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ernani
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« on: 15:58:58, 31-10-2007 » |
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Il Grande Inquisitore's Trovatore thread was so interesting and stimulating, that I thought I'd open a similar thread on another indestructable masterpiece, Tristan und Isolde. So, what is your star cast? Who is conducting? Orchestra? Director, etc. etc.
Here's my ideal cast:
Tristan - Max Lorenz
Isolde - Astrid Varnay
Brangane - Christa Ludwig
Kurwenal - Josef Metternich
Marke - Gottlob Frick
Cond. Eugen Jochum
Orchestra: Dresden Staatskapelle
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« Last Edit: 23:48:14, 31-10-2007 by ernani »
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Swan_Knight
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« Reply #1 on: 16:44:15, 31-10-2007 » |
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Great idea!
Tristan Jon Vickers
Isolde Nina Stemme
Brangane Christa Ludwig
Kurwenal Eberhard Waechter
Konig Marke Martti Talvela
Der Junge Seemann Peter Schrier
Conductor (alternating): Wilhelm Furtwangler/Carlos Kleiber/Herbert von Karajan (sorry, but cannot choose between these three!)
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...so flatterten lachend die Locken....
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #2 on: 17:57:25, 31-10-2007 » |
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I'm going to pass on giving a whole cast... however, "the greatest Isolde who never was" would have been Regine Crespin, IMO. AFAIK she never sang the role, despite taking on Sieglinde, Brunnhilde and Kundry. And at the centre of this Germanic opera is... a French romance  And it's that warmth and lyricism I am looking for most in an Isolde, instead of the steely Germanic heft  Now where is Parsifal1882 when we need him most?? |
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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perfect wagnerite
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« Reply #3 on: 19:31:22, 31-10-2007 » |
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SK's cast looks pretty definitive - Vickers certainly, Isolde possibly Helen Traubel, or - the fantasy choice - the soprano that Linda Esther Gray should have developed into. Bohm in the pit.
Back in the real world, a glance in the back of my score suggests that the cast I saw at Covent Garden in 1982 looks a bit like like the stuff of legend:
Tristan - Jon Vickers
Isolde - Gwyneth Jones
Brangaene - Yvonne Minton
Kurwenal - Donald Macintyre
Marke - Gwynne Howell
Conductor - Colin Davis
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At every one of these [classical] concerts in England you will find rows of weary people who are there, not because they really like classical music, but because they think they ought to like it. (Shaw, Don Juan in Hell)
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ernani
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« Reply #4 on: 21:59:01, 08-11-2007 » |
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Just bought and listened to Erich Kleiber's 1948 recording from the Colon, with Flagstad, Svanholm, Hotter, Ursulac and Weber. It's an extraordinary performance. For those that find Flagstad's earlier recordings lacking in verbal point and colour, and her studio recording too matronly, this is a state of grace performance that marries line, weight of tone, colour, inflection and sheer 'face' in equal measure. Hearing this recording, I 'get' Flagstad in a way that I haven't before.
Svanholm is revelatory too. I often find this singer dry, tight and cavalier in terms of pitch and rhythm. But here he is fine vocal estate, and although clearly not able to match Flagstad in terms of decibels, is proud, heroic, erotic, raging and, ultimately, resigned. Hotter and Weber are (predictably) outstanding, Ursulac is much better than I expected (and a soprano Brangaene), and Kleiber's conducting is fleet and exciting, but weighty when it has to be too. Yes, the sound isn't wonderful and there are 'traditional' cuts, but I can't recommend this recording highly enough. It has given me, like many of the 20+ recordings of this opera that I deeply love, huge pleasure.
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opilec
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« Reply #5 on: 12:58:08, 15-11-2007 » |
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Just bought and listened to Erich Kleiber's 1948 recording from the Colon, with Flagstad, Svanholm, Hotter, Ursulac and Weber. It's an extraordinary performance. For those that find Flagstad's earlier recordings lacking in verbal point and colour, and her studio recording too matronly, this is a state of grace performance that marries line, weight of tone, colour, inflection and sheer 'face' in equal measure. Hearing this recording, I 'get' Flagstad in a way that I haven't before.
Svanholm is revelatory too. I often find this singer dry, tight and cavalier in terms of pitch and rhythm. But here he is fine vocal estate, and although clearly not able to match Flagstad in terms of decibels, is proud, heroic, erotic, raging and, ultimately, resigned. Hotter and Weber are (predictably) outstanding, Ursulac is much better than I expected (and a soprano Brangaene), and Kleiber's conducting is fleet and exciting, but weighty when it has to be too. Yes, the sound isn't wonderful and there are 'traditional' cuts, but I can't recommend this recording highly enough. It has given me, like many of the 20+ recordings of this opera that I deeply love, huge pleasure.
That recording's been a favourite of mine for ages, for all the reasons you mention, ernani. It's a great shame that more Wagner recordings by Kleiber senior don't exist - particularly in decent sound - as I think he might otherwise be recognised as one of the great Wagner conductors. His Rheingold on Gebhardt is really thrilling if you can listen through all the snap, crackle and pop ... Another performance conducted by an under-represented and underrated Wagnerian that's well worth seeking out is Jochum's 1953 Bayreuth account (what a year that must have been at the festival!), a very compelling reading of the score.* Vinay and Varnay in the title roles, Ludwig Weber as Marke, Ira Malaniuk as Brangäne and Neidlinger (who took me a bit of getting used to in the part) as a verz very forthright Kurwenal. Minor roles include the likes of Gerhard Stolze and Theo Adam! *Even though, at least in the Golden Melodram transfer, it's missing the first note of the piece!  |
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« Last Edit: 16:06:40, 15-11-2007 by opilec »
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operacat
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« Reply #6 on: 14:55:39, 15-11-2007 » |
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SK's cast looks pretty definitive - Vickers certainly, Isolde possibly Helen Traubel, or - the fantasy choice - the soprano that Linda Esther Gray should have developed into. Bohm in the pit.
Back in the real world, a glance in the back of my score suggests that the cast I saw at Covent Garden in 1982 looks a bit like like the stuff of legend:
Tristan - Jon Vickers
Isolde - Gwyneth Jones
Brangaene - Yvonne Minton
Kurwenal - Donald Macintyre
Marke - Gwynne Howell
Conductor - Colin Davis
Uh-huh.....I remember the Vickers TRISTAN!! I think when I saw it the Isolde wasn't Gwynneth Jones, but I've forgotten the name of the singer....  Gwynne Howell will always be THE King Marke for me! He is coming up to retirement now, but still sings roles like Prince Gremin, etc. etc. I actually found myself crying for King Marke, not for anyone else!! |
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nature abhors a vacuum - but not as much as cats do.
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ernani
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« Reply #7 on: 15:49:26, 15-11-2007 » |
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Just bought and listened to Erich Kleiber's 1948 recording from the Colon, with Flagstad, Svanholm, Hotter, Ursulac and Weber. It's an extraordinary performance. For those that find Flagstad's earlier recordings lacking in verbal point and colour, and her studio recording too matronly, this is a state of grace performance that marries line, weight of tone, colour, inflection and sheer 'face' in equal measure. Hearing this recording, I 'get' Flagstad in a way that I haven't before.
Svanholm is revelatory too. I often find this singer dry, tight and cavalier in terms of pitch and rhythm. But here he is fine vocal estate, and although clearly not able to match Flagstad in terms of decibels, is proud, heroic, erotic, raging and, ultimately, resigned. Hotter and Weber are (predictably) outstanding, Ursulac is much better than I expected (and a soprano Brangaene), and Kleiber's conducting is fleet and exciting, but weighty when it has to be too. Yes, the sound isn't wonderful and there are 'traditional' cuts, but I can't recommend this recording highly enough. It has given me, like many of the 20+ recordings of this opera that I deeply love, huge pleasure.
That recording's been a favourite of mine for ages, for all the reasons you mention, ernani. It's a great shame that more Wagner recordings by Kleiber senior don't exist - particularly in decent sound - as I think he might otherwise be recognised as one of the great Wagner conductors. His Rheingold on Gebhardt is really thrilling if you can listen through all the snap, crackle and pop ... Another performance conducted by an under-represented and underrated Wagnerian that's well worth seeking out is Jochum's 1953 Bayreuth account (what a year that must have been at the festival!), a very compelling reading of the score.* Vinay and Varnay in the title roles, Ludwig Weber as Marke, Ira Malaniuk as Brangäne and Neidlinger (who took me a bit of getting used to in the part) as a verz forthright Kurwenal. Minor roles include the likes of Gerhard Stolze and Theo Adam! *Even though, at least in the Golden Melodram transfer, it's missing the first note of the piece! Yes, the Jochum is wonderful, opilec. Varnay and Vinay in particular are especially magnificent. My copy is on Archipel and the first note of the Prelude is missing there too! |
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perfect wagnerite
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« Reply #8 on: 16:04:11, 15-11-2007 » |
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Gwynne Howell will always be THE King Marke for me! He is coming up to retirement now, but still sings roles like Prince Gremin, etc. etc. I actually found myself crying for King Marke, not for anyone else!!
And a deeply touching Hans Sachs, too, at the ENO. |
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At every one of these [classical] concerts in England you will find rows of weary people who are there, not because they really like classical music, but because they think they ought to like it. (Shaw, Don Juan in Hell)
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