By the time these selections were recorded, in 1991, Gwyneth Jones’ voice had been overused for years and had developed a true wobble. She still manages to shade some phrases and she’s never less than an intelligent artist, delivering a “Liebestod” that has genuine moments of rapture and an “Immolation Scene” that takes the listener through all of Brünnhilde’s travails and glories and on to death. However, even in these two grand excerpts there are long stretches of true vocal discomfort. And “Elisabeth’s Greeting” from Tannhäuser is truly marred by unsupported tone throughout, while “Elsa’s Prayer” is forced and not at all fresh. Roberto Paternostro leads his WDR forces well and is sympathetic to Jones, but only true fans of the soprano will not feel fatigued by this recital. For Jones at her vocal peak (though not in Wagner), see my earlier review by typing Q8709 in Search Reviews.
