Post 59 Ferretfancy
I too have always been a bit bothered by that Decca sound effect at the end of Solti's 'Gotterdammerung'. I've never thought of it as a chip pan fire (though, come to think of it, I dont think I've ever been around when a chip pan's caught fire), but I have always been at a loss to figure out what it DOES sound like. Certainly not the sound of a building collapsing, the palace of the gods going up in flames and the river Rhine bursting its banks. There's a strange lightweight rumble, like someone knocking over a pile of hollow plastic blocks. Not at all convincing, I fear, and rather spoils the great conclusion for which you have waited sixteen hours.
In fact, having just looked at the libretto and plot summary in the booklet, there is no actual mention of the hall collapsing: Brunnhilde vaults onto Grane (the mind boggles at the thought of Rita Hunter doing this - poor horse!), rides into the pyre, the Rhine rushes in, the Rhinemaidens drown Hagen and repossess the ring, and as we look upwards we see Valhalla burning. OK, I suppose the roof must have caved in so we can view the conflagration.
I too have always been a bit bothered by that Decca sound effect at the end of Solti's 'Gotterdammerung'. I've never thought of it as a chip pan fire (though, come to think of it, I dont think I've ever been around when a chip pan's caught fire), but I have always been at a loss to figure out what it DOES sound like. Certainly not the sound of a building collapsing, the palace of the gods going up in flames and the river Rhine bursting its banks. There's a strange lightweight rumble, like someone knocking over a pile of hollow plastic blocks. Not at all convincing, I fear, and rather spoils the great conclusion for which you have waited sixteen hours.
In fact, having just looked at the libretto and plot summary in the booklet, there is no actual mention of the hall collapsing: Brunnhilde vaults onto Grane (the mind boggles at the thought of Rita Hunter doing this - poor horse!), rides into the pyre, the Rhine rushes in, the Rhinemaidens drown Hagen and repossess the ring, and as we look upwards we see Valhalla burning. OK, I suppose the roof must have caved in so we can view the conflagration.
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