{"product_id":"leinsdorf-wagner-tristan-und-isolde-1941-met-paco150","title":"LEINSDORF Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (1941, Met) - PACO150","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eWAGNER \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eTristan und Isolde\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eTristan - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eLauritz Melchior\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eIsolde - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eKirsten Flagstad\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eBrangaene - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eKerstin Thorborg\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eMarke - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eAlexander Kipnis\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eKurwenal - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eJulius Huehn\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eLive broadcast performance, 1941\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 3hr 25:56\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eChorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003econducted by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eErich Leinsdorf\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PACO150.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fSleevenotes578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\nThis broadcast was the last time the radio audience heard Kirsten Flagstad\nand Lauritz Melchior sing together. While the Met’s faithful had several\nmore chances to hear them together in the opera house before Flagstad’s\ndeparture for Europe on 19 April 1941 (their final performance together was\nin \u003cem\u003eDie Walküre\u003c\/em\u003e during a tour performance in Cleveland on 17 April\n1941), none of those performances were broadcast, or otherwise preserved.\nThis is therefore our last chance, as listeners, to hear the greatest cast\never assembled for this opera. With all due respect to the tenors who sang\nwith Flagstad after the war, and to Helen Traubel, Melchior’s principal\npartner from late 1941 onwards, nothing has matched the partnership of\nMelchior and Flagstad as Wagner’s ill-fated Tristan and Isolde since 1941.\nThere have been some great Isoldes (Astrid Varnay and Birgit Nilsson for\nexample) and some worthy Tristans (such as Wolfgang Windgassen and Ramon\nVinay), but the magic Melchior and Flagstad created was unprecedented and\nunequalled since.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\nMelchior and Flagstad sang this opera together no less than 86 times\nbetween 1935 and 1941, mainly at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, but\nalso in London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago. This\nbroadcast was their 81\u003csup\u003est\u003c\/sup\u003e performance together, and as such\nrepresents their most mature interpretations of the roles on stage. The\npair of them offer us the type of Wagnerian singing that simply does not\nexist today. Not only are the voices immense, projecting with ease over the\ndense orchestration, they are immense together.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\nSince Melchior’s retirement from the Met in 1950 Isoldes have tended to\ndominate their Tristans. Not so with Melchior. His totally unique voice had\na clarion trumpet-like ring to it and was just at ease in the low parts of\nthe score as the high. In fact, the role of Tristan is among the lower\nparts for a tenor, the highest note being a top A. The problem is one of\nstamina. Like all of Wagner’s operas \u003cem\u003eTristan und Isolde\u003c\/em\u003e is very\nlong, more than four hours (in its uncut version) and would tax the\nabilities of any singer. The role of Tristan, while not as long as\nSiegfried, is one of the hardest of all because of the all-encompassing\nnature of the part. Tristan does remarkably little in Act 1, indeed\nMelchior often enjoyed a drink on stage while ensconced in the ship’s tent\nthat dominated centre stage of the Met’s production. Act 2 has a lengthy\nduet with Isolde, about half an hour long in the cut version used by the\nMet. The tenor has to be able to match his soprano note for note,\nparticularly at the start when the orchestra is at full tilt. The second\nhalf of the love duet requires more nuanced and sensitive singing, often \u003cem\u003epiano\u003c\/em\u003e, which can be difficult for a tenor used to singing loudly\nmost of the time. But it is in Act 3 where the tenor really shines. He\nsings most of the act, alternating weak and feeble utterings with crazed\noutbursts littered with sustained top As. The tenor’s vocal technique has\nto be absolutely secure to nail each of those notes, any of which could\neasily crack.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\nMelchior sings the role of Tristan like none after him have been able to\ndo. While he had a not entirely undeserved reputation for being\noccasionally careless about note values (and musical entries for that\nmatter), what we get from him is singing and artistry of the highest\nquality. He has the notes, and he has them just as much at the end of Act 3\nas in Act 1, seemingly oblivious to the huge vocal demands of the role. He\nsimply never tires. But aside from the sheer strength and power of his\nvoice, he also fully inhabits the role: suitably tender in the right places\nof the love duet, and with such a threadbare voice in the parts of Act 3\nthat when he suddenly unleashes the voice the contrast is immense. All told\nhe sang the role of Tristan more than 200 times in his career, far more\nthan any other tenor has managed, and he sang it for more than twenty\nyears. The delight of this, and the other Met broadcasts, is that they\npreserve a truly great singer in one of his most famous roles, in an age\nbefore Wagnerian operas were being recorded complete. Flagstad would\nfeature in the first complete commercial recording of \u003cem\u003eTristan und Isolde\u003c\/em\u003e in 1952 (PACO 067), but by then Melchior had\nretired. Although he recorded the Act 2 Love Duet twice (with Frida Leider\nand again with Flagstad), and large sections of Act 3, he never appeared in\na complete commercial recording.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\nKirsten Flagstad’s Isolde is almost certainly better known than Melchior’s\nTristan due to that commercial recording. She was a peerless Isolde between\n1935 and 1941, and still had very few competitors on her return after the\nwar (only Traubel, Varnay and Mödl come close). Like Melchior, Flagstad had\na substantial vocal instrument, almost made for towering over a Wagnerian\norchestra. She is perhaps at her best in Act 1, a perfect mix of sorrow and\nanger, and she often stated that she lost respect for the character after\nthe drinking of the love potion at the end of the act, thinking she became\ntoo passive, and love-sick. Her personal feelings don’t impair her ability\nto give us a wonderfully tender Act 2 duet, including both top Cs, and a\nLiebestod filled with pathos.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\nThe supporting cast is no less impressive. The role of Isolde’s confidant\nBrangäne is taken by Swedish mezzo-soprano Kerstin Thorborg. Thorborg sang\nat the Met between 1936 and 1950, mainly in Wagnerian role such as Venus,\nFricka, Erda, Ortrud and Kundry, with occasional forays into wider\nrepertoire as Octavian, Ulrica and Orfeo. Her solid, rich voice is an ideal\ncounterpart to Flagstad in Act 1, and her warnings during Act 2 are\nhauntingly beautiful. American baritone Julius Huehn brings vocal\nintelligence and a warm tone to the role of Kurwenal. He really shines in\nAct 3 as he tends to the ailing Tristan. Huehn was heard on no less than\ntwenty-two broadcasts between 1935 and 1944, mainly in Wagnerian roles such\nas Wolfram, Telramund, and Wotan in \u003cem\u003eDie Walküre\u003c\/em\u003e. King Marke\ndoesn’t have much music to sing in the opera, but when an artist of the\nstature of Russian bass Alexander Kipnis is singing the role, the monologue\nin Act 2 becomes a thing of real majesty. A significant bonus for us is\nthat Leinsdorf has restored the part of the monologue that was\ntraditionally cut, and we hear the complete uncut version in this\nbroadcast. Kipnis had a significant career in Europe before fleeing to the\nUS on the outbreak of World War II. He sang more than a hundred\nperformances at the Met between 1940 and 1946, but the broadcast audience\nonly once heard his most famous characterisation, that of Boris Godunov.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\nErich Leinsdorf had assumed control over the Met’s German wing following\nthe death of Artur Bodanzky in 1939. The young man was not yet 30 when he\nconducted this broadcast of \u003cem\u003eTristan und Isolde\u003c\/em\u003e and he undertook\nseveral (usually losing) battles with older, established, and much more\nexperienced singers (including Melchior, Traubel, and Schorr) over\nconducting style and opening up the traditional cuts made to Wagnerian\nperformances. Melchior never sang Act 2 of Tristan without cuts in the love\nduet, and the only person who could persuade him to restore traditional\ncuts to Act 3 was Thomas Beecham. Despite these issues, Leinsdorf is a\nhighly capable conductor and the performance never flags.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Track \u0026amp; Cast Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 20px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWAGNER \u003c\/b\u003eTristan und Isolde\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTristan - \u003cb\u003eLauritz Melchior\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIsolde - \u003cb\u003eKirsten Flagstad\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBrangaene - \u003cb\u003eKerstin Thorborg\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMarke - \u003cb\u003eAlexander Kipnis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKurwenal - \u003cb\u003eJulius Huehn\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMelot - \u003cb\u003eEmery Darcy\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHirt - \u003cb\u003eKarl Laufkötter\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSteuerman - \u003cb\u003eJohn Gurney\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStimme eines jungen Seemanns - \u003cb\u003eEmery Darcy\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003econducted by \u003cb\u003eErich Leinsdorf\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eXR remastering by \u003cb\u003eAndrew Rose\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCover artwork based on a photograph of \u003cb\u003eFlagstad \u0026amp; Melchior\u003c\/b\u003e as Tristan \u0026amp; Isolde in 1935\u003cbr\u003eLive broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera, New York City, 8 February, 1941\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTotal duration:  \u003cb\u003e3hr 25:56\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAct One - CD1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. Radio Introduction  (3:16)\u003cbr\u003e2. Prelude  (15:17)\u003cbr\u003e3. Scene 2 - Frisch weht der Wind der Heimat zu  (3:52)\u003cbr\u003e4. Hab acht, Tristan!   (4:59)\u003cbr\u003e5. Scene 3 - Weh, ach wehe!  (1:53)\u003cbr\u003e6. Wie lachend sie mir Lieder singen  (6:21)\u003cbr\u003e7.  O blinde Augen!  (10:18)\u003cbr\u003e8. Scene 4 - Auf! Auf! Ihr Frauen!  (1:13)\u003cbr\u003e9. Herrn Tristan bringe meinen Gruss  (6:15)\u003cbr\u003e10. Scene 5 - Begehrt, Herrin, was Ihr wünscht  (8:16)\u003cbr\u003e11. War Morold dir so wert  (9:31)\u003cbr\u003e12. Tristan! Isolde!  (6:15)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAct Two - CD2\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. Prelude  (2:28)\u003cbr\u003e2. Scene 1 - Hörst du sie noch?   (11:15)\u003cbr\u003e3. Scene 2 - Isolde! Geliebte!  (7:21)\u003cbr\u003e4. O sink hernieder, Nacht der Liebe  (7:57)\u003cbr\u003e5. Lausch, Geliebter!  (3:59)\u003cbr\u003e6. Doch unsre Liebe  (9:07)\u003cbr\u003e7. Scene 3 - Rette dich, Tristan!  (1:52)\u003cbr\u003e8. Tatest du's wirklich?  (11:47)\u003cbr\u003e9. O König, das kann ich dir nicht sagen  (8:04)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAct 3 - CD3\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. Prelude  (7:08)\u003cbr\u003e2.  Scene 1 - Kurwenal! He!  (9:48)\u003cbr\u003e3.  Wo ich erwacht - weilt' ich nicht  (4:29)\u003cbr\u003e4.  Noch losch das Licht nicht aus  (18:15)\u003cbr\u003e5.  Scene 2 - O diese Sonne!  (3:08)\u003cbr\u003e6.  Ha! ich bin's, ich bin's   (5:13)\u003cbr\u003e7.  Scene 3 - Kurwenal! Hör! Ein zweites Schiff  (7:14)\u003cbr\u003e8.  Mild und leise wie er lächelt  (6:54)\u003cbr\u003e9. Radio conclusion  (2:32)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover Art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcover_art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/thumbs\/PACO150.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PACO150.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Technical Notes578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003eThis recording hails from a previously unused source of unusually high quality, carefully preserved in acetate discs, the majority of which appear in almost mint condition. From a restorer's perspective they presented a \"game of two halves\" - the first half of the opera took a week of fine restoration work to bring it up to the required standard, and there remain some sections which are less than optimal due to the worn conditions of a couple of sides. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThereafter things improved dramatically, and it was the work of less than a day to complete work on the second half of the second act and all of the third. Here we find exceptional sounds quality for any live operatic recording of the 1940s, and it from this the end of the opera that the lengthy sample can be heard.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe original source preserved much more radio announcement content, and I have chosen to cut entirely the dialogue between acts, and to edit down the preamble, some of the numerous curtain calls and a portion of non-relevant post-opera comment. The aim was to preserve the spirit of the event without leaving the listener yawning through promotional content of little or no interest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd so this \u003ci\u003eTristan und Isolde\u003c\/i\u003e joins our two other Leinsdorf\/Flagstad\/Melchior live performance recordings from the period - Die Walküre (1940, PACO125) and Tannhäuser (1941, PACO130) in offering, in astonishing audio quality, some of the finest Wagner ever performed and one of the greatest vocal pairings in history. Truly an unmissable addition to any serious operatic collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndrew Rose\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Ambient Stereo 24-bit FLAC","offer_id":55010070856046,"sku":"zef1789306147309","price":42.32,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ambient Stereo 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":55010070888814,"sku":"qxs1789306147310","price":27.19,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Ambient Stereo MP3","offer_id":55010070921582,"sku":"abs1789306147311","price":21.62,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0915\/3986\/5966\/files\/leinsdorf-wagner-tristan-und-isolde-1941-met---paco150_1.jpg?v=1789306154","url":"https:\/\/www.harborviewgoods.shop\/products\/leinsdorf-wagner-tristan-und-isolde-1941-met-paco150","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}