Search - Richard [Classical] Wagner, Hans Knappertsbusch, Munich Bavarian State Orchestra :: Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

A Youthful, Radiant, Glowing! Youthful! Youthful! Did I sa

Impostazione | New York City Area | 10/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ok so we have many many recordings of Tristan und Isolde to choose from but wait til you hear this one. The amazing freshness of the voices is what is very special and in this regard this recording is superiority itself.



I have always found Gunther Treptow's voice a thing of beauty; manly, warm, ringing, with a very hard core that some call tight. On this recording you will find the occasional flat tone and what sounds to some like the muscular pulling up of the voice. Well, voice aside, I am very much interested in characterization, and all I can imagine from his voice is a young athletic man wrapped up with an equally alluring and feminine woman.



Helena Braun is simply ravishing. The girlishness of her performance is enjoyable. Her beautiful use of the lost art of portamento actually adds something exciting to her portrayal. I see her Isolde in my mind's eye, as a wild red-headed girl wistfully in love. She inspires me to believe that she is on that adventure of young love that leads to nowhere, but the journey is heaven itself. Somewhere I read that she had been criticized for her "portamenti..bordering on scooping" .... How on earth could she scoop and droop at the same time. I believe such observations to be the kind of ignorance that has lead to the dull state of opera today.



The other voices are first class, perhaps in a vocal way even more fabulous that Treptow and Braun. Klose's voice is compelling and beautiful.



Lastly, If you want an exciting Tristan und Isolde with broad youthful conducting, and Italianate vocalism, this should be your first choice; perhaps your only choice!



"

One of the best Tristan recordings

Robert Storm | Finland | 09/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hans Knappertsbusch was in my opinion the greatest Wagner conductor of all time. His renditions were grandiose, dramatic and emotional. Unfortunately this kind of Wagner conducting has been somewhat unfashionable since his death in 1965. There are several releases of Der Ring des Nibelungen, Parsifal and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg conducted by Knappertsbusch but this is his only Tristan recording. Recorded live in 1950, the sound is good for it's age. Günther Treptow who sings the part of Tristan was an underrated heldentenor. He is my favorite Siegfried and also does an impressive interpretation of Tristan. His voice is big, dark and warmer than some heldentenors. It is interesting that the Marke and Isolde of this recording, Ferdinand Frantz and Helena Braun, were actually a husband and a wife. Frantz was a famous bass-baritone, best known as Wotan. He has a huge, dark voice but his interpretative skills are limited. Braun is the least good singer of this recording, her mannerism is sometimes a bit annoying. Margarethe Klose who sings the part of Brangäne was one of the best mezzo-sopranos of the era. Paul Schöffler was best known as Hans Sachs. His voice is a bit too dark for the part of Kurwenal but his singing is first class. Apart from Herbert von Karajan's Bayreuth recording (1952) this is my favorite recording of Tristan und Isolde, in spite of the slight casting weaknesses."

A spectacular performance...

Nancy Rathbun | New York City | 06/03/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"..with lesser known singers. Hans Knappertsbusch is at his most inspired and exciting in this electrifying performance. The two leads, Helena Braun and Gunther Treptow, are not among the very greatest to have sung these roles, but they are both very, very good, and in this performance they rise to great heights. Ferdinand Frantz as King Marke, however, stops the show with his extraordinarily moving and beautiful account of Marke's big scene. His is a voice for the ages. (BTW, he was also Helena Braun's husband.)"