Cheap Wagner - Tristan und Isolde / Bohm, Nilsson, Vickers (DVD) (Pierre Jourdan) Price

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Customer Reviews of Wagner - Tristan und Isolde / Bohm, Nilsson, Vickers

Yes, but....
Truth-in-advertising time: The sound is poor (which is surprising, since a CD recording of this performance in clear, vivid sound has long been available on a French import label), and the camera work is unsteady and amateurish, with washed-out colors. Still, this is the only known video of Nilsson and Vickers together in this opera, which they performed as a team only a handful of times (though there's a bootleg black-and-white videocassette of Nilsson in "Tristan" with Wolfgang Windgassen under Pierre Boulez). Vickers does "Tristan" excerpts in a Canadian videocassette, but with nothing like the intensity we see in this French show. Together, Vickers and Nilsson are the Tristan and Isolde of one's dreams, and even in this subpar DVD set their brilliance leaps out at you. The love duet and Tristan's third-act delirium are all you could ask for vocally. Until the Met releases its Eaglen/Heppner "Tristan" on DVD, this is the one to get, for all its flaws.

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Quibble, but don't complain!
Frankly, I'm ecstatic that a visual document of such a landmark performance of Tristan und Isolde even exists. Negative comments by other reviewers regarding sound, image, and camerawork are not necessarily inaccurate. Still, the overall impact of this performance not diminished. This is the DVD Tristan to own even after the MET's version becomes available.

The production itself borders on the semi-staged. The ancient outdoor Roman amphitheater in Orange offers a stage vastly different from what one would see at the MET or Covent Garden. There is no proscenium, no curtain to rise or fall, and, for example, no exiting stage left or right. Consequently, what staging and scenery there is appears sparse and elemental (though Wagner himself, with his penchant for the all-encompassing art of Greek drama, may not have entirely disapproved). Indeed, I found the billowing of the cloth backdrops to be very atmospheric at times, eg. the Act 1 sailing ship on the Irish Sea. Additionally, the breeze whipping Nilsson's gown helps raise her Liebestod ("...are they waves of refreshing breezes? Are they billows of heavenly fragrance?") to the magnificent status.

To hear Birgit Nilsson sing Isolde is one thing. But, to have a Tristan matching her vocally was a rare occurance during her many--at least, 200--essays of the role. Yet, that is what we have with Jon Vickers' Tristan: a virile, intense, thrilling portrayal. He, alone, is worth the price of this DVD. The supporting singers perform their parts well especially the expressive Kurvenal of Walter Berry, the noble King Marke of Bengt Rundgren and Ruth Hesse's faithful Brangane. All, including Nilsson and Vickers, however, seem to suffer at times from poor microphone placements.

I'm not a big fan of Karl Bohm as a great Wagner conductor. I think he tends to gloss over some of the subtle, deep psychological nature of the score.

Though the l'ORTF orchestra appears to respond to Bohm, the quality of its performance is difficult to judge. The sound itself on my copy seems almost mono. And very uneven. There are times when the orchestra begins to show some sonority and clarity. But at other times the musicians seem to be playing in a bathroom down the hall. The synchronization between the vocalists and their words is also imperfect providing an effect similar to watching an overdubbed foreign film.

The biggest problem is the camera work/film direction. The early 70s were certainly not a technologically deficient era. Unfortunately, one might not realize this from this production. For example, the arts of focusing a camera and framing subjects seem to be still in their infancy. A common highschool TV Tech class could have done a superior job to what we see on the DVD.

The director certainly makes some questionable decisions. For example, the Liebestod begins not with the camera on Nilsson, but rather on the statically posing King Marke (with Brangane's bust in the foreground!). The final bars find the camera cutting from the brilliant white of the stage lights (a fitting ending if left alone) to a grainy image of the conductor wiggling his fingers.

Throughout all 3 acts, the stage lighting appears to change from one camera angle to the next. Performers' body positions change disconcertingly also. Early on in the Liebestod Nilsson appears to be on her knees or even reclining over Tristan's body, but with the space of a cut (.1 sec?), she is standing with her arms outstretched (and when did she take off the black cape?). It appears the camera crew (along with the director) had no rehearsal and little advance knowledge of the score. They apparently just showed up on the night of the performance and winged it.

I'll take away one star for the technical deficiencies. Nonetheless, this DVD of what is perhaps the greatest work ever penned for the stage (Shakepeare included) is a grand historical document. No Wagnerian or opera lover should be without it! If only we had something similar of Birgit singing the Brunhildes, Salome, or the Dyer's Wife.

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A disappointment
The great performances of these wonderful singers are NOT capture on this DVD. The sound quality if extremely poor, even by 1973 standards. The camera work is dreadful. It's actually painful to watch and listen to this DVD because you can't help imagining what was lost by the terrible production. Don't waste your money on this, or if you must have it, do as one reviewer advised and get the cheap Brazilian version on ebay.