TRISTAN UND ISOLDE

--Standard Repertory--

By Richard Wagner

PART II

E) DECCA/LONDON: John Mitchinson, Linda Esther Gray, Goodall conducting (studio, 1980-81); the best-conducted set of those in full stereo; Goodall surpasses Furtwängler in Act I, falling short of him only slightly elsewhere; what a joy to hear such authentic mastery of the Wagnerian melos in such glowing sound; the engineering is one of the pluses here; John Mitchinson's Tristan is not: though intelligent with a solid enough heldentenor timbre, he recurs to a throaty and ungainly vocal production in declamatory moments; this compromises the expressive power of the music itself; Esther Gray's Isolde is one of the great ones; having a much stronger instrument than Mödl, she occasionally recalls Mödl, Traubel or Dernesch in the intense delivery -- a wide-ranging interpretation as beautiful as it is probing; in the happy combination of superb stereo, Esther Gray's insight and musicianship and Goodall's inspired leadership, the closing Transfiguration may be about as richly satisfying as any out there; superb Stereo [G.R.]

F) GALA or ORFEO: Gunther Treptow, Helena Braun, Knappertsbusch conducting ("live," Munich, 1950); If conducting were all there is to a great Tristan, this performance would win the palm; Knappertsbusch, in this "live" broadcast, combines all the authentic surge of Furtwängler with that elusive moment-by-moment intensity and thrilling sense of trajectory usually associated with Furtwängler in the theatre and sadly missing from Furtwängler's EMI Act I; in fact, it is "Kna"'s unique achievement that makes this set irreplaceable as the best-led Tristan on disc; Treptow's Tristan may be uneven, but it can also be exciting; the real caveat here is Braun's Isolde: though visceral and alert in Act I, hers is an unsympathetic sound, perhaps least well-suited of all to the love music, let alone the final Transfiguration; Mono [G.R.]

G) DG: René Kollo, Margaret Price, C. Kleiber conducting (studio, 1980-82); The good news here is C. Kleiber and Margaret Price; Kleiber gives us all the tenderness missing in much of the Böhm (H below); there are also mesmerizing textures, infinitely elastic dynamics, an endless line -- all present and accounted for -- so, what's wrong? that proves hard to define: perhaps, an uneasy sense that, with all of Kleiber's feeling for trajectory and architecture, there is also a hint of pampering -- brilliant pampering but pamperiing all the same -- for underpowered principals; Kleiber has made a virtue out of necessity and produced an untraditional interpretation while never compromising beauty or genuine feeling, saying volumes for his stature as a true artist; but he has eschewed a certain nobility and grandeur in the process; Margaret Price is a lirico spinto and not a true heldensopran, but her Isolde is that of a true musician and a mistress of bel canto; one is grateful to hear such an impeccably musical and luscious account in state-of-the-art sonics -- a throwback to a less oratorical style, predating even Flagstad and Traubel and reminiscent of Johanna Gadski's early acoustics; unfortunately, Kollo's Tristan is one of the most disappointing on disc; his spindly vocalism (and that of one or two others in the cast) serves to underline the kind of limitations that Kleiber, by original intention or not, labors under: again, the artistic unity of Kleiber's conception is never compromised or shallow the way Böhm's can be, even though rigorously geared to a tonal world that, however beautiful or convincing, loses a whole dimension justly regretted by knowledgeable admirers of more traditional interpretations; Stereo [G.R.]

H) DG: Wolfgang Windgassen, Birgit Nilsson, Böhm conducting ("live," Neu Bayreuth, Wieland Wagner's second Neu Bayreuth production, 1966); All the performers are pretty much in optimum shape (as with C-1); I might sense the greatness that others assure me they experienced personally at the Festspielhaus in '66 were I miraculously to find a video of this Wieland Wagner production from that very season at that unique hall rather than merely hearing the audio; aurally, experiencing what these performers can do when arguably at their best is fine -- if one doesn’t mind a predatory Isolde devoid of the tenderness needed for the later scenes (Nilsson); a reedy, jugendlich Tristan -- however resourceful (Windgassen, admittedly the only cast-member here not at his most youthful, though still in good control); a habitual blusterer for Kurvenal (Wächter); and a conductor (Böhm) who, though displaying keen commitment, skims over much of the dark shadows in this music (granted, skimming is marginally preferable to the other extreme of the later Karajan); some take this as the finest Tristan of all, but I find that I only respond to Christa Ludwig's incomparable Brangäne and Martti Talvela's König Marke -- go figure; Stereo [G.R.]

I) PHILIPS: Peter Hofmann, Hildegard Behrens, Bernstein conducting (1981); As the quintessentially romantic work, Tristan und Isolde finds Bernstein in his element; his is one of the finest interpretations I know; I only wish I could warm to the singing more; Hildegard Behrens' Isolde shows a dedicated musician and interpreter, but her voice is not ideally suited, particularly in Act I, while Peter Hofmann, much closer to the voice-type required, falls afoul of uncertain intonation, sloppy musicianship and a generally careless vocal technique that, in the end, abbreviated a promising career -- here, one can tell exactly why; if only Bernstein's unfailing line and attentiveness to the surge of Wagner's score and Behrens' dedication could compensate for overall vocal inadequacies, but alas. . . . Stereo [G.R.]

Of Definite Interest

?) TELDEC: Siegfried Jerusalem, Waltraud Meier, Barenboim conducting (studio); The only one not heard all the way through -- only Bayreuth broadcasts with similar line-up; Barenboim always gives the satisfaction Goodall did; the true inheritor of the Furtwängler/Knappertsbusch tradition, recent Jerusalem/Meier b'casts confirming that; but although Meier's broadcast Isolde was striking, almost as intelligent as Mödl's, with a superior technique and a freer instrument, her accomplished, musical performance never quite had Mödl's warmth or variety; now Meier is a true artist, and with each broadcast her Isolde had more and more colors to it; this recording may reflect that; Jerusalem is another matter: no proper stamina for the role, the third-act delirium posing a problem, perhaps surmounted in the studio; if so, the appealing shine to his instrument and his superb musicianship may redress the balance, making this the most attractive interpretation in stereo (Vickers in C-2 being somewhat hampered by von Karajan); some praise the engineering, others decry a lack of impact in the voices vs. the orchestra; Stereo [G.R.]

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