Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (Act II) - Windgassen, Grob-Prandl, Frick; Moralt. Genève, 1953

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Listen to a Sample:

Wolfgang Windgassen is at the top of his game in this performance of Act II of Tristan und Isolde, as is the highly underrated Gertrud Grob-Prandl as his Isolde. Possessing a voice the size of a Mack truck and an effortless top, Grob-Prandl makes for intense listening, even in her most quiet moments. If she does not connect with the text as well as her Tristan does, the beauty of her instrument makes up for any dramatic deficiency. Gottlob Frick is Marke, giving a deeply felt reading of the king's great monologue. He charts the emotions expertly, allowing Marke's rage to subtly temper his grief and delivering his heartbreak without a trace of self-pity. Margarete Klose gives a clarion, hushed rendition of Brangäne's warning, and Karl Kamman is a piercing Melot. Rudolf Moralt conducts the forces of the Grand Théâtre de Genève in an unflaggingly intense performance.

OD 11203-1