Wagner - Tristan und Isolde / Bohm, Nilsson, Vickers
For its 1973 production of Wagner's intense romantic tragedyTristan und Isolde, the Theatre Antique  d'Orange assembled the best cast and conductor then available, but left the  engineering in less gifted hands. Despite abstract staging that Wagner would  have hated and serious technical shortcomings, many Wagnerians will find the  result indispensable. This is the only videoTristanwe have in which Birgit Nilsson and Jon Vickers--both  near-legendary figures and ideally suited to their roles--can be seen together.  For many, that will be enough said, and they can expect many hours of  enjoyment. Added attractions are the fine performance of Walter Berry and  Karl Bohm's excellent conducting. But the sound is poor even by the standards of  1973, and the cameras are sometimes misdirected, the images blurred.  Whether you choose it or not depends on whether you value performance  over technical quality. The performance is excellent, particularly in theLiebestodand Tristan's mad scene.--Joe McLellan