Customer Reviews

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a stunning recording. Made in June 1952, it must be one of the greatest recordings of anything ever made. With a peerless Wagner conducter, the queen of heroic sopranos, an exceptional tenor and a magnificent orchestra, how could it be anything but that?

The Wagner conducting of Wilhelm Furtwängler has never been remotely approached, and here he is at his greatest. He has a command of Wagner's music, structure and emotion that are unbelievable. He allows the Philharmonia Orchestra, in incandescent form, its full dominance, but never drowns out the singers, as does, for instance, Karajan. Furtwängler is on the slow side in this opera, but he invests his conducting with such emotion that even the slowest tempi sound exactly right. Anyone looking for supreme Wagner conducting need look no further than Furtwängler.

Fortunately, Furtwängler has access to a pair of magnificent singers. The greatest Wagner soprano of the century, Kirsten Flagstad, sings a glorious Isolde. Her voice is immediately recognizable for its enormous size and sumptuous beauty, and is captured here in more than adequate sound. Only her top notes, which are no longer as effortless as in her prime, indicate that she is 57 years old (the three or four highest notes are sung by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf). Dramatically, she lives the role, bringing an intensity to the Narration matched only by Birgit Nilsson. But the highlight of her performance, as it should be, is the Liebestod. Reducing her voice to a thread of sound for the opening, she and Furtwängler build up raptly to the incandescent climax, "Heller schallend." Here we realize the astounding size of her voice. She is riding the huge waves of sound, singing with unforced, opulent beauty, clear diction, perfect legato, and all in a way that makes falling off a log seem difficult. Barring an unlikely discovery of a complete performance from her prime in listenable sound, this performance will never be surpassed. Ludwig Suthaus, her Tristan, is a very underrated heldentenor. He has a voice of darkly powerful beauty, the essential voice for Tristan. Like Flagstad, he was ending his career when this recording was made, so he is not perfect, particularly because of some hoarseness in Act I; however, he lives Tristan in a way equal to Flagstad's Isolde, and in his mad scene in Act III, he is magnificent: desparate, frenzied, tragic and jubilant, singing beautifully all the while. He falls short of Melchior in his prime - but who doesn't?

The only flaws in this recording are the sound and the supporting cast, in particular the Brangäne of Blanche Thebom. Her voice is beautiful, in its way, but her German is distorted (she changes her first line from "Blaue Streifen steigen im Osten auf" to "Blaue Streife stiegen im Westen auf"), her interpretation is indifferent and she is cruelly taxed by her big outbursts (e.g. "Wehe! weh! unabwendbar ew'ge Not" at the end of Act I). Margarete Klose should have been cast, it being too early for Christa Ludwig (masterful for Böhm and Karajan). Josef Greindl is intelligent and has a satisfying dark resonance, but is too unsteady in places to even approach the magnificent Martti Talvela for Böhm. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is the exception, singing with intelligence and lustrous richness. Edgar Evans is very rough and unsteady as Melot, but Rudolf Schock, an excellent Walther in Kempe's "Die Meistersinger," sings ardently as the Sailor and Shepherd. Rhoderick Davies sings the Steuermann's four lines resonantly. The mono sound is admirably clear and full, a tribute to Walter Legge's skill, but Flagstad has a tendency to fade in and out in Act I, particularly in high-climbing passages. EMI continues its recent practices with a skimpy booklet with tiny print, which in addition to being hardly legible lists the wrong tracks in the booklet. The breaks between discs are as well placed as they can be.

I have heard from EMI that this will be reissued next year as a "Great Recording of the Century"; if EMI is up to its usual high standard for this series, the sound and booklet skimpiness should be greatly improved. EMI's current packaging and sound, however, are not even close to ruining the impact of this indisputably great performance. It overcomes Thebom, Greindl and Evans to reach dizzying, ecstatic heights unapproached on any other recording. While I will occasionally listen to the Böhm (for Ludwig, Talvela and Wächter) and Karajan (for Vickers' Tristan), this will remain, for me, the only adequate recording of Wagner's masterpiece.

Yes, yes, yes, there are better sounding recordings BUT this one sounds better than some say it does. And Flagstad, though not in her prime when this recording was done, was still fabulous and beyond nearly all other Isoldes. She is an immortal! Heavens! Hers is such an important voice for this role that you really can't have a collection of this opera without it.

This is a FABULOUS record of a tremendous voice and it really is one of the best performances we have of this work. Some may quibble about which is THE recording, but who cares? This recording belongs in your collection - period.

Plus there is Fischer-Dieskau and other wonderful singers and all conducted by Furtwaengler, whom everyone agrees understood this opera deeply.

This recording should never be out of print and should be in your collection. Honestly, this is such and important opera and had such a profound impact on the development of music and this is such an important recording of an important voice that you really should have this in your collection. You won't regret it.

Feel free to email me with your thoughts once you have heard it.

This outstanding performance of "Tristan" has long had classic status, and for good and valid reasons. Surely this must be considered to be Wilhelm Furtwangler's greatest recording. He creates a "Tristan" here full of magic, compulsion, and sheer genus. The 1952 EMI studio sound, especially since it's digital remastering, is never less than satisfactory. For many, this is THE "Tristan" recording. However, I have some reservations about it. To begin with, there's Kirsten Flagstad, without question she was without peer at any given time in the history of Wagnerian opera. Her voice in its best days was so awesome that she reigned over some of the greatest Wagnerian singers of the time ---- including Helen Traubel and Marjorie Lawrence, both great sopranos in their own rights.But by the time this "Tristan" was recorded in 1952, Flagstad was, sorry to say, several years past her best vocal days. Of course a Flagstad past her prime was still better than anyone else, and much of her work here is still very fine, but her Isolde had by this time, to my ears anyway, taken on a matronly and staid quality. Her interpretation is fine, but in a very generalized sort of way. Ludwig Suthaus may not have had the sheer vocal mass of Lauritz Melchior, but he is actually pretty good here. His Tristan has stature and is compelling throughout. The long Act II love duet is a real highlight of this recording ----- in fact, the best I've ever heard.Both Flagstad and Suthaus are tonally rapturous here and Furtwangler achieves orchestral effects here that border on a transfiguration ----- very beautiful indeed. There are many wonderful things to hear on this recording, but would I recommend it as a first choice? Maybe so, but I certainly wouldn't want to be without Karl Bohm's recording with Birgit Nilsson and Wolfgang Windgassen, with the benefit of stereo sound. Nilsson is a savage and searing Isolde and Windgassen is a towering Tristan. Bohm conducts a slashingly taut performance, and it's a thrill a minute. But the thrills to be heard on this EMI recording are also to be savored, but they are very different. A true Wagnerian will want to own both recordings, and possibly a third as well. But you certainly won't go wrong with this one.

This recording, made in London in 1952, has been recognized as one of the greatest of all opera recordings, and I agree with that. Furtwängler directs an incredible performance: this is his best opera recording, and as he is a superb conductor, that is no small achievement. His conducting is dark, intense, romantic and dramatic all at once. His slow tempi are more appropriate for this work, I think, than Böhm's breakneck ones: Furtwängler has the drama, passion, or whatever is being currently expressed unfold at a rate that gives the music its highest expressiveness. Kirsten Flagstad is an absolutely perfect Isolde. Even though she is considerably past her prime, her voice is unbelievable. Her Liebestod is one of my favorite recorded moments. Ludwig Suthaus is an excellent Tristan. His interpretation is superb, and has everything a Tristan should have. He is also past his prime, and his voice is deteriorating, but he offers up several passages of beautiful

sound. I would have liked to hear his voice in its prime. Blanche Thebom as Brangäne has a beautiful voice, but doesn't really project the character and is no match for Ludwig on DG. Josef Greindl is an excellent Mark, and the young Fischer-Dieskau makes his first appearance on a complete operatic recording as Kurwenal. The only reservation here is that since Kurwenal brought Tristan up, he obviously has to sound older; but Fischer-Dieskau naturally sounds much younger than Suthaus. But these are small, picky points, and the power and brilliance of this opera emerge and hit you straight on in this recording. Strongly recommended.

Since it's making in June of 1952 and its subsequent release, this "Tristan" has never been out of the catalogue, and for good reason: it is simply one of the best recordings ever made. An in depth narrative of Sam Shirakaw's somewhat overly sympathetic Furtwängler biography "The Devil's Music Maker", going into the obstacles in casting...Melchior as Tristan, Mödl and Klose as Brangäne, and the animosity between Furtwängler and Walter Legge. It was Flagstad both in front of and away from the microphone who got things done, by refusing to record unless she had both Furtwängler AND Legge, and by suggesting Thebom. And as Flagstad, Furtwängler and Legge all felt a great professional and personal need to make this recording, everyone put away their differences and gave their absolute best.

Top billing belongs to Furtwängler, perhaps the greatest German conductor of the first half of the 20th century. To record a four and a half hour work in small segments and making it cohesive was a monumental challenge in the early 50's, especially with a conductor who didn't care for the recording studio and who despised his producer. But Furtwängler went ahead, and with a relatively new orchestra, produced a seamless, thrilling and incandesant performance that has remained THE standard for half a century.

Flagstad gives the performance of a lifetime. Her voice, past it's prime, was still a formidable instrument, and had lost none of it's luster. Vocally, she is Furtwängler's equal, dominating every scene she's in with her magnificent velvety voice that is both soothing and hair raising.

Suthaus isn't quite up to the challenge in Act 3, nor at the end of Act 1. He has a warm baritonal tenor that serves well in the lyrical passages, and he sounds remarkable in the Liebesnacht with Flagstad. But the big moments in his solo scenes are just beyond him...where the voice should rise up and ring out over the orchestra,Suthaus is caught in a baritonal chest voice that mercilessly keeps him earth-bound.

Fischer-Dieskau is amazing at each hearing, singing with intelligence and untiring freshness.

Thebom sings with what has been described as a vinegry tone, and is somewhat superficial dramatically, providing just adequate support for Flagstad.

Josef Greindl, though not very appealing vocally, is quite good as Marke, conveying the old Kings' grief admirably.

The remainder of the cast is basically unremarkable, but with Furtwängler and Flagstad here, does it really matter?

And last but not least is Walter Legge, who in spite of his loathing Furtwängler and wanting Karajan, created a warm lucid sound (the best mono sound ever!), and got the job done in near record time. One of the benefits to the leftover session was the famous Furtwängler/Fischer-Dieskau "Lieder eines fahrendes Gesellen!

Because most reviewers discuss the performance and not the piece, I'll say just something about the latter for those who have not heard Tristan and Isolde but are interested. It is my favorite opera and is often considered "the first piece of modern music" due to its revolutionary harmony and "the most influential piece of 19th century music", or "Wagner's best". Simply put, this opera transfigures your mind, bringing it into a mythical realm in order to explore the pleasure and pain of love. It's a tremendous masterpiece, its composition a landmark in human history.

With that said, the main competitor to this recording is the Bohm with Nilson and Windgassen. Flagstad is widely acknowledged to be the best Wagner soprano of the century, so I say this recording wins there (the only problem was that Flagstad was an old lady by the time she recorded this performance, which is perhaps not fitting for Isolde, but oh well. By the way, did you know the 2 high C's near the beginning of act 2 are sung by Shwartzkopf on this recording? Listen carefully...). Windgassen's Tristan is especially poignant because of his great artistry. I think we sacrifice a little of this quality for Suthaus, but in return we get a stronger voice. Windgassen never really had the "heldentenor" aura, but he made great use of the ability he did have. Suthaus definitely has it though--this is a sacrifice I'm glad to make. As for conductors, I believe another reviewer said it best, "he's the MAN". I think Furtwangler's conducting blows away Bohms; just listen to the third prelude of both. Which captures that agonizing lonliness and tragedy better? Numerous other examples would make this review too long, but my vote definitely goes to Furtwangler. I have to say, some of the minor cast members I like more on the Bohm, like Brangane (Marke is debatable), and Kurvenal, but the most important aspects of a great recording are all here. I highly recommend Furtwangler's Tristan, and I doubt I'll ever hear better. (Ben Heppner and Jane Eaglen are pretty good though)

Many readers will howl at my rating this legendary recording with three stars, but hear me out.

Since Thielemann's live Tristan and EMI's studio version with Placido Domingo both received decidedly mixed reviews, I thought it would be interesting to consider the leading available choices for this great opera. Tristan is indispensable for any serious collector, and we have a wide range of choices. by some accounts, all are so uneven that there is no clear winner, but I think a choice can be made by considering which elements of the work are most important to you.

Condcutor: If all that mattered were the conductor, the situation would be golden. Wilhelm Furtwangler heads the list in 1952 with his much-acclaimed mono set on EMI, but at almost exactly the same time Karajan was conducting a live performance at Bayreuth, now issued in good broadcast mono by Orfeo, that gives Furtwangler a serious rival -- I prefer it, in fact. Twenty years later, this time in stereo, Karajan was magnificent with the Berlin Phil. in a studio set for EMI, despite some engineering quirks. Finally, there is Carlos Kleiber's dstreamlined modern view on DG. These four sets give us a conductor-dominated perspective of a score whose orchestral part alone would cause it to rank as a pinnacle of Western music. They encompass such diverse musical intelligence, insight, and virtuosity that I couldn't imagine wanting more. Other notable Wagner conductors -- Bohm, Solti, Knappertsbusch, and now (I suppose) Thielemann -- have also had their say in the modern era and have gained a clutch of enthusiastic fans, although I am not among them. Antonio Pappano, conducting on the EMI set with Domingo, gives a fresh reading with lots of virtues, although he seems consciously to steer away from Wagner style, perhaps too much so. Thielemann's great flaw is inconsistency; he is apt to go slack and lose focus, yet there are many moments of skill and beauty.

Orchestra: I wouldn't pick a favorite Tristan based upon the orcheswtra alone, but three glorious ensembles have recorded the work in top form: the Philharmonia for Furtwangler (not captured in the best mono sound, however), the Berlin Phil. for Karajan, Vienna Phil. for Thirelemann, and the Bayreuth Festival Orch. for the earlier Karajan, Bohm, and Barenboim (in case you consider him a major Wagner conductor -- I don't, but there's no doubt that the orchestra plays very well for him in a live performance on Teldec). In the opera house I don't think the Covent Garden orchestra could remotely keep up, but on Domingo's EMI recording they sound quite beautiful.

Tristan: For fifty years the long shadow of Melchior was so deep that every future Tristan was considered a make-do. However, Melchior made no commerical recording of the role, and those that exist from radio air-checks are a strain to listen to. Today only the old-timers mention Melchior's name, opening up the field for musical singers who have almost but not quite enough voice to rank as heldentenors. Windgassen gives an exemplary account for Bohm on DG, even though his leathery voice wasn't beautiful and he tires badly before the end -- the musicality is undoubtedly there. Even better is Domingo for Pappano on EMI, a studio effort that finds the aging superstar in tremendous voice, delivering one of his best Wagner roles. The thrilling high notes and bright tone are a huge plus. At the same level I would put Ramon Vinay singing for Karajan in his Bayreuth rendition. Vinay traveled back and forth between heroic tenor and baritone, giving tremendous animal magnetism and visceral impact to his portrayals. Both he and Domingo come from a Spanish-Italian tradition, so neither can be classed as a true German singer, yet they make convincing, moving Tristans. Siegfried Jerusalem, another intelligent artist, lags behind them on the Barenboim set becasue the role is three sizes too large for him rather than one or two; the same goes for Thomas Moser under Thielemann on DG -- obvious vocal strain makes both too hard to listen to. At the back of the pack comes Rene Kollo for Kleiber -- he is so overparted that you feel like you're watching a marathon runner trying to cross the finish line before he collapses from exhaustion. On Furtwangler's set Suthaus has a dry voice with medium heft, and the conductor's slow tempos quickly wear him out. I'm not sure why his dull Tristan has become a silk purse in the eyes of modern critics. If only the better-voiced and more musical Set Svanholm had stepped in to take his place.

The best news among Tirstans is that two tenors come as close as possible to being a match for Melchior, after conceding that no one ever will completely. The first, Jon Vickers, gives a risky, committed, emotionally intense performance on Karajan's stereo account. If no one else in the modern era had sung the role on disc, I would be satisfied, pace those critics who find Vickers too personal, even eccentric in his decidedly non-German approach. Sheer power, intelligence, and vocal gleam make up for whatever lack of authenticity one detects. The other "real" Tristan is Ben Heppner, who may fall a fraction short of being a heldentenor (he's more naturally suited to Walther in Meistesinger and the title role in Lohengrin), but who overcomes sall objections through sheer beuaty of voice, thrilling high notes, and emotional intenisty. Sadly, his Tristan can only be heard on a DVD of a live Met performance under James Levine. One hopes that a record company will capture him on disc before he gets too old -- I believe Sony BMG has announced plans of the sort.

Isolde: Conventional wisdom has it that two singers have owned the role, Kirsten Flagstad and Birgit Nilsson. That seems to leave little room for other dramatic sopranos, yet the case isn't quite so simple. It may offend true believers, but Flagstad sounds matronly and unexciting in her famous stuido recording under Furtwangler, and although she sings with great authority, I for one don't hear much dramatic diversity -- she keeps pouring out the same steady, huge sound without telling us much about Isolde's emotional changes. Brigit Nilsson, criticized in her day for the same reason, strikes me as a fierce Isolde in her live Bayreuth account under Bohm, yet nothing overshadows the fact that her assumption was stupendous. The gleaming voice conveys enormous intenisty and power, and the character stands before you in all her rage, passion, and eventual transcendence. To me, it's unthinkable to say you know the opera unless you have heard Nilsson. For a younger, somewhat softer version, she is the Isolde for Solti on Decca, too, caught a few years earlier. I find both portrayals incomparable.

Things get muddled after the big two. On Karajan's mono set we have Martha Modl, a powerful, intensely dramatic Isolde whose great flaw is that her voice was striking rahter than beautiful -- it's almost curdled at times -- yet for anyone who can listen beyond beauty of tone, Modl is very satisfying and a real risk-taker. On Karajan's stereo set the role goes to Helga Dernesch, a great Karajan discovery whose voice was supposedly ruined by taking on Brunnhilde and Isolde too early -- or perhaps she was never destined to be a true Wagnerian soprano, a hindrane that didn't stop Hildegard Behrens (heard to distressing effect on Bernstein's star-crossed version for Philips), Deborah Voigt (for Thielemann), Margaret Price (for Kleiber), Nina Stemme (for Pappano) or Waltraud Meier (for Barenboim), who isn't even a soprano.

Among all these contenders who don't quite fit the role, Dernesch comes closest. She had the misfortune to walk in Nilsson's shadow (not only here but as Karajan's Brunnhilde in Siegfried and Gotterdammerung on DG). I have never understood the criticism of her Isolde, which strikes me as beautiful, dramatic, and intense. Critics invariably praise Margasret Price, on the other hand, whose lyric soprano suited Mozart in youth and later grew into Verdi (sort of), but to me her Isolde is purely a gimmick of the microphone. Yes, she's youthful and fresh, but there's no real Isolde there in terms of stature and authority. Nina Stemme could turn into a convincing Isolde with time -- the young Sweish soprano shows great promise -- but she was out of her depth on the Domingo set, where her agreeable vocalism is undercut by dramatic blandness. Meier is too obviously a make-do, pinching out her high noes and hanging on for dear life the rest of the time, which brings us to Voigt. Her ventures into Wagner make sense in vocal terms, and she has the courage to do the role of Isolde live for Thielemann, exposing herself to cruel demands and inevitable exhaustion.

The probelm with Voigt is that, like Behrens, she possesses only half a Wagner voicce -- the gleaming top -- and where Behrens made up for lack of vocal weight through thrilling characterization, Voigt is a dull singing actress. She pushes the notes with sufficient intensity, yet you never feel Isolde's emotional power -- at every moment a soprano with a big, beautiful voice is just pouring out sound. Make the voice twice as large and you get Jane Eaglen, the dominant Wagner soprano of the day. Her strength lies in her top notes, too, but she can give a credible rendition of the entire role. Eaglen succeeds through sheer power, being able to carry over the orchestra without benefit of enhancement from the engineers. In the opera house she can be vocally stunning, but Eaglen isn't much for acting, so her portrayal on the same Met DVD as Heppner lacks dramatic interest. (I don't believe she will be paired with Heppner on his proposed recording, but there are resonable sounding pirate versions of their partnership from the Chicago Lyric Opera, easily fuond online. Be prepared for distortion and odd blanaces; clearly someone sneaked a portable tape recorder into the house)

I've tried to give a fair assessment of the Tristan recordings that impress me personally. In the end, of course, each listener must decide which elements of this vast opera are most critical. Since I put conducting first and foremost, followed by dramatic believability, my preferred sets are as follows:

Karajan -- EMI (stereo)
Karajan -- Orfeo (mono)
Bohm -- DG
Pappano -- EMI
Furtwangler -- EMI
C. Kleiber -- DG

Demoting Furtwangler from his legendary status is enough to earn a hail of disdain at Amazon, but for overall enjoyment my top three versions are the ones I have returned to for several decades.

This is the greatest, the best, the one indispensable recording of Tristan. But it is much more. It is one of the most important documents in 20th century classical music. It forces one to reflect on the meaning and status of interpretation versus composition, re-creation versus creation, and the marked shift from focus on the composer to interpreter. Adorno has argued that Furtwaengler is the perfect synthesis of both. Together with Casals' Bach and Furtwaengler's Beethoven (9th), this Tristan represents the highest accomplishment in recorded music.

Don't kid yourself. This recording is THE STANDARD BY WHICH ALL OTHER TRISTANS FOR ALL TIME WILL BE JUDGED. Furtwangler creates a mystical magical world in which the listener has an experience of tranfiguration. Yes, this is religious language, but it accurately describes the extraordinary powers of this recording. Beyond the vocal maturity of Flagstad and Suthaus at the time of the recording, their singing is nothing less than awe inspiring. Flagstad at the end of her glorious career is nevertheless unmatched, and puts out her most melancholy Isolde. Suthaus' great asset, in contrast to a Windgassen, Vickers or even Melchior is a dark timber to his Heldentenor, which gives his Tristan a particularly tragic tone. His Third Act delirium is unrivalled and gut wrenching. The chemistry between the two, along with the supporting cast, orchestra and chorus is all due to the magic worked by Wilhelm Furtwangler. He is THE MAN. There will probably not be another creation like this.

Opinion is very sharply divided on the merits of Furtwangler's conducting, not only in Wagner but also in Bruckner and elsewhere. By his own admission, Furtwangler was extremely subjective and personal as an interpreter and felt that wearing his heart on his sleeve was absolutely necessary. I think his approach to Tristan, which is arguably the most passionate, erotic and romantic of Wagner's mature operas, was very successful. I believe this recording was made in 1954, not long before his death, and the sound quality is outstanding for the period. In any case it is much better than either of his two complete Rings in Italy and very comparable to his Die Walkure in Vienna. I personally prefer the sound on the Karajan EMI set with the Berlin Philharmonic, which gives the orchestra even greater amplitude and sonority, but the latter recording was made in modern stereo. The orchestral playing of the Philharmonia is of very high quality. Ludwig Suthaus as Tristan in my view did not match Jon Vickers in terms of emotional intensity, but otherwise was very good. Suthaus was incidentally a favourite of this conductor, hence their frequent collaborations on record. As expected Kirsten Flagstad was resplendent as Isolde, one of the best recordings she ever made. For those who may not already be aware, the top C at "Tristan, geliebter" in the beginning of the Act II Love Duet was dubbed in by Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, the wife of Walter Legge, the recording's balancing engineer. The rest of the cast is excellent too. The documentation and overall presentation is very satisfactory.

It is gratifying that this historic performance has remained for so long in circulation. I will not declare that this is the Tristan to have, since there are several fine versions available, but for the sake of hearing Furtwangler and Flagstad at the peak of their careers, it is an indispensable issue.