Wagner: Tristan und Isolde / Herbert von Karajan, Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala, Wolfgang Windgassen, etc

Then at one of the first peaks of his career, Herbert von Karajan was precise but passionate, linear but cumulative, and effective even in the face of the La Scala Orchestra's tentative playing in this 1959 recording of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. The German cast featured here is excellent, bolstered by the still fresh-voiced Wolfgang Windgassen and the still-new Birgit Nilsson as Wagner's doomed lovers. The outer acts have more detailed characterization than is often heard, and the central act's love duet has genuine heat. With the saucy Hilde Rossl-Majdan as Brangane, the stalwart Gustav Neidlinger as Kurwenal, the splendid Hans Hotter as King Mark, and the sweet Anton Dermota as the Young Seaman, the cast has depth from top to bottom, and von Karajan graciously allows them the symphonic space upon which to enact their roles. The La Scala Orchestra, though clearly a proficient opera orchestra, seems unacquainted with Wagner's score, and there are moments where the instrumental soloists falter or the ensemble goes awry. It is a testament to von Karajan's skill and will power that he achieves a surprisingly smooth and molded performance from them anyway. A much greater flaw is the sound, which most of the time is cramped, dull, and gray, with the singers firmly in the foreground and the orchestra way off in the distance. The rest of the time, the radio from which this recording seems to originate loses the broadcast frequency, thereby reducing the sound to grinding static, which virtually destroys the performance's continuity. If you're looking for a von Karajan Tristan, try the 1972 EMI recording. The cast, though very good, isn't quite in the same league -- Jon Vickers is superb, but Helga Dernesch can't match Birgit Nilsson -- but the Berliner Philharmoniker is terrific and EMI's stereo sound is opulent.