Customer Reviews

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This recording of "Tristan und Isolde" was made live at the 1966 Bayreuth Festival. It was a separate performance, though, designated for this recording, and recorded an act at a time so that the singers would be able to sing "all out" in every act. While the results are not flawless, the compelling drama and power of this "Tristan" are something to marvel at, and in my final rundown this gets the silver medal for best "Tristan."

First and foremost is the magnificent supporting cast, by far the best on any recording. Martti Talvela, the great Finnish bass, sings a gorgeous Marke, superbly shaping his long Act II monologue and producing bronze-colored, resonant tone throughout. He is by far the best King on disc. Christa Ludwig sings Brangäne, perhaps the key supporting character, with glorious, creamy tone and deep insight; the finest Brangäne I have ever heard. The supporting cast is rounded out by Eberhard Wächter, a superb Kurwenal, and (luxury casting) Peter Schreier as the sailor. The chorus contributes excellent work.

Only slightly below this towering standard are Birgit Nilsson (Isolde) and Wolfgang Windgassen (Tristan). Nilsson's Act I is one of the most magnificent vocal achievements on record. She attacks each exposed high note with total security and perfect intonation, and sings intensely and powerfully, here at least the equal of Flagstad. Her Act II is not as good, though, because here she has to sing softly and beautifully (never her strong points), and while she is admirable, she doesn't evoke that sense of awe at the sheer quality of voice that comes from Flagstad. Her two Act III monologues are excellent, particularly her earlier one ("Ich bin's, ich bin's, süssester Freund"). The Liebestod (or "Verklärung" [Transfiguration] as Wagner would have it) is powerful and harrowingly intense, but again there could be smoother legato and more beautiful tone. I must stress here, though, that this is a live performance; considering that, her achievement here is astounding. She is one of the best Isoldes on disc. Her Tristan is Wolfgang Windgassen. Windgassen was essentially a powerful but lyric tenor; only through his intelligence could he produce portrayals as magnificent as his Siegfried and his Tristan, captured here. He shows himself to be the most liquid-toned of Heldentenors, with a beautiful, soft-toned voice. His voice is not ideal for Tristan (this incredibly taxing role requires a voice of DARK beauty, in addition to a ringing top, neither of which belongs to Windgassen), but what he does with what he has is another matter. His Act III madness is both frenzied and profound, and all the time beautifully sung. It is only in the heaviest passages of all (e.g. when he curses the love potion or his last "Zu ihr!") that I feel a more powerful voice is needed. Windgassen was unquestionably the best Heldentenor at the time of this recording, and is almost as good as Suthaus (Furtwängler) and Vickers (Karajan), who had the huge advantage of recording their performances in a studio.

Karl Böhm conducts. He takes fast tempi throughout, and while in the dramatic parts (as in the beginning of Act III, Scene 3) this works magnificently, his fierce approach doesn't work in the more lush, romantic scenes ("O sink hernieder" to the end of the love duet, the Liebestod, etc). He is consistent, though, and I suppose having whip-fast tempi is better in this work than having funeral tempi (like Bernstein), but there is a middle road, which Furtwängler and Karajan take. However, a huge gain resulting from his fast tempi is that the whole opera can be fitted onto three discs, one for each act. Böhm gets very good playing from the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, even if it is not as refined or beautiful as the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic for Karajan or the Philharmonia Orchestra for Furtwängler.

Of the three recordings I have heard, here are my verdicts. Karajan (EMI/Angel): gorgeous sound, well-judged tempi, a magnificent Tristan in Jon Vickers - but the final result is decidedly underwhelming: there is none of the essential ardent fire behind the glossy exterior, and Dernesch as Isolde is not nearly powerful enough. Böhm: a fast, intense recording; if at times it is not as lyrical and beautiful as it could be, it is far preferable to Karajan's superficiality. But my first choice is, and will always be, Furtwängler (EMI). He has the best pair of lovers and the best orchestra, and he himself is overwhelming. It will be reissued at mid-price next year, but at the moment is very much full price (about $64). If you're on a budget, get this Böhm recording. It's cheap ($36), exciting, and an excellent introduction to this astounding piece of music. Happy listening!

I was lucky enough to be present at the last outing of this Wieland Wagner production with essentially the same cast - the curtain calls went on for more than 45 minutes!

Undoubtedly, this is a totally exceptional performance - one of those live performances that catches fire from the first enigmatic rise and fall to the famous 'Tristan' chord and never lets you go until long after the last note of the Liebestod has died away. Bohm (often accused of being kapellmeisterish at the time) is electric - the music ebbs and flows with the passion of the protagonists, at times whipped up to almost hysterical proportions (Tristan's Act 2 arrival and the height of his dementia in Act 3 for example), at others achingly lonely (Marke's monologue or the shepherd's piping come to mind).

The singing, too, is unsurpassed. Nilsson and Windgassen are in superlative form throughout - Windgassen tired in Act 3? His character is dying, for God's sake - and he certainly rises to the excitements of Isolde's arrival and the ripping of the bandages from his wound. Christa Ludwig sings Brangane's warnings from the tower with a haunting rapture that matches that of the lovers downstage. The much-missed Martti Talvela sings his (presumably huge) socks off as Marke, turning a character who can be a bore into, for his moment, the most sympathetic and moving person in the opera.

I've never got it with Furtwangler and Flagstad by the time of that performance sounded too maternal for my taste. Bernstein is brave and at times fascinating but his cast aren't as good. Karajan is too overcooked and Vickers - often a great Tristan on stage - was too self-indulgent here. Kleiber (who I also heard, magnificently, at Bayreuth) conducts wonderfully and has a beautifully sung Isolde in Margaret Price, but his Tristan is the rather pedestrian Kollo.

For me, this Bohm recording is the yardstick Tristan and a great example of Bayreuth at its absolute best. The engineers capture the unique Bayreuth sound well, too.

Even though I consider The Ring to be the most perfect work-of-art in music history, Tristan und Isolde is, to my mind, the ultimate artistic experience that a person can possibly experience in a single evening. Every facet of this masterpiece is stunning. From the famous Prelude to Act I that inaugurates the emotional abyss, to the orgasmic Act II, the emotionally shattering Prelude of Act III, and finally the painfully transcendental Liebestod.

I just get chills when I consider the circumstances that surround this music drama. Wagner was reeling from his breakup with the beautiful and talented Mathilde Wesendonck, the wife of his patron. Wagner was strapped financially, and near penury. He also encountered the profoundly revealing philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation. All of these events proved to be the necessary catalysts to galvanize Wagner's towering genius into creating something wholly novel in the world of art. Drawing on lost love, philosophical pessimism, transcendental redemption, and an incredible intellect, Wagner forever altered Western music with Tristan.

This Bayreuth performance is flawless. Nilsson is a force of nature. Windgassen is the greatest heroic tenor on disc, and all of the supporting cast is top notch. One really can't say enough about Nilsson. She is phenomenal in the taxing second act; she even manages to outdo herself in Act III.

Bohm's direction is breathtaking; tempos never lag and no element of the orchestra overshadows any other. The Bayreuth acoustics are rightly haled as the most conducive in conveying the texture and richness of Tristan.

Of all of Wagner's artistic innovations, the most consistently maligned is his libretti. I disagree when it comes to Tristan. While my knowledge of German is elementary, if the translation provided is anything to go on, Wagner surpassed himself with this opera. Isolde's farewell aptly describes my feelings about this dark masterpiece:

"In the surging swell,
in the ringing sound,
in the vast wave,
of the world's breath -
to drown,
to sink
unconscious -
supreme bliss!"

It is easy to complain that Bohm's tempi are too fast for this opera, when a "typical" uncut performance runs about 4 hours and this one goes for 3 hours and 38 minutes. For all intents and purposes this means a reduction of playing time of around 7 minutes per Act. There are moments when one might wish for a more langourous approach, but Bohm does observe tempo changes very consistently. It is much easier to get through this opera, in a live performance (and I have sat through one), with a generally brisk basic tempo. This ensemble of singers and orchestra also performs the Ring cycle at the same Bayreuth summer festival - recorded by Philips - and it is remarkable how similar these recordings are in terms of the balances between the sections of the orchestra, the balance between the orchestra and the singers, and the sound of the instruments themselves. If you listen to the Liebestod and the Immolation Scene from Gotterdammerung, you can hear the nearly identical sound image of the brass section. And surprisingly, the base and treble definition of both performances is very close too, in spite of the difference in recording companies.

The performances of the principals in this recording has received mixed reviews. I will simply add that the power of Nilsson is remarkable, whether one likes her voice or not, especially when she was singing Brunnhilde at the same time. It should be noted the supporting roles of Brangane, Kurwenal and King Marke were extremely well taken here; Christa Ludwig's lyrical mezzo was never recorded better and she is a very good vocal match for the powerful Nilsson. The choral contributions are effective too.

The recording effectively captures the atmosphere of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, and having each Act recorded complete and uninterrupted on one CD is an ideal presentation. The notes and documentation are well done and the packaging is attractive.

All in all, this is a very worthwhile issue and well deserving of the "Originals" label. Strongly recommended.

It is very hard to try to write a recommendation for a perfect recording of Tristan und Isolde, since each set has its own set of pros and cons. However, of all the Tristans I have listened to, Karl Böhm's recording made at 1966 in Bayreuth seems to be the one that I come back to the most. There was a time when I could not appreciate Böhm's conducting because I felt that he rushed through the lucid and erotic qualities of the score. When I listen to this now, with fresher ears and having listened to the majority of Tristan recordings on the market, I find that his conducting gives Tristan an electricity that cannot be found in other recordings. There is a passion and energy that you can find in Böhm's conducting that you cannot hear in Karajan's or Solti's interpretations, and this set definitely tops Berstein's and Kleiber's recording in many respects. The orchestra plays beautifully under his direction, just as they did in the Ring for Böhm exactly a year later. I would say that the conductor's reading of the score is full of energy, passion, eroticism, forward propulsion and movement, and pathos. The conductor's somewhat Mozartian/ classical treatment of the Romantic and chord-saturated score gives it a lift and an elegance without sacrificing the Wagnerian ethos that make it so special. I would say that this is the most masterfully conducted Tristan, and adding to that the special Bayreuth sound and you have one of the most orchestrally captivating experiences you'll ever hear.

However, the one factor that places this Tristan above all other recordings is the amazing cast assembled in this massive project. Birgit Nilsson, in my opinion, is the greatest Isolde...period. Her first act Isolde is a powerhouse of rage with the jealousy, love, revenge, sadness, resignation and all other of Isolde's character aspects that make her such a complex heroine. Her second act Isolde is meltingly tender, and she is able to scale down her voice to make the love duet sound like silk. Her third act Liebestod is an apotheosis of years of learning this role, and only Nilsson can sing it with the rapture and beauty that it deserves. I was wrong to find her too steely. Not many voices like hers come in our lifetime, and how lucky we are that she came during a time when voices can be captured in their greatest performances.

Below this towering standard is the Tristan of Wolfgang Windgassen. Although he does not have the beautiful timbre of Placido Domingo, the haunting voice of Vickers, or the reticent ease of Lauritz Melchior's voice, he offers drama and intensity that would never be matched by any tenor before or after him. His phrasing is exemplary, and his intelligence makes his Tristan one of the most compelling accounts on record. In fact, after Vickers, he is perhaps the most intense Tristan ever to have sung the part, albeit the fact that his voice is taken to its limits in the third act delirium. I don't know how I would live without his Tristan, as Birgit herself said that "Wolfie" saved her many a time when she got lost in the extremely exposed and difficult lead roles.

The supporting cast is perhaps the best on records. Christa Ludwig is the most beautiful and theatrical Brangäne, and Eberhard Wächter is a youthful, yet testosterone induced Kurwenal. You must hear Ludwig's calls from the tower...I think that alone is the price of this landmark recording. Their respective interaction with the leads is a must-hear--especially Ludwig's interactions with Nilsson in Act I. Martti Talvela sings the part of King Marke with a nobility and the kind of gravitas I've only heard again in Rene Pape, and he should be referred to as a reference for this short, yet pivotal role. The smaller parts in this opera are taken by Peter Schreier, Gerd Nienstedt, and Claude Heater--all of whom are great Bayreuth artists.

Of course, you must still hear other recordings of Tristan. I could recommend Karajan's 1952 Bayreuth account, or Kleiber's 1976 La Scala, or Pappano's studio recording with Domingo. You should also try Reiner's set with Flagstad and Melchior, but for the complete Tristan experience, this set is the one that you should return to if you want to hear a true Wagnerian epic taking place in your living room. Bravi tutti!

People become very involved with specific versions of great works and this is especially true of opera. Like people attached to baseball statistics they find this or that specific detail as confirmation of truth or proof of heresy. I take an approach that lets each interpretation speak for itself and allowing for human limitations and imperfections.

I mean, how in the world can any one person embody all the ideal possibilities of an archetype like an Isolde or a Tristan. Once you agree to stage the thing you are doomed to fall short, yet you should make the attemp, right?

Well, this recording from 1966 is just wonderful. Very good sound and powerful singing. Obviously more powerful than could be done in any single live performance because their voices would give out.

As for tempi, slow or fast both have their supporters. For me, this version does NOT feel rushed. That the climactic points are in different places in this version than in another version is not all that important. Does this version work? I believe it does, but another person may not. OK, now what?

The point to know is that Birgit Nilsson is one of the two greatest Isoldes of the 20th century, and almost everyone will agree to that. And you can have this treasure in your collection for a few dollars. You should put it there today.

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

No singer will ever feel in the skin of Tristan as Windgassen felt on those magic nights. Hear him falling down on the stage after the fever consumes him with his visions of Isolde and you will understand that this is not a singer singing his part and getting paid after that; this is Tristan himself dying on the grass of his homeland, Cornwall. Hear his voice fighting to reach the upper notes -and not succeeding- and you will forgive him because what he gives you is absolute truth, which you very rarely find in live recordings. Thank you Mr. Windgassen; I'll be forever indebted to you.The third act is unbeatable. Mrs Nilsson couldn't be a sweeter, angrier or passionate Isolde according to the scenes she's to sing.If you miss this recording at this price you will not only miss the best recording of "Tristan & Isolde" ever recorded but an authentic piece of life "live"

My personal favorite for many, many years, has been Goodall's lush and gorgeous recording, with Linda Esther Gray as the single most beautiful Isolde ever to be committed to tape, analogue or digital. I resisted Bohm's recording simply because it was so popular and the shorter, quicker running time turned me away. How can you rush through Wagner's extraordinary scoring??

Well - I was wrong. I finally grabbed this warm and rich remastered set, and listened to it in one sitting, and was knocked sideways. Nothing is lost in the intense playing like I thought it would be, all the nuances, Wagner's downright experimental scoring, everything can be heard, and without a tiny hint of audience noise. Each disc is a complete Act and each one feels like a complete drama.

The voices are rip roaring great and they cut through the music as if the drama were really happening. I think Goodall's will always have a #1 place in my heart, mostly because Esther Gray's Liebestod is the most moving and beautiful on record, but this Tristan, with a cast that just cannot be surpassed, will always be there for me when I need to clear the air.

It is with this recording that one finally understands how dangerous, how new, Wagner's "music of the future" really was.

Not much to add to the many reviews which speak highly of this excellent recording. It is one of the classic recordings that belongs in everyone's Tristan collection. Bohm's speed adds to the intensity of the music rather than distract from. it. Nilsson and Ludwig in their respective roles have no equal. Talvela is a commanding King Mark and maybe the best on record in this small but pivotal role. Wachter's Kuvenal is well done. Windgassen is an excellent Tristan and a is very underrated. This must have been an exciting evening in Bayreuth. I wish Amazon would go over some of the reviews and edit them. But Amazon is to be blessed for their allowing reviews in the first place. Kudos to everybody at DG and Amazon.

Yes, this was my first complete opera CD. I had just listen to the prelude to the first act on TV and I guess I bite the bate! Of course I was overwhelmed by the power, length and complexity of this work but I was also incredibly attracted to the beauty and uniqueness of this opera. I now own several very important recordings of this opera and I have to admit I love them all, but this one might be the best all-around recording. Bohm's conducting is second to none, O.K. he is a little bit faster than average but exceptional in every aspect of his interpretation of the work. He conducts the orchestra like I would if I knew how to! Furtwangler and Karajan are great conductors of this work but they miss the beauty of some parts of the opera like the love duet in the second act: with Furtwangler is kind of boring (it drags a little), with karajan is not sensuous enough, but with Bohm is perfectly balanced and memorable. Nilsson is the best Isolde of them all. Her voice is able to make me forget that Modl or Flagstad even exist and they're really good! Nilsson is the only one able to sing "Mild und Leise" the way it should be sang. The only drawback is Windgassen's Tristan, not bad but I'd rather have Vickers on this recording. Vickers is Tristan. He was born to sing this role. His voice is enormous! It is robust and harmonious at the same time; he's the heldentenor real deal! Finally I would mention Ludwig's Brangane which is the finest on record. Only with some listening training was I able to identify who's Isolde and who's Brangane during the first act's duet. The recording itself was made in perfect conditions, only a few lucky ones were inside the opera house which has impressive acoustics. All acts were recorded live in different days so that the voices don't sound tired. This is the best sounding relevant Tristan! All in all, this is one of my most precious possessions. A fine relic of probably the most beautiful and important opera of all time. I'm sure Herr Wagner would be proud of it!!!