From the same stable
as the generally acceptable Don Carlos
(Naxos 8.660096/8), and very much like
that set, this Tristan offers
some interesting moments without seriously
challenging any of the accepted great
accounts on disc.
Segerstam in Wagner
was an unknown quantity for me, and
he emerges as a conductor who favours
fast speeds but who, unlike Böhm,
does not penetrate the depths of the
score. Instead Segerstam seems interested
in the drama of the moment, so losing
the eternal trajectory of the score.
Timelessness, so necessary in the Act
2 love duet, is simply not his thing.
This is a studio recording,
and despite Segerstam's wish for drama
it often sounds so. All this is not
to imply an unmusical baton at the helm
– the Prelude opens with a nice sense
of suspense and rises naturally to its
climax at 8'34. The Sailor, Ulrik Qvale,
is on the literal side but at least
this avoids narcissism. Segerstam's
approach reaps dividends when Isolde,
Hedwig Fassbender, cries out for air
('Luft, Luft' ...) but as for moments
of magic we have to wait until her 'Er
sah mich in die Augen' before any trace
of Wagnerian spine-shiver is hinted
at. And there is a distinct interpretative
sag as Kurwenal relates Isolde's words
to Tristan.
Ironically, at the
end of Act 1 - the most obviously dramatic
moment so far ... try Bernstein/Philips
for an edge of the seat experience -
Segerstam, despite his best efforts,
just fails to bring off the events musically.
From Scene 4 he appears to change tack
to a more lyric than dramatic approach,
an interpretative reversal that leaves
this reviewer puzzled.
The ladies are the
strongest aspect of Act 1. Fassbender
is a strong yet youthful Isolde; she
has the measure of the part and it is
only when she invokes the Dark Arts
that one questions her authority. Fassbender's
high register verges at times on the
magnificent, her tones sometimes clarion
in nature. Her Brangaene, Martina Dike,
is equally strong of voice – but perhaps
more resolute of part.
Wolfgang Millgram paints
a portrait of a youngish Tristan - appropriate
for his Isolde, of course. If only Kurwenal
(Gunnar Lundberg) had more vocal depth
...
Act 2 finds Segerstam
muffing the big opening chord, in itself
so full of potential anguish, here rather
damp and literal. Some awkward orchestral
playing thereafter hardly helps. Too
often, literal orchestral contributions
scupper the highly-charged atmosphere
of this Act.
And Segerstam once
more interrupts Wagner's flow. He opts
for a very fast entry speed for Tristan's
entry (no bad thing in itself), then
comes to a complete stop soon thereafter
(CD2, track 7 around 2 minutes in).
'O sink hernieder' needs to take a trip
to the perfumery department, though,
that much is for sure.
Perhaps it is Brangaene's
Warning that is the high point of this
act. Dike proves conclusively that her
voice is positively lovely. The low
point is the big interruption (CD2 track
13), that makes only a small impact
here - I remember hearing Goodall at
the Coliseum and nearly flying out of
my seat! Melot (Magnus Kyhle) is acceptable,
nothing more. Marke (Forsén)
is the best of the men in this act,
projecting palpably desolate disbelief.
Act 3 continues the
desolation well - orchestrally, now
- and its opening is blessed with a
simply excellent cor anglais player.
Grey half-colours dominate the orchestration,
but literalism returns soon from both
Millgram and Segerstam. Some
tension does persist, though, and the
brass have a field day.
If Tristan's chances
of vocal greatness are eschewed for
a relatively safe reading, Fassbender's
Transfiguration is resplendent. Good
dynamic awareness from all concerned
gives this final section flow and shape.
Too late to save this set, of course,
but good to have Fassbender's clear
talent resounding in the ear after the
music stops.
Investigate by all
means – the price makes this a real
possibility. But this is a Tristan
that will not leave anyone emotionally
drained. At its worst, Segerstam's handling
of the score can be heard as demeaning
Wagner's greatness. But I have heard
worse.
Colin Clarke
see also review
by Goran Forsling
Royal Swedish Opera Male Chorus and Orchestra/Leif
Segerstam. 
