Listen to a Sample:
The extensive excerpts from Acts II and III of this Tannhäuser effectively whet one's appetite for the balance of the performance, especially since we only get a glimpse of Astrid Varnay's seductive Venus. In what is left, the clear standout is Ernst Kozub's Tannhäuser, stentorian in the song competition and absolutely gripping in a dead-on-the-inside recounting of the Rome Narration. Anja Silja is a piercing, powerful Elisabeth. If her “Dich teure Halle” is a little unsteady, she warms up along the way culminating in her Act III prayer. Heinz Imdahl's lyrical Wolfram and Franz Crass's sturdy Landgraf complete the exciting cast. Heinrich Hollreiser conducts.
NOTE:
Whereas Berit Lindholm sings the bulk of the role Anja Silja sings "Dich, teure Halle."
OD 11206-2