It’s not every day, or even decade, a new recording of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” appears — the vocal, musical and practical demands are simply too great. Yet, when the cast, conductor, orchestra and budget can be assembled, tackling this supreme musical creation becomes artistically and commercially feasible.
DG’s recording, taken from performances given in Vienna in May 2003 under one of today’s foremost Wagner conductors, Christian Thielemann, enshrines some of the best singing and orchestral playing we could expect from a “Tristan” in these benighted times. Not surprisingly, the Vienna State Opera Orchestra (a.k.a. the Vienna Philharmonic) plays gloriously for the German conductor, brilliant yet nuanced. Thielemann knows this monumental opera inside and out and proves it by his masterful shaping of its often-unwieldy contours.
Deborah Voigt is heard here in her first assumption of this demanding cornerstone role of the dramatic soprano repertory. Though the singer seems to tire somewhat in this five-hour Wagnerian marathon, she brings passion, longing and her trademark silvery timbre to Isolde. She also husbands her vocal resources to deliver a magnificent, supremely womanly “Liebestod” at the end.
Tenor Thomas Moser faces greater challenges, both with Tristan’s highest notes, and with the stamina and power required of the role. His vocalism doesn’t match the rarefied level of Voigt’s, but it is commendable, and he brings the requisite passion to his part. The principals are supported by a sincere and solid, if somewhat matronly sounding Petra Lang as Brangaene; a darkly brooding Robert Holl as King Marke; and an ardent Peter Weber as Kurwenal.
