)… (mer)