Tristan und Isolde

Ferdinand Leitner
Coro y Orquesta del Teatro Colón Buenos Aires
Date/Location
17 October 1963
Teatro Colón Buenos Aires
Recording Type
  live  studio
  live compilation  live and studio
Cast
TristanHans Beirer
IsoldeGladys Kuchta
BrangäneGrace Hoffmann
KurwenalCarlos Alexander
König MarkeFranz Crass
MelotGiampiero Mastromei
Ein junger SeemannEugenio Valori
Ein HirtPer Drewsen
SteuermannTulio Gagliardo
Gallery
Reviews
Malcolm J. Wilkerson

An interesting performance for those who like their Wagner beautifully sung rather than barked and screamed, but there are technical problems with the recording. Gladys Kuchta (Isolde) has an attractive, powerful but lyrical soprano, strong enough to cope with the role and conclude with a really beautifully sung Liebestod. One of the most beautifully sung Isoldes I’ve heard (and woah, have I heard a few!). Hans Beirer (Tristan) has an attractive voice, manly and sturdy, ardent enough, he’s good. As so often with this company there’s no cast list with the CDs (uh-huh-please – we need to know!) but the other main roles are nicely sung (cue helpful reviewer…. Oh – that must be me!) – they are Grace Hoffmann as Brangaene, Carlos Alexander as Kurwenal, and Franz Crass as Marke. Ferdinand Leitner gets a passionate, fairly brisk orchestral performance, they play really well. The sound is basically good-ish, but it’s slightly dim with a lot of broadcast hiss – the impression is of a broadcast recorded maybe 20 years earlier. There are also a lot of little missing bits, repeated bits, tape drop-outs, and more seriously, two large missing chunks. About a third of Isolde’s Narration and Curse (Act 1) and most of Tristan’s Delirium and Curse on the Potion, plus some music that follows (Act 3) are lost. Isolde’s role in Act 3, so often cut, is given and recorded complete, however. An interesting, beautifully sung performance, fairly enjoyable despite the technical problems, but only really for brave collectors willing to accept those problems.

Rating
(7/10)
User Rating
(3/5)
Media Type/Label
OD, Premiere, OOA, TOL
Technical Specifications
224 kbit/s CBR, 44.1 kHz, 326 MByte (MP3)
Remarks
Broadcast
A production by Ernst Poettgen
Possible dates: 13, 15, 17, 19 and 21 October 1963