Wagner (1813-1883) - Tristan und Isolde Act 2, 3 : Wilhelm Furtwangler / Staatskapelle Berlin, Suthaus, Schluter, Frick, etc (1947 Monaural)(2CD) - Import 2 CD

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Wagner (1813-1883)

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Furtwängler's "Tristan" in his return to the Berlin podium in 1947! The treasured sound sources finally come back to life as a domestic CD! Furtwängler's first opera performance after the war was "Tristan" in 1947, when he made his comeback to the world of music and conducted the German orchestra with great enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the original recording of Act I is missing (some say it could not be recorded due to malfunctioning recording equipment), and parts of Acts II and III were also cut (about 24 minutes in three places in total), but the recording runs 66 and 68 minutes respectively. The main parts of the music from the famous "Love Duet" to the closing scene of "Love's Death" are recorded. The sound quality is extremely good considering the year of recording. The three main roles of Tristan, Isolde, and King Marke are sung by German singers, and the most notable thing is Furtwängler's conducting! The quality of Furtwängler's orchestral control is even better than in the famous EMI recording of the complete works with the Philharmonia in later years! The world premiere LP of the Italian Chetra recording from 1984, produced by Discos in Milan, is a masterpiece of orchestral control, even more so than the later famous EMI recording of the complete works with the Philharmonia. King Records released this sound source, produced by Discos in Milan, in Japan in the same year.The CD was released in 1991 as a domestic version of the Chetra import, but the master tape remained in King Record's warehouse. This is the first CD release from this analog tape (2-track, 38cm/sec)! Includes Japanese-language commentary (9,600 liner notes by Toshio Oka and Kozo Asazato). In addition, as a bonus track, a sound recording of a rehearsal scene before the performance on the same day is included. This is the first time in the world that all the recordings have been collected on the same disc. The value of this recording increases when you consider that the orchestra is not a German group, as was the case with later recordings of the complete work. In fact, its orchestra is superb. Its subtle and eloquent nuances, its dramatic urgency, its weight, are perhaps even greater than in later years." (CD Journal, 1991) "I was quite impressed by this performance. The main reason for this is the orchestral control, which is nothing short of superb, especially Furtwängler's conducting. The orchestral details are so well captured for a 1947 recording that one would think that microphones had been placed in the pit, and the orchestra covers the singers' expressions beautifully.Furtwängler's views on the importance of the orchestra in Wagner's operas can be found in various documents. (A typical example is the operatic chapter of Carla Hecker's "Dialogues with Furtwängler.) Furtwängler's spiritual exuberance, which has been restored to the German musical scene, was so strong in the orchestra's detailed breathing that there was not a moment of slackening, and to my ears it sounded as if the orchestra was the real star, even more so than the singers. To my ears, it sounded as if the orchestra was the real star of the show, even more so than the singers. (Toshio Oka, from the LP K20C-402/4 released by King Records in 1984) King International

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