Astrid Varnay was very busy in Bayreuth in 1953. She sang Ortrud in Lohengrin (released commercially by Decca), Brunnhilde in the Clemens Krauss Ring cycle, and this Isolde. She was in her vocal prime and is a magnificent Isolde. That's not an exaggeration. Her Isolde is almost frightening in her rage in Act One and then turns to passionate devotion in the following acts. Vocally there is nothing she can't handle. Though she sang Isolde many times in her career there are only a few extant broadcasts of it (this one, a 1955 Met performance where she replaced Margaret Harshaw, and a 1966 performance from Munich with Windgassen.) She did record the Act One monologue, the Liebestod, and most of the Act Two duet with Windgassen in the studio. Ramon Vinay was in his prime as well and gives a searing, intense performance, matching Varnay all the way. Malaniuk is a beautiful Brangane whose voice floats magically in the second act warning. She is also one of the few Branganes to perform the written scream asked for by Wagner at the jolting climax of the love duet. Weber is not only a noble Marke, but also an angry one. Neidlinger is a sturdy Kurvenal. The other singers, including a young Theo Adam and Eugene Tobin, are all first-rate. Jochum leads a dreamy, but never slack performance of the uncut score.The Pirate Gods smiled happily on Bayreuth the summer of 1953; the sound is excellent: full, rich, detailed. All lovers of this opera must hear this performance.

The performance was just plain HOT...and Varnay was at her interpretive best and willing to sing with more vehemence than usual. The Narrative and Curse has become an absolute favorite. And the difference between her Act I and Act II is literally Tag und Nacht The Fury of Act I is replaced by an almost bel canto approach to Act II - QUITE wonderful..The rest of the cast is first rate, but Varnay is the star of the stage. Jochum's work is excellent, intense and forward moving.An EXCELLENT performance of TRISTAN UND ISOLDE!

1953 must have been one of the great Bayreuth seasons. The Krauss Ring and Parsifal are glorious and rightly celebrated, but this Tristan has maybe gone under the radar - undeservedly so. The sound is consistently excellent, allowing a considerable amount of orchestral detail to come through. Varnay is in astonishing voice and seems fully inside the part, though both she and Vinay very occasionally have to signal for the prompter. Vinay’s stamina is particularly welcome in Act 3, but there’s tonal beauty as well. Weber maintains a sense of anguished dignity throughout, and no collector is going to be unduly deterred by the one or two moments in Act 2 where his vocal pitch seems briefly to waver. I’d never heard Jochum in this work before, but it strikes me as a powerful and convincing reading. Huge thanks for making this available.

A very strong performance all round.

Really exciting performance, overall one of the best TRISTANs I've heard.