“TRISTAN UND ISOLDE : Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/19/1955
Cast: Kempe; Svanholm, Varnay, Thebom, Hines, Metternich
Media: MOD Audio SID.18310639 Tags: Archive; 2018
For me, this is the highlight of the week, even though it has been on before. Generally I prefer Varnay as Isolde to Brunnhilde, and Kempe is one of my favorite conductors.
His 25 performances of five operas, all of which received matinee broadcasts, are probably capped by the Met premiere of Arabella, but I would hope that Sirius could make some space for both the Meistersinger (with Schoffler, Della Casa, Da Costa, and Tozzi) and Tannhauser (with Vinay, London, Varnay, Thebom). I plead my case for the Arabella regularly. Kempe’s Rosenkavalier which has been on Sirius, is also in MOoD, his only representation there.
***
Though late for Svanholm, it is Varnay’s only Met Isolde broadcast. Kempe is such a rare commodity, that we are grateful to have this documentation.”