Placido Domingo, Mihoko Fujimura, Olaf Bär, René Pape, Ian Bostridge,
Jared Holt; Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent
Garden/ Antonio Pappano – EMI Classics 7243 5 58006 2 6 (3
compact discs + 1 DVD) – CD1: 78.57; CD2: 73.54; CD3: 73.38; DVD audio
content: DTS 5.1 or Dolby Digital stereo, 227 minutes ****:
What a stroke of good fortune! At last a truly satisfying modern
recording of the opera Nietzsche called “a work of . . . dangerous
fascination.” Not since EMI’s famed 1952 recording of Tristan und
Isolde (conducted by Furtwängler) has a set of this caliber been
issued. And if you add surround sound to the magnificent singing of the
two principals, then listening to this “voluptuousness of hell”
(Nietzsche’s term) becomes an extraordinary experience. Furthermore,
there is the novel experience of following the entire libretto on the
TV screen (if you have a DVD player, that is), against a background of
a sepia-toned landscape of rocks and ship. [Rather than provide
multichannel SACDs of the complete opera, or a video recording of the
staging on the DVD, EMI has chosen to present the entire opera on the
DVD soundtrack using DTS 5.1, with the libretto scrolling in sync on
the screen with the music. An interesting approach since many
more purchasers would have DVD and DTS surround playback than would be
likely to have multichannel SACD capability…Ed.]
The Swedish soprano Nina Stemme, in full command of her powers,
produces a deeply satisfying dark and burnished tone, like a vintage
wine. Her Isolde is so sure-footed that one never feels lost in the
manifold intricacies of plot and music. With a rich and full-bodied
tone reminiscent of Kirsten Flagstad’s, Stemme, who sang the role at
the Bayreuth Festival last summer, invokes the primal curse in Act 1
with a frightening intensity and honesty (compare her with Martha
Mödl). And this young dramatic soprano can also modulate her voice
enough to render an exquisite pianissimo, as in “er sah’ mir in die
Augen” (his eyes on mine were fastened). Although Stemme is in her
element where drama and passion are required, curiously during the
“Liebestod” (Love-Death, Act 3) she sounds rather cold. Though no one
can fault her for her technique here, the soprano may be too young to
identify fully with Isolde’s great sorrow. This passage hasn’t gotten
under her skin yet, and over time it may.
Domingo’s singing is nothing short of astounding. Although he has sung
Wagner (Siegmund, Die Walküre) onstage successfully on numerous
occasions, he never tackled this arduous role. Thus this CD set is our
only chance to hear the much-loved tenor sing Tristan. Here his
gorgeous and youthful tones (he sounds younger than Stemme) are both
tender and heroic, a rich marquetry of hues that are perfectly suited
to the role. He has studied the role for quite some time, with
phenomenal results. Every note Domingo sings is infused with a
meticulous intelligence, awareness, and beauty, not to mention
beautiful rolling vibratos. In Act 3, when he utters “Ur-Vergessen”
(all-oblivion), his voice sounds so impossibly soft that it must be
heard to be believed. This is the Tristan of our dreams.
Fujimura is a sweet, mild Brangäne whose voice, oddly enough, sounds
lighter than Stemme’s. Her intonation is a pleasure to hear, but her
watch in Act 2, although still magical, sounds disappointingly remote.
Bär as Kurwenal is too vehement and forceful for the role. Pape is a
vividly real King Mark, mature and fatherly. Holt’s baritone (Melot) is
mellifluous rather than harsh, as is sometimes the case.
The sound of this recording is superlative, and the conducting improves
as the opera progresses; in the Prelude to Act 3 Pappano pulls the
cellos and basses beautifully taut and later produces some lovely
dramatic swells.
