Numerous incarnations of the 1952 Karajan/Bayreuth Tristan have danced in and out of circulation on CD. Sonically speaking, it’s on par with other archival Bayreuth tapes from the festival’s first seasons, superior to the 1951 Karajan Rheingold and Siegfried but not matching the impact and vivacity of the 1952 Knappertsbusch Meistersinger. Still, I easily can recommend Melodram’s transfer to listeners seeking this fascinating performance. I use the word “fascinating” primarily in relation to Karajan’s familiar 1972 studio recording of the same opera. Granted, the latter benefits from sumptuous studio engineering and the Berlin Philharmonic’s eerie refinement, together with Jon Vickers’ intense, absorbingly detailed portrayal of Tristan. But the younger Karajan obtains equally compelling and often more exciting results from the less technically adroit Bayreuth pickup orchestra. Listen to how carefully the conductor sculpts and sustains the Act 1 and 3 Preludes, or to the ardor and spontaneity with which Isolde’s Narrative and Curse and Act 1 Finale or the second-act Love Duet build.
The cast is mostly marvelous. As Isolde, Martha Mödl rises to her role’s impassioned heights, with only a few signs of strain and wobbling on top. Mezzo-soprano Ira Malaniuk liberates Brangäne from mere second banana status and brings more than a modicum of urgency to her interspersed Love Duet warnings. Likewise, Hans Hotter’s imposing vocal presence and care with words elevate Kürwenal from Tristan’s trusty sidekick to equal partner. Ramon Vinay is not the subtlest Tristan around (he never was), but his powerful tenor voice, with its strong, almost baritonal lower range, would be more than welcome on today’s opera stages. Nearing the end of his career, Ludwig Weber’s still-distinctive bass graces King Mark’s Act 2 musings and makes this scene sound less protracted than it often can be in the theater. If you tend to collect multiple Tristans, you won’t regret making room for this release alongside the reference Böhm Bayreuth DG edition, Furtwängler’s EMI studio recording, and the great live Flagstad/Melchior/Reiner Covent Garden performance on Naxos. No texts or translations.
