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Wagner - Tristan und Isolde / Bohm, Nilsson, Vickers

Wagner - Tristan und Isolde / Bohm, Nilsson, Vickers

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Product Info Reviews

Features:
  • Color


Description:

For its 1973 production of Wagner's intense romantic tragedy Tristan und Isolde, the Theatre Antique d'Orange assembled the best cast and conductor then available, but left the engineering in less gifted hands. Despite abstract staging that Wagner would have hated and serious technical shortcomings, many Wagnerians will find the result indispensable. This is the only video Tristan we have in which Birgit Nilsson and Jon Vickers--both near-legendary figures and ideally suited to their roles--can be seen together. For many, that will be enough said, and they can expect many hours of enjoyment. Added attractions are the fine performance of Walter Berry and Karl Bohm's excellent conducting. But the sound is poor even by the standards of 1973, and the cameras are sometimes misdirected, the images blurred. Whether you choose it or not depends on whether you value performance over technical quality. The performance is excellent, particularly in the Liebestod and Tristan's mad scene. --Joe McLellan
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