Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

Chor und Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele, Karajan, Herbert von

NO H0001

With this remastered edition of Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde from the 1952 Bayreuth Festival, Note One label launches its new series Note One Heritage, which makes important historical recordings in music history accessible again.

The legendary performance on 23 July 1952 at the Bayreuth Festival Theatre is considered one of the most striking documents of the early post-war years and the artistic renewal of the festival in the era of the so-called New Bayreuth.

At the podium is Herbert von Karajan, whose conducting steadily intensifies the dramatic tension of the score, ultimately culminating in an almost ethereal Liebestod.

At the centre are two extraordinary singers: Martha Mödl, one of the most dominant dramatic voices of her time, and Ramon Vinay, whose powerful, passionate Tristan ranks among the greatest interpretations of this role. Their encounter unites two contrasting temperaments in an electrifying musical dramaturgy - from eruptive passion to meditative introspection. The cast is complemented by outstanding Bayreuth forces such as Hans Hotter as Kurwenal, Ludwig Weber as King Marke and Ira Malaniuk as Brangäne.

The Bavarian Radio recording - long out of print and now remastered - reveals the atmosphere of a performance whose intensity and immediacy were celebrated as extraordinary even at the time. Note One Heritage’s first release invites listeners to rediscover a pivotal moment in the history of opera and the festival.

CD x 3

Note One

2026-05-11

4011254200012