110200-02 bk Tristan EC 28|04|2003 5:01 PM Page 12 Great Opera Recordings ADD 8.110200-02 Also available: WAGNER 3 CDs Tristan und Isolde Nanny Larsen-Todsen • Gunnar Graarud • Rudolf Bockelmann • Ivar Andrésen Chorus and Orchestra of Bayreuth Festival • Karl Elmendorff (Recorded in 1928) 8.110872-75 8.110200-02 12 110200-02 bk Tristan EC 28|04|2003 5:01 PM Page 2 Ward Marston Great Opera Performance In 1997 Ward Marston was nominated for the Best Historical Album Grammy Award for his production work on BMG’s Fritz Kreisler collection. According to the Chicago Tribune, Marston’s name is ‘synonymous with tender Richard loving care to collectors of historical CDs’. Opera News calls his work ‘revelatory’, and Fanfare deems him ‘miraculous’. In 1996 Ward Marston received the Gramophone award for Historical Vocal Recording of the Year, WAGNER honouring his production and engineering work on Romophone’s complete recordings of Lucrezia Bori. He also (1818-1892) served as re-recording engineer for the Franklin Mint’s Arturo Toscanini issue and BMG’s Sergey Rachmaninov recordings, both winners of the Best Historical Album Grammy. Born blind in 1952, Ward Marston has amassed tens of thousands of opera classical records over the past four Tristan und Isolde decades. Following a stint in radio while a student at Williams College, he became well-known as a reissue producer in 1979, when he restored the earliest known stereo recording made by the Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1932. Opera in three acts, 1865 In the past, Ward Marston has produced records for a number of major and specialist record companies. Now he Abridged Bayreuth Festival Recording is bringing his distinctive sonic vision to bear on works released on the Naxos Historical label. Ultimately his goal is to make the music he remasters sound as natural as possible and true to life by ‘lifting the voices’ off his old 78 rpm recordings. His aim is to promote the importance of preserving old recordings and make available the works of great musicians who need to be heard. Isolde . Nanny Larsen-Todsen Tristan . Gunnar Graarud Brangäne . Anny Helm Kurwenal . Rudolf Bockelmann König Marke . Ivar Andrésen Melot . Joachim Sattler Ein Junger Seemann . Gustav Rodin Ein Hirt . Hans Beer Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus • Karl Elmendorff Recorded: August 1928 by English Columbia in the Bayreuth Festival Theatre on 38 sides Matrices: WAX 3934/42, 3970, 3943/46, 3971/ 82, 3947/49, 3983/84, 3950/52, 3985, 3953, 3986/87 Catalogue: LCX 64/83 The Naxos historical label aims to make available the greatest recordings in the history of recorded music, in the best and truest sound that contemporary technology can provide. To achieve this aim, Naxos has engaged a number of respected restorers who have the dedication, skill and experience to produce restorations that have set new standards in the field of historical recordings. 8.110200-02 2 11 8.110200-02 110200-02 bk Tristan EC 28|04|2003 5:01 PM Page 10 Producer’s Note CD 1 58:56 4 O sink’ hernieder, Nacht der Liebe 5:05 Tristan, Isolde In the field of historic recording, great emphasis is often placed upon the fine points of technical restoration and Act One which reissue of an item sounds best. With all this discussion, one may easily forget that there are some old records 1 Prelude 10:07 5 Einsam wachend in der Nacht 2:27 that actually sound wonderful without any knob turning or computerized enhancement. Such is the recording of Brangäne Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde presented here. The balance between the singers and orchestra is nearly perfect and Scenes One and Two only at the ends of some of the longer sides can one discern slight distortion. One must be grateful to Columbia for 2 Westwärts schweift der Blick 8:32 6 Lausch’, Geliebter! 4:10 recording this set in the warm and vibrant acoustics of the Bayreuth theatre rather than in the acoustically dead Voice of a Young Sailor, Isolde, Brangäne, Tristan, Isolde studios where they recorded their French and Italian operas. The singing and conducting in this set is on such a high Tristan, Kurwenal, Chorus level that one inevitably feels disappointment that so much of the music was not recorded. Yet, considering the fact 7 Doch unsere Liebe, heißt sie nicht 9:10 that no complete Wagner opera recordings were ever made during the 78rpm era, one can only applaud Columbia Abridged from end of the sailor’s second song Tristan und Isolde? (abridged) for recording as much of Tristan as they did. The strange part is that these abridgements seem not to have been until “Darf ich die Antwort sagen?” Tristan, Isolde, Brangäne made with any thought toward continuity. In fact, there is no logic to them at all. At first, I thought that these cuts might have been recorded on sides that had simply not been issued. My research did not, however, turn up any such Scene Three Scene Three evidence. In order to fill in some of the gaps in Act III, I have included, here, the Act III excerpts recorded by His 3 Weh’! Ach wehe! Dies zu dulden! 15:10 8 Der öde Tag zum letzten Mal! 12:08 Master’s Voice in London and Berlin. These ten sides are equally as compelling as the Columbia Bayreuth set and Isolde, Brangäne Kurwenal, Tristan, Melot, Marke are a must for any serious Wagner collector. In remastering old recordings for public consumption, it is always my goal to locate sources which will provide Scene Four (beginning abridged) 9 O König, das kann ich dir nicht sagen 8:43 the cleanest sonic reproduction together with the least amount of background surface noise. When I began working 4 Begehrt, Herrin, was ihr wünscht 8:13 Tristan, Isolde, Melot on this project, I had planned on using several sets of American Columbia pressings since I knew them to have Tristan, Isolde quieter surfaces than those produced by Columbia in Europe. To my great surprise, however, I soon found that this CD 3 79:15 would be impossible. I noticed that thirteen of the American Columbia sides were actually re-recordings and not 5 War Morold dir so wert 9:57 pressed from the original masters. With the help of several English collectors, I located two sets of pressings in Tristan, Isolde Act Three (Excerpts) perfect condition and was pleased to find that none of the sides had been dubbed. This transfer was made, therefore, 1 Prelude and Shepherd’s pipe solo 6:53 from a combination of the best American and European pressings. Scene Five The HMV Act III excerpts posed a different set of challenges. Since this set was recorded over two years and 6 Tristan! Isolde! Treuloser Holder! 6:56 Scene One multiple sessions in two cities, the playback speed and sonic perspective varies noticeably from side to side. I have Isolde, Tristan, Chorus, Brangäne, Kurwenal 2 Kurwenal! He! Sag’ Kurwenal! 2:07 adjusted the speed of each side to achieve constant pitch and have attempted to match the sound between sides as The Shepherd, Kurwenal, Tristan much as possible. A perfect condition set of mid-1930s American Victor discs was used for this transfer. These CD 2 70:34 were infinitely quieter than English pressings which sounded like bacon and eggs frying in a pan. Various stylus 3 Das Schiff! Siehst du’s noch nicht? 4:29 sizes were also used to obtain the cleanest reproduction of the music. Act Two Tristan, Kurwenal 1 Prelude 1:51 Ward Marston Scene Two Scene One 4 So bange Tage 4:18 2 Hörst du sie noch? (abridged) 10:52 Isolde Isolde, Brangäne Scene Three Scene Two 5 Tod denn alles 4:03 3 Isolde! Geliebte! Tristan! Geliebter! 16:08 Marke, Brangäne Tristan, Isolde 6 Mild und leise, wie er lächelt 7:24 Isolde 8.110200-02 10 3 8.110200-02 110200-02 bk Tristan EC 28|04|2003 5:01 PM Page 4 Appendix 1 lovers. The King questions Tristan, reproaching him for fateful love potion that is causing such misery. 3 this betrayal of trust. 9 Tristan replies obliquely that he Weaving in and out of consciousness, Tristan again Excerpts from Act III of Tristan und Isolde no longer feels himself to be a creature of this world and supposes he can see the ship approaching and at last a invites Isolde to join him in the sunless land of his birth. lively tune is heard from the shepherd. Kurwenal Tristan . .Walter Widdop She agrees, Tristan kisses her, but Melot, incensed by watches as, in the distance, Isolde steps ashore and he Isolde . Gota Ljungberg the frustration of his own love for her, attacks Tristan hastens to meet her. ! In agitated anticipation of her Kurwenal . Howard Fry (tracks 8, 9) who falls wounded into the arms of Kurwenal. arrival at the castle, Tristan rips the bandages from his Kurwenal . Charles Victor (tracks 10, 12) wound and struggles to greet her as she hurries to him. Kurwenal . Edward Habich (track 13) With her name on his lips, he dies in her arms. 4 & @ Marke . Ivar Andrésen CD3 Unable, to revive him, Isolde falls insensible to the Brangäne . .Genia Guszalewicz ground. Ein Hirt . Kennedy McKenna Act III The shepherd tells Kurwenal that he can see a Melot . Marcel Noë Tristan’s castle at Kareol in Brittany. second ship approaching and the helmsman confirms that King Marke and others are aboard. # Brangäne Recorded in London and Berlin by His Master’s Voice on 10 sides 1 & 7 An elegiac prelude introduces the act, and a arrives and when Melot appears Kurwenal kills him.