Customer Reviews

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
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This is a live recording made by HMV at Covent Garden in 1936, and has been unavailable for far too long. This super-bargain Naxos reissue does wonders to the mediocre sound, lessening tape-hiss and lending extra clarity that does justice to the splendors of the performance. The only serious sonic drawback is that the whole thing is taped at a very low dymanic level, so it must be played at high volume to be fully appreciated. The performance, though, is in a class of its own.

Kirsten Flagstad is recorded here a year after she hit the international scene, and it is an overwhelming experience to hear her radiant voice in its prime. By the time she recorded Isolde for Furtwängler in 1952, she was fifty-seven, and past her prime: her voice had acquired a rather harsh, mettalic edge, and the higher notes came with effort. Here, though, she is truly great: as with the greatest singers, her voice is solid at the core but has a soft-toned, beautiful edge. The color of the voice is quite extraordinary, but probably the most overwhelming thing about Flagstad's voice is its security and effortlessness. She makes herself clearly heard over one hundred instrumentalists, and does it in a way that makes falling off a log seem difficult in comparison. As to her acting skills - I can't understand people's criticisms. Surely it makes more sense to portray Isolde as a dark, brooding princess in Act I than portray her as a psychotic sorceress out for revenge! All the emotion is there in the music and in her voice: she doesn't have to exaggerate or go over the top.

As difficult a role as Isolde is, Tristan is probably even more challenging. But here, Tristan is sung by Lauritz Melchior, the greatest Heldentenor who ever lived. Melchior survives the impossibly long role to sing extraordinarily beautifully and powerfully in the taxing closing pages of his role, and elsewhere, he is just as magnificent. The baritonal timbre of his lower register combined with his free, radiant top, is about as ideal as it gets, and furthermore, there is not even the faintest suspicion of a wobble or a beat. He has excellent poetic instincts, as well. His delivery of the climactic line in Act III, "Wie? Hör' ich das Licht? Die Leuchte, ha!" is unforgettable, and capped by a magnificent high A. He has no rivals on record, surpassing even Suthaus's musicianship and eloquence for Furtwängler, and Vickers's harrowing portrayal for Karajan.

Flagstad and Melchior, fortunately, have excellent colleagues to support them on stage and in the pit. Sabine Kalter is a magnificent Brangäne, encompassing the higher reaches of the role easily and singing with firm, beautiful tone and a model legato. Herbert Janssen is an excellent Kurwenal, with well-focused, dark tone, and Emanuel List is a dark-toned, poetic Marke. The London Philharmonic plays beautifully, with particularly fine playing from the strings, under the direction of Fritz Reiner. Reiner's speeds are quite fast, but he makes them work through sheer conviction, as, for instance Böhm for DG can't do. The other supporting roles are generally well taken. The only musical drawback is that sections of the last two acts are cut: about ten to fifteen minutes are missing from Act II, and about fifteen minutes from Act III. Taking into account the less than ideal sound, the cuts, and Reiner's unrevelatory direction, I would not recommend this as the only recording of "Tristan" for your library. Furtwängler's peerless reading of the score can be heard on EMI, with an older Flagstad and an intelligent but taxed Tristan in Suthaus; Böhm's 1966 Bayreuth set is dramatically compelling but totally misses out on the luscious beauty of this work; EMI's 1970 set has Vickers's overwhelming Tristan and the gorgeous Berlin Philharmonic - in addition to Dernesch's weak Isolde and uninvolved conducting from Karajan. My recommendation for your first recording of this massive work depends on your capacity for mediocre sound. If you must have modern sound, get the Böhm. If you can take mono sound, get Furtwängler's EMI set. But this Reiner version is really the only well sung "Tristan" in the catalogue. You haven't heard "Tristan und Isolde" until you've heard Flagstad and Melchior singing their hearts out.

Before buying this recording, I only had the EMI version with Furtwaengler and Suthaus that had Flagstad before. I thought she was brilliant in that recording. Hearing her again here in a performace from 18th May 1936 in Covent Garden in London left me stunned. I had been wanting this performance for quite some time now ..., but then I heard that Naxos Historical was going to release it. So I waited. And the wait definitely worth it.

Having also heard Melchior in the role of Tristan in the performance from 1943, also released by Naxos Historical, and I was thrilled that he was even better here, 7 years earlier.

What put me off on the EMI recording were the Brangaene and Marke. I am by no means a fan of Josef Greindl and found his Marke too gritty (I think Greindl is always too gritty). The mezzo who sang Brangaene (I forgot her name) was ok, but nothing else. But Sabine Kalter and Emanuel List, one of the greatest bassos ever, were both so remarkable.

But the stars are Flagstad and Melchior, both singing such movingly, hauntingly beautifully and securly throughout the whole opera.

Reiner's conducting is also extremely good. He has just the right timing and the orchestra also plays beautifully.

Finally the sound. The sound is also remarkable. The sound is of course noisy (it is a live recording fra 1936), but still is it extremely clear. You hear what is being sung at all times with no distortion in the voices, even when they sing at the highest, which is a normal problem for recordings from that aera.

Again, like the heading says, it is perfect. All the stars sing at their best and deliver the best performance one is likely to hear anywhere anytime.

This version on Tristan and Isolde is one of two versions currently available with Kirsten Flagstad and Lauritz Melchior. That Melchior is the top Heldentenor of all time is undisputed. Flagstad is considered one of the greatest Wagnerian sopranos ever. To many, myself included, hers is the "voice of the century". Fritz Reiner, who later in life made the Chicago Symphony Orchestra one of the world's best ensembles, is quite good here. The London Philharmonic players handle the music well, though the 1936 recording doesn't do them justice. The rest of the cast is wonderful, all first rate Wagnerians - this is quite simply the best singing you will ever hear of this opera. If you want to be swept away by the sound of the orchestra, then a more modern recording, say Kleiber or Karajan, is for you. If you value the interpretation over all else, Furtwangler is the best, and a 57 year old Flagstad is still superior to all but a younger Flagstad. But to hear the best singing ever, Flagstad and Melchior in their primes is absolutely unbeatable.

As for the reviewer who strongly favored the Beecham recording - he should check the liner notes. Most of acts I and III on the "Beecham" recording is actually this Reiner performance. Many of the original 78s for the Beecham performance have been lost, so EMI filled the gaps with Reiner. That said, this pressing by Naxos brings the voices out much better than the EMI pressing. Recording engineer Ward Marston is truly a marvel.

I should also mention that there are potentially better Tristan recordings of Flagstad/Melchior out there. The Metropolitan Opera broadcast nine out of the sixty-seven times the pair sung it at the Met between 1935 and 1941. None of these have been released, but the tapes are sitting there. Perhaps someday Naxos or some other label that restores classic performances will get access to the Met archives and give us an even better performance.

I admit that "Tristan und Isolde" was NOT an opera I came to enjoy quickly. In fact, it bored me beyond belief. Partly because the first recording I ever heard of it was the very long drawn out one by Bernstein with fairly unpleasing singers. Later when I hear Margaret Price in the role, I warmed to the opera, then was converted to it with the EMI recording of Flagstad. That recording really gripped me. And unlike many, I didn't find near as many flaws with the singing as I could find with the Bernstein recording. Then I found this one. Now I can figure out what all the fuss was about when people went to hear/see this opera in the theatre back in the "golden ages of singing." Of course, I didn't live then, so everything was a mass of "opinions from the papers" of the day. I am so glad that brilliant technical masters are remastering these old recordings of live performances so we can see what all the fuss really was about from this time of superb Wagner singing. No longer are these incredible performances just "words on the page." My mother and grandmother saw Flagstad often, and with Melchior, and I remember them telling me how glorious the sound of their voices was, that each was not just full of volume (loud as we would say today) but a wash of sound that rolled like a tidal wave over the orchestra and was never strained. Of course, I played this recording to my mother and her fine ear told me that though I was certainly hearing a great likeness of the sound, the real thrill of the voices was not captured. She put it bluntly: "Just as large voices today don't record well, and cannot be reflected with all their qualities, large voices of that day are only reflections of the grandeur that was truly theirs."

Still, the recording is awesome. The singing is fabulous even to the smaller roles. One singer I had never heard of and that was the Brangane (Sabine Kalter). I was amazed at the quality of her voice, and the standard of her singing. She not only matched Flagstad, she held her own in an important but not showy role.
The score has been cut, but that was common at the time, and actually Wagner himself authorized those cuts (and even more, if he could have persuaded the great Dramatic Colorature of his day, Therese Tietjens to sing it). In my view, the opera really doesn't improve without the cuts, it is just longer.

The orchestra is playing truly well in this performance. It has been mentioned it isn't as good as the orchestra in this or that recording. Still, the playing is excellent, and again, we must stop comparing it to the sound of modern recordings. Those were studio recordings, this is live; those recordings had the microphones placed at an advantage for orchestral balance, this recording doesn't. The tempi are quicker than often heard these days (is that telling us something of that time frame verses ours where everything is scrutinized to death for detail ignoring the whole) yet I find the feeling and drama are never lost.

Melchior's sound to me sometimes sounds "weird." I don't know how to describe it. The upper register is not strained, but seems at odds with the rest of his voice. No breaks, but not blended. That, according to my mother, is simply the limitations of the recording equipment of the day. His upper range was strong and clarion, nearly trumpet-like and filled the theatre with a very strong "ring." Yet, the warmth of the baritonal lower ranger was strongly present in that upper range. That, according to her remembrance, is what we are missing in his recordings. The "ring" sort of comes through, but the warmer balance doesn't always record.

In spite of all that, this is by far the most exciting recording of "Tristan und Isolde" I have ever heard. I am actually really thrilled by the opera and because of the great singing, and orchestral excitement I hear. It is well worth the money (even if it were much more expensive). I wonder why more and more old recordings are being released, especially live performances. I hope it isn't just because there are no royalties to the artist to pay. I think it is because we can now remaster these recordings and bring to life the greatest of the great performances of these wonderful operas. Perhaps it is to bring sanity to our conductors and performers so they finally learn what real opera is all about. Whatever the reason, I am glad they are doing it.

Earlier this year, I reviewed the Karajan Tristan and advised that it was "hands down" the best Tristan available. That was, I am pleased to report. before the issuance of this major find. This is without a doubt the finest Tristan ever recorded. In fact, I'll go even further. This recording rates as the best opera recording of all time, bar none! This is a Tristan as Wagner instructed. The ease of the voices and the depth of the drama will leave you with tears in your eyes. Technically, you won't even hear the needle friction or other sounds. Folks, this is absolutely a great, great find, worth five times the price. Flagstad sings so effortlessly and Melchior is just so good, so fine, so smooth, it's hard to believe. Thank God for this recording, for I now have heard Wagner at his very, very best. WCN

This is THE one and only recording of the opera you need. Although I have listened to all the other version, this is a version sans pareil. Reiner is superb and so are the singers. I congratulate the Naxos company for bringing out a recording that deserves 2 Rosettes and all the stars in the sky. Reiner's is a sensual performance of this masterpiece, caressingly beautiful and with superb, almost immaculate playing from the London Philharmonic. The cast is an exceptionally strong one, with Kirsten Flagstad and Lauritz Melchior turning in what are finest and most compelling performance of the title roles. The recording has been beautifully remastered, further refining the brilliance and clarity of the original recording and the 1936 sound has plenty of body and yer is admirably balanced, catching the London Philharmonic Orchestra at its peak, making this an excellent first choice, with inspired conducting and the most satisfactory cast of all.

As much as I admire Kirsten Flagstad's work on the 1952 Furtwangler recording on EMI, I must admit that her voice by that time had taken on a maronly and staid quality, and that, at the age of 57, her greatest singing days were behind her. But to hear the Flagstad voice here ---- sixteen years earlier --- is to hear the greatest dramatic soprano of the twentieth century. There's a dramatic thrust to her singing here that is completely non-existent on the 1952 EMI studio recording. Of course she sings those two lightning top C's in Act II (which she had spliced in for her by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf on the 1952 EMI set) and they give her no trouble whatsoever. Most importantly, she has at her side the equally legendary Lauritz Melchior, with whom she made the most spectacular appearances of her career. While it can be argued that Flagstad had a successor in Birgit Nilsson, no one can say that anyone ever approached Lauritz Melchior in the Wagnerian repertoire. He is the Tristan of one's dreams ---- liquid, vocally sonorous, and musically accurate. Together, the singing of Flagstad and Melchior is the stuff of which legends are made, and we get the full impact of it on this wonderful recording. I find Reiner's rendition of the music to be more exciting than Furtwanglers, but not as lyrical or expansive. This sound on this recording is outstanding for what it is, a 1936 live taping. Incredibly enough, while not state-of-the-art monophonic 1950's sound, it is perfectly listenable, sometimes amazingly vivid, and never less than acceptable. The listener's ear very quickly adjusts as they are put into a time capsule and carried back to a time when a Wagnerian performance containing singing of such magnitude was considered commonplace.

If you want the kind of Wagner recording that will give you the best performance and recording, this is the Tristan for you. Fritz Reiner conducts the Covent Garden forces with lyrical beauty. Contrary to popular perception, Wagner's opera are not all about overpowering the audience and speeding away to the next musical climax. There are two points in particular that Reiner's interpertation respects. Firstly, Wagner was a very lyrical composer. The seeds for his style come just as much from the Italian bel canto operas as from the Austro-Germanic symphonic tradition. Secondly, with this opera Wagner was experimenting with a new kind of tonality. It of the utmost importance to the drama that these strange harmonies be brought to the forefront, as it is they that express the impossibility of Tristan and Isolde's love. Wagner does not resolve his chords traditionally until the end of the opera, corresponding to the liebestod, love resolved through death. Reiner achieves much of the beautiful lyricism. The result is a rich, beautiful love-to-end-all-loves that Wagner so clearly intended.

If you want a dramatic and yet lyrical beautiful recording full of for rich, romantic transendence, get this one. But if you are looking for bad taste masquerading behind Penguin rosettes and stars and big names and bigger egos, try the rest of the field.

Buy this, even you have one or other performance because this is really THE performance. I was skeptical of Wagner's recommendations at first but he is absolutely right! In all my years of listening to opera have I never encountered a more sublime performance. Reiner is a wonderful conductor and the forces at Covent Garden sand their hearts out as if they have sund these all their life. It is a pity that Reiner has until now been so unde-esteemed as an opera conductor. He is a true Wagnerian and this timely release will vindicate his stature amond the greatest conductor of Wagnerian operas. A wonderful recording and one to pay 10 times more but is a great bargain.

This is an old recording (1936) but the singing is spectacular. I have never heard any recording that even comes close to the vocal perfection of these Wagnerian giants. This has become my absolutely favorite recording of Tristan. Even though the orchestra doesn't come through as well as on more modern recordings, I find that I can fill in mentally what is lacking. The result is profounding moving and beautiful music sung by one of the dream Wagnerian casts of all time. My only regret is that I was born to late to have attended this performance in person.