# Tristan und Isolde discography

This is an audio and video discography of Tristan und Isolde, an opera by Richard Wagner which was first performed on 10 June 1865 in Munich.

## Recording history

Tristan und Isolde has a long recorded history. In the years before World War II, Kirsten Flagstad and Lauritz Melchior were considered to be the prime interpreters of the lead roles, and mono recordings exist of this pair in a number of live performances led by conductors such as Thomas Beecham, Fritz Reiner, Artur Bodanzky and Erich Leinsdorf. Flagstad recorded the part commercially only near the end of her career in 1952, under Wilhelm Furtwängler for EMI, producing a set which is considered a classic recording. Following the war, the performances at Bayreuth with Martha Mödl and Ramon Vinay under Herbert von Karajan (1952) were highly regarded, and these performances are now available as a live recording. In the 1960s, the soprano Birgit Nilsson was considered the major Isolde interpreter, and she was often partnered with the Tristan of Wolfgang Windgassen. Their performance at Bayreuth in 1966 under the baton of Karl Böhm was captured by Deutsche Grammophon—a performance often hailed as one of the best Tristan recordings. Some collectors prefer the pairing of Nilsson with the Canadian tenor Jon Vickers, available in "unofficial" recordings from performances in Vienna or Orange.
There are several DVD productions of the opera including Götz Friedrich's production at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin featuring the seasoned Wagnerians René Kollo and Dame Gwyneth Jones in the title roles. Deutsche Grammophon released a DVD of a Metropolitan Opera performance featuring Jane Eaglen and Ben Heppner, conducted by James Levine, in a production staged by Jürgen Rose, and a DVD of the 1995 Bayreuth Festival production with conductor Daniel Barenboim and featuring Waltraud Meier as Isolde and Siegfried Jerusalem as Tristan, staged by Heiner Mueller.

## Audio recordings

| Year | cast: (Tristan, Isolde, Brangäne, King Marke, Kurwenal) | Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra | Label |
| 1928 | Gunnar Graarud, Nanny Larsen-Todsen, Anny Helm, Ivar Andresen, Rudolf Bockelmann | Karl Elmendorff, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Bayreuth Festival Chorus (abridged) | Naxos Historical, Cat: 8.110200-02 |
| 1935 | Lauritz Melchior, Kirsten Flagstad, Karin Branzell, Ludwig Hofmann, Friedrich Schorr | Artur Bodanzky, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Chorus | Immortal Performances, Cat: IPCD 1078–3 |
| 1936 | Lauritz Melchior, Kirsten Flagstad, Sabine Kalter, Emanuel List, Herbert Janssen | Fritz Reiner, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Chorus (Live recording and the sound is good considering the age of the recording) | VAI Audio: VAIA 1004-3, Naxos «Historical, Cat: 8.110068.70 |
| 1937 | Lauritz Melchior, Kirsten Flagstad, Kerstin Thorborg, Ludwig Hofmann, Julius Huehn | Artur Bodanzky, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Chorus | Immortal Performances, Cat: IPCD 1040–3 |
| 1937 | Lauritz Melchior, Kirsten Flagstad, Margarete Klose, Sven Nilsson, Herbert Janssen | Thomas Beecham, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Chorus, (Only part of the EMI recording is conducted by Beecham; the rest is conducted by Reiner) | EMI Classics, Cat: 64037 |
| 1943 | Lauritz Melchior, Helen Traubel, Kerstin Thorborg, Alexander Kipnis, Julius Huehn | Erich Leinsdorf, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Chorus | Naxos Historical, Cat: 8.110010-2 |
| 1943 | Max Lorenz, Paula Buchner, Margarete Klose, Ludwig Hofmann, Jaro Prohaska | Robert Heger, Berlin State Opera Orchestra and Chorus | Preiser, Cat: 90243 |
| 1948 | Set Svanholm, Kirsten Flagstad, Viorica Ursuleac, Ludwig Weber, Hans Hotter | Erich Kleiber, Buenos Aires Opera | Myto, Cat: H031 |
| 1950 | Gunther Treptow, Helena Braun, Margarete Klose, Ferdinand Frantz, Paul Schöffler | Hans Knappertsbusch, Bavarian State Opera Orchestra | Orfeo, Cat: C355 943 D |
| 1951 | Max Lorenz, Gertrude Grob-Prandl, Elsa Cavelti, Sven Nilsson, Sigurd Björling | Victor de Sabata, Orchestra of La Scala Milan | Archipel, Cat: ARPCD 0027 |
| 1952 | Ramón Vinay, Martha Mödl, Ira Malaniuk, Ludwig Weber, Hans Hotter | Herbert von Karajan, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Bayreuth Festival Chorus (Recording of a performance at the Bayreuth Festival) | Arkadia, Cat: CDHP 528.4 and other labels |
| 1952 | Ludwig Suthaus, Kirsten Flagstad (with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf providing some top notes in the Act II Love Duet), Blanche Thebom, Josef Greindl, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau | Wilhelm Furtwängler, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Chorus | EMI Classics Naxos Historical Cat: 8.110321-24 |
| 1955 | Set Svanholm, Astrid Varnay, Blanche Thebom, Jerome Hines, Josef Metternich | Rudolf Kempe, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Chorus | Walhall, Cat: WLCD0135 |
| 1958 | Wolfgang Windgassen, Birgit Nilsson, Grace Hoffman, Josef Greindl, Erik Saedén | Wolfgang Sawallisch, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Bayreuth Festival Chorus (Recording of a performance at the Bayreuth Festival) | Orfeo, Cat: 951 183 D |
| 1959 | Wolfgang Windgassen, Birgit Nilsson, Hilde Rössel-Majdan, Hans Hotter, Gustav Neidlinger | Herbert von Karajan, Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro alla Scala | Golden Melodram, Cat: GM 1.0080 |
| 1961 | Fritz Uhl, Birgit Nilsson, Regina Resnik, Arnold van Mill, Tom Krause | Georg Solti, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Singverein | Decca, Cat: 470814 |
| 1966 | Wolfgang Windgassen, Birgit Nilsson, Christa Ludwig, Martti Talvela, Eberhard Wächter | Karl Böhm, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Bayreuth Festival Chorus (Recording of a performance at the Bayreuth Festival, August) | Deutsche Grammophon, Cat: 449772 |
| 1971 | Jon Vickers, Birgit Nilsson, Grace Hoffman, Franz Crass, Norman Mittelman | Horst Stein, Buenos Aires Teatro Colón Orchestra | VAI, Cat: VAIA 1178-3 |
| 1971-72 | Jon Vickers, Helga Dernesch, Christa Ludwig, Karl Ridderbusch, Walter Berry | Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Deutsche Oper Chorus | EMI Classics, Cat: 69319 |
| 1976 | Spas Wenkoff, Caterina Ligendza, Yvonne Minton, Karl Ridderbusch, Donald McIntyre | Carlos Kleiber, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Bayreuth Festival Chorus (Recording of a performance at the Bayreuth Festival) | Opera Depot, Cat: OD 10262-3 |
| 1980-81 | John Mitchinson, Linda Esther Gray, Anne Wilkens, Gwynne Howell, Phillip Joll | Reginald Goodall, Chorus and Orchestra of Welsh National Opera | Decca, Cat: 443682 |
| 1981 | Alberto Remedios, Linda Esther Gray, Felicity Palmer, John Tomlinson, Norman Bailey | Reginald Goodall, Chorus and Orchestra of English National Opera, Performance in English | Oriel Music Society, OMS 181 |
| 1981 | Peter Hofmann, Hildegard Behrens, Yvonne Minton, Hans Sotin, Bernd Weikl | Leonard Bernstein, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Chorus | Philips, Cat: 2PH5410-447 |
| 1980/82 | René Kollo, Margaret Price, Brigitte Fassbaender, Kurt Moll, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau | Carlos Kleiber, Leipzig Radio Chorus, Dresden Staatskapelle | Deutsche Grammophon, Cat: 403202 |
| 1995 | Siegfried Jerusalem, Waltraud Meier, Marjana Lipovšek, Matti Salminen, Falk Struckmann | Daniel Barenboim, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin State Opera Chorus | Teldec, Cat: 94568 |
| 2003 | Thomas Moser, Deborah Voigt, Petra Lang, Robert Holl, Peter Weber | Christian Thielemann, Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Vienna State Opera Chorus (Live) | Deutsche Grammophon, Cat: 474 974 |
| 2004 | Plácido Domingo, Nina Stemme, Mihoko Fujimura, René Pape, Olaf Bär | Antonio Pappano, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Chorus | EMI Classics, Cat: 5.58006 |
| 2012 | Stephen Gould, Nina Stemme, Michelle Breedt, Kwangchul Youn, Johan Reuter | Marek Janowski, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Rundfunkchor Berlin | Pentatone, Cat: PTC5186404 |

## Video recordings

| Year | Cast: (Tristan, Isolde, Brangäne, King Marke, Kurwenal) | Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra | Label |
| 1967 | Wolfgang Windgassen, Birgit Nilsson, Hertha Töpper, Hans Hotter, Frans Andersson | Pierre Boulez, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Osaka International Festival Choir (Directed by Wieland Wagner; recorded live [in black-and-white] at the Festival Hall, Osaka, on 10 April) | DVDs: TOL, Premiere, HO, Encore |
| 1973 | Jon Vickers, Birgit Nilsson, Ruth Hesse, Bengt Rundgren, Walter Berry | Karl Böhm, Orchestre National de l’ O.R.T.F., New Philharmonia Chorus (Directed by Nikolaus Lehnhoff; recorded live at the Théatre Antique d’Orange on 7 July) | DVD: Hardy Classic Video |
| 1981 | Peter Hofmann, Hildegard Behrens, Yvonne Minton, Hans Sotin, Bernd Weikl | Leonard Bernstein, Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Semi-staged concert version with set and costumes by Gerd Krauss; recorded live at the Herkulessaal, Munich, on 13 January, 27 April, and 10 November) | DVD and Blu-ray (NTSC, 4:3): Unitel |
| 1983 | René Kollo, Johanna Meier, Hanna Schwarz, Matti Salminen, Hermann Becht | Daniel Barenboim, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus (Staged and directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle; recorded live at the Bayreuth Festival on 1–9 October) | DVD: Deutsche Grammophon |
| 1993 | René Kollo, Gwyneth Jones, Hanna Schwarz, Robert Lloyd, Gerd Feldhoff | Jiří Kout, Orchestra & Chorus of the Deutsche Oper Berlin (Staged and directed by Götz Friedrich; recorded live at NHK Hall, Tokyo, on 24 and 29 September) | DVD: TDK, Kultur, Arthaus Musik; Blu-ray: Arthaus Musik |
| 1995 | Siegfried Jerusalem, Waltraud Meier, Uta Priew, Matthias Hölle, Falk Struckmann | Daniel Barenboim, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus (Staged by Heiner Müller; recorded live at the Bayreuth Festival 3–9 July) | DVD: Deutsche Grammophon |
| 1998 | Jon Frederic West, Waltraud Meier, Marjana Lipovšek, Kurt Moll, Bernd Weikl | Zubin Mehta, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Chorus of the Bayerische Staatsoper (Stage director: Peter Konwitschny, recorded live at the Nationaltheater, Munich on 4 July) | DVD: Arthaus Musik |
| 1999 | Ben Heppner, Jane Eaglen, Katarina Dalayman, René Pape, Hans-Joachim Ketelsen | James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Stage director: Dieter Dorn; TV director: Brian Large\; recorded live at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, 18 December) | SD video: Met Opera on Demand |
| 2007 | Robert Gambill, Nina Stemme, Katarina Karnéus, René Pape, Bo Skovhus | Jiří Bělohlávek, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Glyndebourne Festival Opera (Stage director: Nikolaus Lehnhoff; recorded live at the Glyndebourne Opera House on 1 and 6 August) | Blu-ray/DVD: Opus Arte |
| 2007 | Ian Storey Waltraud Meier, Michelle DeYoung, Matti Salminen, Gerd Grochowski | Daniel Barenboim, Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro alla Scala (Director: Patrice Chéreau; recorded live on 7 December) | Blu-ray: Erato |
| 2008 | Robert Dean Smith, Deborah Voigt, Michelle DeYoung, Matti Salminen, Eike Wilm Schulte | James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Stage director: Dieter Dorn; recorded live at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, on 22 March) | HD video: Met Opera on Demand. |
| 2009 | Robert Dean Smith, Iréne Theorin, Michelle Breedt, Robert Holl, Jukka Rasilainen | Peter Schneider, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra & Chorus; recorded live at the Bayreuth Festival on 9 August) | Blu-ray: Opus Arte |
| 2016 | Stuart Skelton, Nina Stemme, Ekaterina Gubanova, René Pape, Evgeny Nikitin | Simon Rattle, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Stage director: Mariusz Treliński; TV director: Gary Halvorson; recorded live at the Metropolitan Opera House on 8 October) | HD video: Met Opera on Demand |
| 2018 | Andreas Schager, Anja Kampe, Ekaterina Gubanova, Stephen Milling, Boaz Daniel | Daniel Barenboim, Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Stage director: Dmitri Tcherniakov; recorded live in Berlin in April) | Blu-ray: Bel Air Classiques |