Tristan and Isolde?

[Moosbrugger]

I just finished a short biography of Wagner. Can someone recommend a good version of Tristan and Isolde?   I’ve got a recording of Gotterdammerung, but I’m rarely able to get very far.  Who’s got the time?

[Hugo9000]

@Moosbrugger

 

There are two great recordings with Birgit Nilsson as Isolde, and among more recent recordings, I recommend either of the Nina Stemme recordings.  If you want Jon Vickers as Tristan, there is the recording conducted by Karajan where he is partnered by Helga Dernesch as Isolde, or there is a video with Jon Vickers and Birgit Nilsson.  These are probably all on the major streaming services if you want to listen before buying.  If you buy downloads, make sure it's gapless first (don't ever buy opera downloads from Amazon haha).

 

Someone might come along to suggest some old 78 RPM recordings with a classic cast from an ancient era, but I don't think that serves newcomers very well.  My recommendations are all recent enough (stereo era at least haha) to have been recorded in good sound.  The Nilsson recordings have recently been remastered for release on Blu-ray audio versions (they also include the CDs, as you can see from the cover art below).  The two Nina Stemme recordings are from 2005 (studio recording with Domingo) and 2012 (live recording).

 

The Birgit Nilsson recordings I recommend:

 

Or two choices with Nina Stemme (I prefer the one with Domingo, beautifully conducted by Antonio Pappano):

 

I found these on youtube if you don't have any streaming subscriptions:

 

The Stemme/Domingo/Pappano is the most gorgeously romantic recording of this opera ever!  And I don't care if the older Wagnerites hate it because of Domingo or out of loyalty to the greats of old like Nilsson or Flagstad or whomever haha!   

 

The wonderful Nilsson/Solti recording:

 

The second recording with Nina Stemme:

 

Hope this helps!  Listen first on Qobuz or Spotify or another streaming service if you can, or check the youtube links otherwise before buying the CD sets.

 

[AnotherSpin]

6 hours ago, Moosbrugger said:

I just finished a short biography of Wagner. Can someone recommend a good version of Tristan and Isolde?   I’ve got a recording of Gotterdammerung, but I’m rarely able to get very far.  Who’s got the time?

 

Götterdämmerung is a difficult piece to start with. If you would want try Der Ring again, then Die Walküre may be easier to grasp. 

 

As with other Wagner operas, the choice for first acquaintance with Tristan und Isolde may be difficult. Best (and "right") voices were recorded long ago, and sound quality is not good. Modern recordings with good SQ in most of the cases have not exactly "wagnerian" voices, imho. Many modern times singers just have no idea how to approach Wagner. Such listening experience may be easier to bear for someone who heard great golden voices of the past and could return to those at any moment, but for the beginner it might be most disorienting in best case. Well, I think Bohm recording with Windgassen and Nilsson from mid sixties would be good place to start (also because it was recorded in Bayreuth). Recording under Carlos Kleiber from mid seventies for DG with Kollo and Price would not be considered exactly "right" from traditional point of view, but it is most beautiful and fine for getting closer to great composer. 

[rando]

By no means does this imply interest or otherwise in Wagner.  

 

One outlet for works generally out of the repertoire or receiving a lower quality of performance today is Pristine Audio.  Their XR treatment can make solid inroads on legacy recordings that were given attention at the time.  Samples are readily available to determine if the resultant mix of performance and rescued sound quality enables you to penetrate the work.

 

Tristan and Isolde

[Le Concombre Masqué]

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/7252

 

Furt, yes but not on Pristine

 

[AnotherSpin]

1 hour ago, Le Concombre Masqué said:

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/7252

 

Furt, yes but not on Pristine

 

 

That was the first Tristan I knew in its entirety (old Melodiya LPs). And, even considering all Furtwängler greatness, his Wagner is not my cup of... love potion.

[Moosbrugger]

Thanks everyone.  I'll listen to a few and try one.  I'm not much of an opera fan in general, but I figured I'd give this a shot.

The  Furtwängler recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra gets a lot of praise on the Internets.

[Bob Stern]

On 9/19/2019 at 12:13 AM, AnotherSpin said:

Götterdämmerung is a difficult piece to start with. If you would want try Der Ring again, then Die Walküre may be easier to grasp.

 

I agree that Die Walküre is the best Wagner opera to try first.  With Tristan I would skip Act 1.  Also try the final act of Lohengrin and the last part of Parsifal, beginning with the Good Friday Spell.

[FIndingit]

Jon Vickers as Tristan under Karajan is absolutely worth hearing. IMHO the best on record. 

[Kal Rubinson]

4 hours ago, FIndingit said:

Jon Vickers as Tristan under Karajan is absolutely worth hearing. IMHO the best on record. 

Jon Vickers is absolutely worth hearing, period.  Tristan, Siegmund, Grimes, Florestan, Radames.........Otello!

[Axiom05]

On 9/26/2019 at 4:36 PM, Kal Rubinson said:

Jon Vickers is absolutely worth hearing, period.  Tristan, Siegmund, Grimes, Florestan, Radames.........Otello!

So you recommend this one?

[Kal Rubinson]

20 minutes ago, Axiom05 said:

So you recommend this one?

Yes but he was even better live.👌

[FIndingit]

And the wonderful Martti Talvela which appears as Melot in the Böhm recording was also even better live. Although I only heard him singing Songs and Dances of Death by Mussorgsky. 

[FIndingit]

Sorry, King Marke, not Melot.