Tristan Und Isolde
A lot of ink has been spilled about child prodigies like Mozart, but  little attention has been paid to the phenomenon of the late bloomer. Clearly  Wagner belongs to the latter group: had he died at 50, with the premiers ofTristan,Meistersinger,theRing,andParsifalbefore him, he would be considered only a musical middleweight.Tristanmarks his first fully mature work and establishes Wagner as a composer of the  first rank. This digital recording from the early 1980s features a good,  experienced cast. Rene Kollo is nearing the end of his effective career, but  turns in a workmanlike performance, while Margaret Price sounds fresh and young.  During his career, Maestro Carlos Kleiber has not competed with Herbert von  Karajan or Georg Solti in the number of his recordings, but the quality of his  output has always been among the best, and here he offers an exceptionally  delicate orchestral reading.--Christian C. Rix