Wagner - Tristan und Isolde: Prelude & Liebestod (Kirsten Flagstad - Ct.rc.: Wilhelm Furtwängler)

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde by Wilhelm Furtwängler (2023 Remastered, Studio 1953)
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Wilhelm Richard Wagner (1813-1883) - Tristan und Isolde : Romantic Opera in Three Acts
00:00 Prelude & Liebestod

Tristan : Ludwig Suthaus
Isolde : Kirsten Flagstad
Brangäne : Blanche Thebom
König Marke : Josef Greindl
Kurwenal : Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Seemann : Rudolf Schock
Hirt : Rudolf Schock
Melot : Edgar Evans
Steuermann : Rhoderick Davies
Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Coven Garden
Chorus Master : Douglas Robinson
Philharmonia orchestra
WILHELM FURTWÄNGLER
Recorded in 1952
New mastering in 2017 by AB for CMRR
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Recorded in 1952, Furtwängler's Tristan is considered a monument in the history of recordings. Even today, it undeniably represents something unique. But sometimes, secretly, we wonder whether memory embellishes, whether legend covers up reality. Don't our tastes change from day to day, and with them our value scales? Don't we sometimes question what we loved only yesterday? Excessive sentiment, for example. Moreover, advances in sound technology have made us more demanding, and perhaps a little deaf to old recordings.

But now, after more than five hours of immersing ourselves in the score, we suddenly realize how little these "advances" mean: from the very first bar, Furtwängler's ample, structured conducting imposes itself on us by its grandeur. It carries us along with it to the point of making us totally forget the minor imperfections of the mono. After all, there's even a certain charm in this return to "natural" sound after all the make-up and artifice that followed. Can we take offence at the famous "Ut" that Elisabeth Schwarzkopf had to sing in place of Kirsten Flagstad to compensate for the latter's failure? Honestly, no, because this little cheat is nothing compared to the "manipulations" that are now commonplace and perfectly acceptable. It's all secondary.

The same applies to the orchestra. The Philharmonia Orchestra, which has no experience of Wagner, certainly doesn't have the sound of the Berlin Philharmonic in this repertoire. But what Furtwängler achieves is of such musical quality that this objection no longer carries any weight. The same applies to the RAI Orchestra's recording of the Ring. We consider this Ring recording to be a must-have for any record library, at least if the collector attaches more importance to the musical achievement than to its quadraphonic recording technique.

The most fascinating feature of this recording of Tristan is certainly its formidable unity: far from being overly concerned with the perfection of detail, Furtwängler never loses sight of the work as a whole: witness the beautiful tension of the curves and the way the parts are linked. One more thing: at no point do we feel the need to discuss the interpretation of one passage or another, so sure was Furtwängler of what he wanted, so convincing is his direction. His sense of music never allowed itself to be trapped by aestheticism. It blazes, burns, flames without artifice. It is unthinkable for Furtwängler to stop at a "beautiful polish". On the other hand, the great progressions and climaxes have an incomparable dramatic force.

Richard Wagner PLAYLIST (reference recordings):    • Richard Wagner (1813-1883)