Given his eminent position
in the world of conducting it is surprising
that this 1952 performance was Furtwängler’s
first studio recording of a complete
opera. Despite his conducting Mozart’s
Figaro and Magic Flute at Salzburg in
1950, Walter Legge chose Von Karajan
for the studio recordings made that
year. Legge also made disparaging remarks
about Furtwängler that got back
to the conductor’s ears. He consequently
refused to allow Legge to be producer
of this recording, which was to be the
first in London using magnetic tape
throughout. Despite having sung her
last stage Isolde the previous year,
Kirsten Flagstad at 57 was still pre-eminent
in the role a position she had occupied
since making her debut in the role in
1936. She had been signed up for the
recording and insisted on Legge being
the producer. The impasse was only resolved
by much diplomatic manoeuvring and a
convoluted apology from Legge who never
produced another of Furtwängler’s
recordings.
Norwegian-born Kirsten
Flagstad was not merely the pre-eminent
Isolde of her day but had been considered
the world’s foremost Wagnerian soprano
since her debut in a major part at Bayreuth
in 1934. Her performance there the previous
year in the minor parts of Ortlinde
and Third Norn had been her first outside
Scandinavia. Happily married to a rich
second husband she was seriously considering
retirement when the call came to appear
at the Wagnerian shrine. Her success
at Bayreuth led to a contract at New
York’s Metropolitan Opera where she
went on to sing Sieglinde followed by
Isolde, Brünnhilde, Elisabeth,
Elsa and Kundry, all to great acclaim.
Flagstad became the rage of New York
singing to packed houses and helping
the Met back on its financial feet after
the disastrous years that followed the
Wall Street Crash and great depression.
Despite mutual personal antipathy Flagstad
appeared regularly at the Met with Lauritz
Melchior considered by many to be the
greatest ever Wagnerian tenor. A re-recording
of Tristan with this duo was made of
performances at Covent Garden on May
10th and June 2nd
1936. Its 209 minutes is an abridged
version. In poorish sound it can be
heard on Naxos 8.110068-70. The two
sang together in the March 13th
1940 performance at the Met conducted
by Leinsdorf a version of which has
appeared on Guild’s Immortal Performances
Series. Sub-titled ‘Opera House of our
Dreams’, the recording substituted Alexander
Kipnis as King Marke from a later broadcast
performance. For those not squeamish
about such conflations this issue presents
Flagstad at the peak of her considerable
powers and matched in every respect
by the Tristan of Melchior and the Brangäne
of Kerstin Thorborg. At 219 minutes
it too is a cut performance version.
Its sound is not of the quality of this
studio recording. Nor does the more
superficial conducting of Leinsdorf
compare with the passion and intensity
Furtwängler draws from the Philharmonia.
Allowances for age being made, the sound
of the orchestra is well caught and
brought out by the restoration engineer
Mark Obert-Thorn.
Of the singers only
the Brangäne of Blanche Thebom
is below par. As the informative booklet
essay by Malcolm Walker recounts she
was third choice for the recording and
at times it shows. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
is a fine full-toned Kurwenal who shares
Tristan’s wounded agony and illusions
(CD 4 trs. 1-4). As Tristan Ludwig Suthaus
hasn’t the sheer power of Melchior but
he is never less than appealing of tone
and characterises well throughout. He
is appropriately ardent in the love
duet (CD 2 trs. 4-7). Of course the
success of any performance of this opera
depends on the Isolde and there has
never been a better interpreter than
Flagstad. A not inconsiderable actress
her rather matronly appearance had caused
comment at her final stage appearances
in the role at Covent Garden in 1951.
If her singing can be faulted in any
way at all it is that she does not convey
the sexiness that we might expect in
the love duet. This is a small price
to pay for the gleaming secure tone,
even legato and nobility of phrasing
that pervades the rest of her performance.
It is a performance to stand alongside
any studio opera performance. It is
typical of her realism that at 57 she
had doubts about her top c in the love
duet. Famously Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
sang these for her. Those who continue
to question Richard Caniell’s conflations
on Guild should take note.
EMI re-issued this
performance as a GROC, considerably
cleaning up the sound. That issue remains
in the catalogue and comes complete
with libretto and translation at more
than twice the cost of this Naxos issue
which has an interesting essay, artist
profiles and a good track-related synopsis.
My only grumble is that 23 tracks for
255 minutes of opera is rather sparse.
Otherwise this justifiably famous recording
should be investigated by all opera
lovers who do not already own a copy.
Robert J Farr
Re-issues of this recording have
been comprehensively reviewed on MusicWeb
see Colin
Clarke on this Naxos re-issue, Paul
Shoemaker for the superbudget EMI
re-issue and Marc
Bridle on the Regis re-issue and
Marc
Bridle on the GROC re-issue
Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden,
London 