Customer Reviews

Wagner: Tannhäuser

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For twenty years after its 1930 release, this recording of "Tannhäuser" was the only one available. It derived from a Bayreuth production prepared and conducted by Toscanini. Due to contractual prohibitions, Toscanini could not conduct the recording. Karl Elmendorff was engaged to conduct, and the recording was made in the empty Wagner Theatre, Bayreuth, during August 1930 .

No one will welcome this excellent Ward Marston transfer more than those old enough to have owned the set in its original 78 format. It occupied 18 78s. They were heavy and expensive. No regular stylus or needle seemed to be compatible with the grooves, and heavy surface swishing noises were always present, increasing in volume toward the end of each 78 side. Naxos, and Ward Marston have magically disposed of all these problems. Now, the "complete" recording can be obtained at bargain price, heard in aural comfort, and stored in one double slim-line CD case.

Other browsers should note that this is the so-called "Paris" version of the opera, slightly abbreviated in this recording. The wonderful acoustics of the Bayreuth theatre ensure that the sound is vivid, well-balanced and robust. The orchestra is obviously well-trained and the chorus is highly effective.

Most of the Toscanini chosen soloists are as good as any heard on record. The exception is Sigismund Pilinszky. Possibly wishing to convey that Tannhäuser suffers from a serious Freudian neurotic condition, Pilinsky sings throughout in a laboured, strangulated manner. He is at his best in the "Rome Narration".

I hope these comments might prove helpful to those whose fingers hover over the "add to shopping cart" button.

Given the original recording was made in 1930, this CD-set of Wagner's Tannhauser is surprisingly good quality. Needless to say, it's not comparable to a modern recording, perhaps being comparable to a mono tape recording using a microphone listening to a record player. Not bad though, the voices and instruments are clear and sharp and relatively undistorted. I've heard MUCH worse than this.

The performance is wonderful, some very beautiful singing and the music is played with depth. You should know that this is not a complete performance, acts two and three are abridged, largely because of constraints introduced by the original technologies used, but at the same time this isn't a "sampler" type CD either.

It's hard to know whether to recommend this set or not. It's cheap, dirt cheap, and it is a good performance. However, there's no libretto, it's incomplete, and, well, it's not a DDD CD. Oh, go on, at the price...

This 1930 recording is quite good despite how long ago it was recorded. The sound is ADD and, of course, doesn't compare to modern standards. The female voices, in particular, sometimes suffer distortion. Nonetheless, the set is very listenable and quite enjoyable. Elmendorff is a masterful conductor and the singers are all quite good. This is the 1861 Paris version and, as one reviewer pointed out, it is slightly abridged. Overall, this is a brilliant performance that is quite moving and captures, in my opinion, the spirit of Wagner's intentions for this work. I expect this recording to become one of the staples of my Wagner collection.

You don't have to be a Wagnerian fanatic or Tannhäuser completist to enjoy this truly great recording from Bayreuth in 1930. The cast and conductor may be unfamiliar to most record collectors but if you think Tannhäuser is a great masterpiece and full of good tunes then this recording should be in your collection. Don't be discouraged by the vintage either, the monophonic sound is excellent, for its age. In this Naxos incarnation the recording is captured quite clearly without undue snaps, crackles or pops and the singers do not fade out as they move around the stage. The Bayreuth acoustic is instantly recognizable and no apologies are needed for the sound quality.

The level of performance from the cast, orchestra and conductor has not been bettered over the ensuing 80 years of recordings of Wagner operas. Maria Müller stands out as a particularly beautiful sounding Elisabeth. She, like the entire cast, knew how to phrase and sing legato with a powerful voice capable of beautiful bel canto singing. Sigismund Pilinszky is a very fine Tannhäuser, never straining, barking, bleating or choking as so often happens with lesser talents in this very difficult role. Karl Elmendorff was a conductor of the ancien régime. He had an instinctive understanding of the Bayreuth style of performing that was carried over from the 19th century. There isn't a lot of scooping in the singing or portamenti in the strings but the phrasing is so lyrical and sensible that it is like hearing this familiar warhorse anew.

This is a beautiful, relevant recording to stand alongside the few fine modern recordings. Elmedorff isn't as hard-driven and orgasmic as Solti but he's no puritan in the Venusberg scene either. Like the Solti recording Elmendorff uses the revised Paris version with the extended first act. Ruth Jost-Arden is a sensuous, vibrant Venus. She may not be as stupendous as Christa Ludwig for Solti but she's right up there with the best. I certainly enjoyed this recording more than Sinopoli's version with Domingo and Studer because listening to that set on DGG I keep thinking... 'It's Domingo, not Tannhäuser.

This Naxos set of Tannhäuser gets the highest recommendation.

Estupenda versión. Buen sonido. Magníficas voces. Gran batuta. Un documento fundamental equiparable al Parsifal de Karl Muck.