Ward Marston makes the complete studio recorded Flagstad/Melchior Wagner duets more listenable than ever, although not much could be done to mask the compressed dynamics and dry ambience of the original 78s. There’s more bottom to the sound compared to RCA’s out-of-print edition, and Marston’s source material appears to be cleaner than the shellac pressings used for Pearl’s reissue of the same recordings. On top of that, Naxos is cheaper. To criticize such effortless, robust, and authoritative Wagner singing is like saying Niagra Falls has too much water. Yes, there are interpretive problems. The pair zooms through “Zu neuen Taten”, probably to cram the music onto two 12-inch 78 rpm sides, allowing no time for the phrases to expand and truly breathe. The extended excerpt from Parsifal Act 2 (with Gordon Dilworth helping out on Amfortas’ final phrases) finds our singers phoning it in until Melchior unleashes “Amfortas! Die Wunde” at full tilt. From then on, the drama comes alive.
Secure as the Tristan “Love Duet” may be from a vocal standpoint, you get a more three-dimensional picture, so to speak, from Flagstad and Melchior’s electrifying live Covent Garden performance (also on Naxos, type Q2358 in Search Reviews). Of course it’s fun to hear Flagstad take on Brangäne’s first warning in the studio version, which she doesn’t do on stage! No quibbles, though, concerning the gloriously sung Bridal Chamber Scene from Lohengrin–my personal favorite from these sessions. I still recommend the aforementioned live Tristan for neophytes who want to know what all the fuss was about, but all Melchior/Flagstad fans (myself included) should have the studio duets in their collection.
