WAGNER: EXCERPTS FROM “RIENZI,” “DER FLIEGENDE HOLLAENDER,”...

WAGNER: EXCERPTS FROM “RIENZI,” “DER FLIEGENDE HOLLAENDER,” “TANNHAEUSER,” “LOHENGRIN,” “TRISTAN UND ISOLDE,” “DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NUERENBERG,” “DAS RHEINGOLD,” “DIE WALKUERE,” “SIEGFRIED,” “GOETTERDAEMMERUNG” AND “PARSIFAL.” Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Otto Klemperer. Angel 7 47254 2, 7 47255 2 (two compact discs). In the late German conductor’s hands, both the standard Wagner orchestral excerpts and the unauthorized “bleeding chunks” acquired a majesty and sense of the long line that often atone for their lack of proper context. Tempos incline to the leisurely, but Klemperer conjures surprising lightness for the Apprentices’ Dance, invests the “Lohengrin” Prelude with a consistent pulse and even rescues the “Ride of the Valkyries” from banality. The secret is a traditional Teutonic weightiness allied to an unerring ear for balances. And where Wagner calls for an arching spirituality (the “Tristan” and “Parsifal” Preludes), Klemperer does not disappoint. Some hiss intrudes in these analog masters (1960-63), but the sound is often admirable on these two generous discs.