Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

At or near the height of his conductorial powers, Herbert von Karajan's live April, 1959 La Scala Tristan und Isolde overflows its banks with top vocal talent; tenor Wolfgang Windgassen as Tristan and soprano Birgit Nilsson alone should be enough to interest any Wagner aficionado. Adding to the mix Hans Hotter, Gustav Neidlinger and a late-1960s noted Tristan tenor in Claude Heater as Melot layers in considerably more justification for this set’s desirability despite an orchestra not quite able to reach true Wagnerian proficiency and expectedly allowing for less-than-pristine sound.