CARLOS KLEIBER and Richard Wagner: has anyone heard Kleiber's "Tristan und Isolde"?

Question

Was just reading a question on here about Carlos Kleiber. And since I've never seen nor heard him conduct anything by Wagner, thought I'd do a little research; and came across his CD of "Tristan": http://www.soundunwound.com/music/carlos-kleiber/wagner-tristan-und-isolde/16114467

Has any of you heard this? If so, what's your assessment?

Many thanks,

Alberich

Answer 1

You have picked a conductor, a work and a recording that, for many different reasons have become somewhat legendary for all kinds of reasons, musical as well as otherwise.



Kleiber's 70s performances at Bayreuth of 'Tristan' having already become the stuff of legend for all the right reasons for those privileged to have attended and experienced them, the subsequent announcement of 'The Dresden' recording you have picked out caused much excitement and, eventually, its allotted share of controversy of several kinds that all truly great performances seem to have to garner in their wake. In fact, but for the tremendous foresight of producers during the entire recording process, leaving tapes running during rehearsals in particular, this recording may never have been properly completed at all.



It's a long and colourful story and probably best obtained from the horse's mouth at DGG themselves (click the 'read full article' link when you reach the page), which you will find here:



http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/artist/biography?ART_ID=KLECA



Kleiber's Tristans are among the most enduring masterpieces of Wagner performance we've ever been allowed to experience, unique in every respect, and governed by a man of exceptional insight and even more obsessional drive for perfection as he saw it.



All we can really do is be eternally grateful for this in every imaginable way... :-)



Warmly, as always,



Edit:



Yes, dear Alberich, I do have the 'Dresden' complete ever since it came out. Having witnessed the 1976 Tristan at Bayreuth, I too was an enthralled mutt in the queue for the 1982 recordings. However, nowadays you can actually get to hear what we heard in 1974-1976, for they were released between 1992 and 2007 as live 'documentary' recordings which you can find here -- just keep scrolling down until you get to the relevant dates ('74-'76):



http://www.thrsw.com/ckdisc/wagner_richard_1813_1883_/tristan_und_isolde_complete/

Answer 2

Kleiber Tristan

Answer 3

Yes, I have also the 'Staatskapelle Dresden' performance with Rene Kollo, Margaret Price and Fischer-Dieskau under Kleiber. When some 15 years ago I bought a computer, equipped for the first time with CD-ROM drive and began to collect CDs, one day I found a CD set with this performance (made in Russia under a license agreement of 2001 - I wonder somewhat about the date, but that is written on the cover) and that was one of my most valuable assets at the time (the track list exactly repeats that in the link to the 2005 release, but the 3 acts are split into 4 CDs).

I am very pleased to have it, listen to it very often and readily agree with all that is written in the exhaustive answer by Nemesis above. Indeed better to listening to this recording would be only to listen 'Tristan' in Bayreuth!

Answer 4

Sir I am shocked and horrified that thou dost not own a recording of it, ha ha I jest but seriously.

If I loved Wagner half as much I would imagine that this and Furtwangler's {naturally) would be my benchmark recordings.

Unfortunately as I still don't care much for opera etc, I make do with the latter.



cheerio buddy