In the mid-1950s, the same period from which the bulk of the performances on this disc date, Carl Schuricht recorded a sensational collection of Wagner excerpts (Dawn and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey, Siegfried’s Death and Funeral March, Prelude and Liebestodt from Tristan und Isolde) for Decca with the Paris Conservatory Orchestra, an ensemble then in generally better shape than the Stuttgart Radio Symphony, at least as evidenced by the playing here. Not that it’s ever really bad. There’s a huge difference between an orchestra obviously under pressure and succeeding nevertheless, and one where conductor and ensemble simply fail to deliver the goods (as happens pretty regularly these days with unauthorized historical releases). The former offers no barrier to enjoyment of what is actually on the disc, while the latter forces the listener to speculate on what might have been but clearly isn’t there, a self-deception (albeit a well-intentioned one) enthusiastically practiced by fans of particular artists. And so in this case Schuricht’s creaky first trumpet and sometimes-wobbly horns (in the Götterdämmerung excerpts), strange sounding double reeds in the Tristan prelude (English horn in particular), and momentary attacks of shaky ensemble here and there are simply minor blemishes quickly forgotten when the music making is so generally splendid overall.
Like his colleagues Furtwängler and Böhm, Schuricht plays Wagner swiftly, dramatically, and with a wonderfully fluid sense of tempo that carries the music across the bar lines in a surging tide of melody. Rhythmically speaking he’s close to Böhm in that he favors very precise attacks and releases, and one of the factors that makes these performances so exciting is his way of ensuring clean entrances while at the same time slightly anticipating the downbeat: the first, sudden tutti chord in the Tristan prelude (no languor here; it’s a restless, urgent, even aggressive performance) and the initial forte outburst in Siegfried’s Funeral Music offer excellent cases in point. Similarly, Schuricht conducts Siegfried’s Rhine Journey with ever-mounting exhilaration, culminating in a marvelous headlong dive into the great river when its leitmotiv at last appears. The Good Friday Spell from Parsifal also has seldom sounded so shapely and satisfyingly complete in and of itself.
Speaking of Parsifal, the Act 1 Prelude and Act 3 finale included here date from Schuricht’s last recording sessions in 1966. Already terminally ill, the 86-year-old maestro offered no elegiac leave-taking, and certainly shows no diminished capacity in leading the orchestra. That characteristic urgency is still there, now suffused with a deep inner light thanks to slightly forward but always carefully balanced winds (the secret key to Wagner’s luminous-sounding orchestration in this work–there’s more to it than just fat-toned strings and brass). Best of all, Schuricht directs a marvelous, life-affirming Siegfried Idyll. What a difference when compared to the BBC’s recent release of Barbirolli’s ghastly embarrassment from a decade later! Everything here has poise, shape, and flow. Schuricht’s improvisatory treatment of the central section, with its delicious wind arabesques and exquisitely balanced interplay among the instruments, stands as a classic case of the freedom that comes from careful preparation and ensemble discipline. The magical closing pages have just the right lightness of touch but never, ever lose their focus or sense of direction, and for once the work really does end on its final chord (rather than several minutes earlier).
Sonically these recordings date from the period 1950-66 (the majority from 1954/55), and have been excellently restored to a remarkably consistent sound. They offer fine clarity, minimal distortion over a good dynamic range, and just a touch of flutter indicative of minor tape deterioration over the years. The SWR archive owns the largest repository of Schuricht recordings extant. Let’s hope this release heralds many, many more.
