{"product_id":"bohm-wagner-tristan-und-isolde-1960-met-paco135","title":"BÖHM Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (1960, Met) - PACO135","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D770D90\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D770EC0\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D770FF0\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D771840\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eWAGNER \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eTristan und Isolde\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D772E90\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodysmallarial\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eLive broadcast recording, 1960\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eProducer and XR Remastering: Andrew Rose\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eCover artwork based on a photograph of Birgit Nilsson as Isolde, Met Opera 1959\/60\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 3hr 22:30\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eTristan - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eRamón Vinay\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eIsolde - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eBirgit Nilsson\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eOrchestra \u0026amp; Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eKarl Böhm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e, conductor\n\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cp data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D775340\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFanfare Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fIf I had to retain in my collection a single example of Birgit Nilsson’s Isolde, it would be this one ... Shattering578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eDo not look here for advice to save money on the grounds that you don’t need another \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eTristan \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003erecording. You \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003edo \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eneed this one if this opera and\/or Wagnerian singing is something you care about. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThere are, of course, many other\noptions that have preserved great performances of the role of Isolde by\nBirgit Nilsson, including DG’s classic Böhm-led 1966 Bayreuth recording\nwith Windgassen. There are some important performances of the opera with\nNilsson and Jon Vickers, the finest Tristan she ever sang with, but\nthey are all seriously flawed in many ways, sound quality and\/or\nconducting among them. As great as the DG set is, I have always found\nWindgassen less than an ideal Tristan, though William Youngren liked him\nvery much in his \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eFanfare \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003ereview\nof that release (11:6). It seems to me that Ramon Vinay brings a vocal\nweight and richness of timbre that is a better match for both the music\nand Nilsson’s sound. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eIt is Nilsson, first and foremost, that\nmakes this essential listening. The Swedish soprano’s Met debut\noccurred three weeks earlier, in this same role. The critics and public\nanointed her a superstar by the final curtain of that debut, and this\nrecording demonstrates the justification for the anointment. Hearing her\nat her very freshest (she was 41 at the time), with a voice that\nbalanced perfectly the elements of tonal beauty and brilliance, is a\ntruly thrilling experience. I happened to attend this performance, as a\nstandee, and it remains among the handful of greatest operatic\nexperiences in my memory (the Nilsson\/Corelli \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eTurandot \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eperformances are in that category, along with \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eOtello \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eevenings\nspent with del Monaco, Tebaldi and Warren). It was wonderful to listen\nto these discs and learn that my memory had not played tricks on me—it\ntruly was something extraordinary. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eEarlier in the run of this production\n(December 28) the Met experienced an evening that has gone down in its\nhistory: three indisposed tenors, each of whom agreed to sing one act\nopposite Nilsson (Vinay, Karl Liebl, and Albert da Costa is the answer\nto that trivia question, and in that order). Here Vinay shows no signs\nof the illness that forced him to limit himself to only act I two weeks\nearlier. One cannot pretend that Vinay sounds young and fresh; after all\nhe had been singing at the Met since 1946 and was a year away from\nfinishing his career there. But there is a foundation of richness to the\ntimbre, and it is married to a true understanding of how Wagner’s music\ngoes and a genuine dramatic instinct that make this a very satisfying\nperformance. He is spectacular in his big third act delirium scene, with\nan intensity that will leave you breathless. He and Böhm partner\nperfectly in this scene. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eIrene Dalis was the Met’s reigning\nBrangäne in her two decades with the company, and we can tell why from\nthis performance. Particularly in the first act she creates a\nsympathetic, human Brangäne, not merely a foil for Nilsson’s\noverwhelming Isolde, and she produces a lovely, opulent sound. Hines\nalso produces a big, even sound, but he doesn’t break your heart the way\nthe best King Markes do (e.g., Kipnis, Salminen, and Pape). Cassel’s\nKurwenal lacks any subtlety, though it is decently sung. The remaining\nroles are taken more than adequately, perhaps less than superlatively\nexcept for Charles Anthony’s beautifully sung Sailor. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eWhat helps to make this performance\nunforgettable is the conducting of Karl Böhm. To my ears Böhm was an\nuneven conductor, sometimes inspired, sometimes no more than competent.\nEven hearing different performances of this opera under his baton, one\nexperiences that range of quality. No doubt some will find him a bit\nrushed here—and indeed his tempos are frequently quicker than even his\nown other documented performances. But there is also a flexibility in\nevidence, a willingness to caress the line and really shape the music,\nthat he does not always display. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003ePristine has done its usual amazing\nwork on the restoration. In the ambient stereo version that I listened\nto, the sound is natural, surprisingly open and with a realistic\nperspective between voice and orchestra. At climaxes one experiences a\nbit of cramping, but overall there is no sonic impediment to full\nenjoyment of the music. Pristine has removed some extraneous audience\nnoises, but couldn’t get all the coughing out. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eIf I had to retain in my collection a\nsingle example of Birgit Nilsson’s Isolde, it would be this one, because\nof the astounding vocal freshness she demonstrates, the individual\ncontributions of Vinay, Dalis, and Böhm, and the total impact of the\nentire performance. Shattering. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHenry Fogel\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis article originally appeared in Issue 40:3 (Jan\/Feb 2017) of Fanfare Magazine.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PACO135.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: x-large;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eBirgit Nilsson's Isolde brings the house down in her New York debut\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eKarl Böhm conducts his only broadcast Met Opera Tristan und Isolde in 1960 to rapturous response\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“with a voice of extraordinary size, suppleness and brilliance,\u003cbr\u003eshe dominated the stage and the performance”\u003cbr\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp class=\"b\"\u003eThis stunning performance of Wagner's\u003cem\u003e Tristan und Isolde\u003c\/em\u003e\nwas broadcast live from the Metropolitan Opera just three weeks after\nBirgit Nilsson's astonishing debut in the role of Isolde in New York\nmade front page news and produced reams of adoring copy. It marks her\nfirst matinee broadcast as well as the only time Böhm, whose 1966\nBayreuth \u003cem\u003eTristan und Isolde\u003c\/em\u003e is widely regarded as among the very best, broadcast the opera from the Met.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"b\"\u003eWorking from two high quality sources, this XR remastering\nbrings us the full glory of this remarkable debut in superb Ambient\nStereo sound. Announcements from Milton Cross at the start and finish of\neach act (one act per CD) add to the sense of grand occasion as does\nthe rapturous applause of the Metropolitan Opera audience.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n.\u003cem\u003eAndrew Rose\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Cast Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWAGNER   \u003c\/b\u003eTristan und Isolde, WWV90\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodymidarial\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLive matinee performance\u003cbr\u003eMetropolitan Opera New York, 9 January1960\u003cbr\u003eBroadcast on NBC Radio\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCAST\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTristan - \u003cb\u003eRamón Vinay\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIsolde - \u003cb\u003eBirgit Nilsson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKurwenal - \u003cb\u003eWalter Cassel\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBrangäne - \u003cb\u003eIrene Dalis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKing Marke - \u003cb\u003eJerome Hines\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMelot - \u003cb\u003eCalvin Marsh\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSailor's Voice - \u003cb\u003eCharles Anthony\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShepherd - \u003cb\u003ePaul Franke\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSteersman - \u003cb\u003eLouis Sgarro\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eOrchestra \u0026amp; Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKarl Böhm\u003c\/b\u003e, conductor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover Art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcover_art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/thumbs\/PACO135.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PACO135.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fNY Times Articles578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: large; font-family: 'times new roman', times;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBirgit Nilsson as Isolde Flashes\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: large; font-family: 'times new roman', times;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLike New Star in ‘Met’ Heavens\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small; font-family: 'times new roman', times;\"\u003eSwedish Soprano’s Voice in Debut Is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small; font-family: 'times new roman', times;\"\u003eCompared With Kirsten Flagstad’s Best\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eby \u003cb\u003eHOWARD TAUBMAN\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003eNew York Times, 19 December 1959\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ccode\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/code\u003eBirgit\nNilsson filled the Metropolitan Opera House last night with the glory\nof the finest Isolde since the unforgettable days of Kirsten Flagstad\ntwo decades ago.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn\nher New York debut the Swedish soprano assumed one of the most\ndemanding roles in the repertory and charged it with power and\nexaltation. With a voice of extraordinary size, suppleness and\nbrilliance, she dominated the stage and the performance. Isolde's fury\nand Isolde's passion were as consuming as cataclysms of nature.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBefore\nthe first act was over a knowing audience at the Met's new production\nof \"Tristan und Isolde\" was aware that a great star was flashing in the\noperatic heavens. At the end of the act the crowd remained in their\nseats, waiting for Miss Nilsson to take a solo bow. And when she came\nout alone, they roared like the Stadium fans when Conerly throws a\nwinning touchdown pass.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt\nwas an audience that knew its Wagnerian manners. It did not break into\napplause during the performance, but again at the end of the second act\nit manifested its enthusiasm with sustained applause and cheers for the\nnewcomer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt\nthe final curtain the audience began a thunderous demonstration. As the\nprincipals came out for repeated bows all eyes were on the soprano. An\novation was building up for her, and it broke out into a thunderous\nshout as she came out alone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePeople\nseemed disinclined to go home. The lights in the theatre were dimmed,\nbut men and women throughout the house remained near their seats,\napplauding for Miss Nilsson's return. After more than fifteen minutes of\nplaudits, the enthusiasts let Miss Nilsson return to her dressing room.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLike\nMiss Flagstad, who created a similar sensation in her 1935 debut, Miss\nNilsson relied first and foremost on the voice. Her soprano has\napparently limitless reserves of tone. In a range well over two octaves,\nno note loses its quality, and high C's emerge with stunning impact.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthough\nshe is small and trim compared with the run of Wagnerian sopranos,\nMiss. Nilsson can make her voice soar over the fortissimos of a large\norchestra in full cry as if it were jet-powered. Her singing is\nbeautifully focused, always in the center of the tone. Not so darkly\ncolored as Miss Flagstad's huge voice, Miss Nilsson's has a gleaming\nrefulgence. It can be whitish, to use the jargon of the vocal trade, but\nit can glow with warmth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMiss\nNilsson can do just what she wishes with this instrument. She can\nsubdue it to a wisp of tone and she can modulate phrases with subtlety.\nShe has a sure grip on the emotional curve of one of opera's most\nchallenging roles.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe\nnew soprano, who has sung extensively in Europe, including Bayreuth,\nthe Wagnerian shrine, as was as in San Francisco and Chicago, also knows\nhow to act. She moves with poise and dignity. She does not stress the\ntenderness in Isolde, but even that element in the character comes\nthrough in the voice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMiss\nNilsson was born in Karup, grew up on a farm and studied music in\nStockholm. She made her debut as Lady Macbeth in Verdi's \"Macbeth\" at\nthe Royal Opera in Stockholm twelve years ago. From the Italian\nrepertory she moved into German, turning eventually to the imposing\nWagnerian roles, which her gifts as a dramatic soprano made almost\nimperative. In a time of limited candidates for the most difficult roles\nof the repertory, she stands as a dominant figure in the world of\nopera.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMiss\nNilsson's arrival was bound to take precedence over all other elements\nin this new \"Tristan,\" but there were other values. Most impressive of\nthese was Karl Boehm's conducting.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis\nis a vigorous, dramatic conception. He is painstaking in his regard for\ninstrumental textures and balances. One can hear subtleties in the pit\noften obscured in routine readings. And how the Met orchestra played!\nRhythms are incisive. Some conductors favor more leisurely tempos, but\nMr. Boehm's choice of a vivid pulse has its merits.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne's\nonly reservation is that he holds the orchestra back just a shade at\nthe climaxes. With an Isolde like Miss Nilsson he can let the thrilling\nWagnerian waves of sound flood the theatre. This soprano will ride them\ntriumphantly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMr.\nBoehm has restored some of the cuts usually made in \"Tristan\" at the\nMet, particularly one in the Love Duet. With an incandescent performer\nlike Miss Nilsson this did not seem to lengthen a long, long opera at\nall.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe\nTristan was Karl Liebl, a German tenor, who made an unimpressive debut\nlast season and who stepped in on this occasion for the indisposed Ramon\nVinay. Though he is no Heldentenor, Mr. Liebl did better than anyone\nhad a right to expect. He managed his light voice with reasonable\neffectiveness. He has no magnetism as a performer, and his voice is not\nbuilt for a long pull, but he bravely carried out his assignment.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn\nthe first act duet the performance went well. In the Love Duet things\nwere not ideal. Here the performance was occasionally like a ship that\nhad lost its delicate equilibrium, riding proudly when Miss Nilsson sang\nand listing a little when Mr. Liebl took over or joined her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe\nrest of the well-balanced cast was American. Irene Dalis was an\nintelligent, sensitive Brangaene; her naturally rich voice was a little\nhollow at times. Walter Cassel was a sturdy, affecting Kurvenal. Jerome\nHines was both regal and movingly human as King Marke. Charles Anthony\nas the sailor, Paul Franke as Melot, and Louis Sgarro as the steersman\nmade much of small parts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHerbert\nGraf's staging had a notable and telling simplicity. Teo Otto's sets\nwith their dash of surrealism were fundamentally old hat; for\ngenerations the Met has had a fatal tendency to opt for styles in design\nlong after they became passé. The new production was a gift of Mrs.\nElon Huntingon Hooker from her four daughters.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn\nrecent years Wagner's music-dramas have had few performances at the\nMet. Cassandras declared that Wagner was finished. He is far from\nfinished. There is nothing wrong with him that a sovereign singer like\nMiss Nilsson will not help to cure. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times; font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eStar ready to tackle new role\u003cbr\u003eafter finishing the 'Liebestod' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times;\"\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJOHN SIBLEY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times;\"\u003eNew York Times, 19 December 1959\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: small;\"\u003eWhen\nBirgit Nilsson walked offstage at the Metropolian last night after her\ntriumphant New York debut as Isolde, she announced coolly — but far from\nhaughtily — “I could sing Turandot right now.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: small;\"\u003e“She’s\nnot even winded,” a stagehand exclaimed, as the smiling Swedish soprano\ncurtsied graciously and threw kisses to an ecstatic audience that\ngreeted each curtain call appearance with thunderous “Bravos.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: small;\"\u003eBehind\nthe curtain, as the cast clamored to congratulate ¡her, Miss Nilsson\nacknowledged their praise trilingually. “You’re so kind,” in English,\n“Danke, sehr erfreut,” in Wagner’s tongue. Then words of thanks to\nadmirers from her native Sweden.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: small;\"\u003eThe\nindefatigable soprano trilled snatches from the opera while Tristan\n(Karl Liebl) and the others answered their curtain calls. She had lived\nup to the reputation gained in rehearsals — that of a star ready to\nbegin all over again after singing the closing “Liebestod.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: small;\"\u003eIn a\ndressing room overflowing with flowers, Miss Nilsson dropped some of her\nreserve. “That wonderful public,” she sighed. “They carried me.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: small;\"\u003eIt\nwas then that she said she was ready to sing “Turandot,” the Puccini\nopera she had just signed a contract to sing during the Met’s next\nseason.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: small;\"\u003eIn a\nstandard questionnaire sent by the Met to all its performers, Miss\nNilsson had written that “Tristan und Isolde” and “Turandot” were her\nfavorite operas. She had already played Isolde this year in five cities:\nin Lisbon, at La Scala in Milan, in Rome, Vienna and Bayreuth.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: small;\"\u003eWas this her best performance of Isolde? She shrugged. “You’re never satisfied,” she said.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: small;\"\u003eThen,\nas flashbulbs flickered, her husband, Bertil Niklasson, a Swedish\nbusinessman, was asked the same question. His reply: an excited, “Ja,\nJa, Ja, Ja!”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: small;\"\u003eDespite\nher aplomb, Miss Nilsson was coyly feminine when asked her age. “In\nEurope,” she smiled, “nobody asks a lady that.” Her answers to the Met\nquestionnaire indicated she was in her early thirties. But in the space\nafter “date of birth” she had written, “May 17.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Ambient Stereo 24-bit FLAC","offer_id":44064778059866,"sku":"ntt1789304755902","price":36.76,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ambient Stereo 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":44064778092634,"sku":"fmv1789304755903","price":30.25,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Ambient Stereo MP3","offer_id":44064778125402,"sku":"aub1789304755904","price":24.12,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0726\/3807\/0874\/files\/bohm-wagner-tristan-und-isolde-1960-met---paco135_1.jpg?v=1789304763","url":"https:\/\/vestorawear.shop\/products\/bohm-wagner-tristan-und-isolde-1960-met-paco135","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}