Tristan und Isolde discography

Principal Selections

1948, Milan, public performance

Max Lorenz, Tristan
Ludwig Weber, King Marke
Kirsten Flagstad, Isolde
Rosette Anday, Brangäne
Paul Schöffler, Kurwenal
Orchestra of La Scala, Milan,
Victor De Sabata

a. Act 1, Prelude (10' 30")

b. Act 2, Scene 1: from introduction to "wo sie dein Licht verscheuchte" (Isolde) (11' 47")

c. Act 2, Scene 3: King Marke's monologue, from "Dies wundervolle Weib" to "meiner Ehren Ende er[reiche?]" (3' 26")

d. Act 3, Scene 1: from the 11th bar of the Prelude to "doch zu dem Schifflein hier auf den Schultern trug ich dich: die sind [breit]" Kurwenal) (14' 43")

e. Act 3, Scene 1: from "doch was ich sah, das kann ich nicht sagen" to "Das Licht wann löscht es aus?" (Tristan) (with "Isolde noch im Reich der Sonne!" to "von ihr mich scheuchte?" omitted from the performance) (3' 17")

f. Act 3, Scene 1: from "mich sehnen und sterben!" to "Das Schiff? Siehst du's [noch nicht?]" (Tristan) (with "Die nie erstirbt..." to "Der Trank! der furchtbare Trank!" omitted from the performance) (5' 58")

g. Act 3, Scene 3: from "Todt denn Alles! Alles todt!" (King Marke), with all of his subsequent words - and Brangäne's - omitted from the performance, until his last "Der Wahn häufte die Not!"; thereafter to the end of the Act, with applause (7' 43")

Recorded 14 April 1948 from a performance at La Scala, Milan

LP: UORC 260 (1 LP) (1975); IGI 347 (1977) (all except c., and a few bars at the end of d. and f.))

Excerpts from this performance:

a. Prelude (Act 3)
LP: in "Richard Wagner: Sein Werk in dokumentarischen Aufnahmen" Acanta 40.23 502 (19 LPs) (1983)

b. Liebestod (Act 3)
LP: in "Kirsten Flagstad Memorial Album - Tribute to her 80th Birthday": Rococo 5380 (3 LPs)
CD: in "Great Voices of the Century - Kirsten Flagstad": Memoir Classics CDMOIR 403 (1 CD) (1990)

Further excerpts from this performance have been issued, purporting to be from La Scala in 1947, where Tristan was performed with a similar cast except for Einar Beyron (Tristan), Elsa Calveti (Brangäne), Ferdinand Frantz (King Marke), and Marcello Cortis (Melot), as follows:

a. Act 1, Scene 2: "[Was ist? Isolde?] Von meiner Herrin?" (Tristan) to "Hei! unser Held Tristan! Wie der Zins zahlen kann!" (Kurwenal) (4' 28")

b. Act 1, Scene 4: from "Herrn Tristan bringe meinen Gruss" (Isolde) to "hätt' sie mit dir mich entsandt?" (Isolde) (4' 23")

c. Act 1, Scene 5: from "War Morold dir so wert" (Tristan) to "Was hast du mir zu sagen?" (Isolde) (4' 18")

d. Act 1, Scene 5: from the drinking of the potion to "Not für kurzen Tod! Tör[rige Treue trugvolles Werk blüht nun jammernd empor!" (Brangäne) (4' 02")

e. Act 2, Scene 1: from end of the introduction (distant hunting horns) to "ein Einz'ge war's, ich ach[tet' es wohl]" (Brangäne)
(3' 50")

f. Act 2, Scene 2: from the beginning of the scene "Isolde! Geliebte! (Tristan) (with a cut in the performance from "Dem Tage! Dem Tage!" (Tristan) to "dass nachtsichtig mein Auge wahres zu sehen tauge" (Tristan)) to "um einsam in öder Pracht" (Isolde) (4' 21")

g. Act 2, Scene 2: from "Wonne hehrstes Weben, Liebe heiligstes Leben" (Tristan, Isolde) to "Bald entweicht die Nacht!" (Brangäne) (3' 51")

h. Act 2, Scene 2: from "[wär' ohne] Bangen aus dir er je erwacht?" (Tristan, Isolde) to "vor Schande dir bewahrt" (Melot)
(4' 12")

i. Act 3, Scene 1: from"[Seine St]imme! Tristan! Herr! Mein Held!" (Kurwenal) to "du selig sollst gesunden" (Kurwenal)
(4' 25")

j. Act 3, Scene 1: from "O Treue! hehre, hold Treue!" (Tristan) to "Durch A[bendwehen drang sie bang]" (Tristan) (4' 22")

k. Act 3, Scene 1: from "Das schiff - siehst du's noch? (Tristan) to "Ach Isolde! Isolde! Wie schön bist du" (Tristan) (4' 22")

l. Act 3, Scenes 1 and 2: from "[Jetzt schwand das Schiff] hinter dem Fels" (Kurwenal) to "Isolde! (Tristan) Ha! (Isolde) (4' 23")

m. Act 3, Scene 3: from "[Tristan! Trauter! Schilt mich nicht, das der Treue auch mit] kommt!" (Kurwenal) "Todt denn Alles! Alles Todt! [cut in performance, continuing at] Der Wahn häufte die Not!" (King Marke) to end of the Act, and applause (7' 45")

LP: ANNA 1052 (1 LP) (1980)
CD: Legendary Recordings LRCD 1025 (1 CD) (ca. 1989); Minerva MN-A54 (1997); Urania URN 22.105 (1999)

Note: there are no breaks between the individual excerpts. LRCD 1025 has three tracks (59' 01"), one for each of the three acts from which the excerpts come. MN-A54 has but one track (60' 25"), and as the timings indicate, transferred the original disc at a slightly slower speed.