The two unifying factors on this 2008 Archipel release are the composer Richard Wagner and the conductor Joseph Keilberth. Wagner, of course, was the nineteenth century German composer whose reputation had been soiled by his posthumous association with National Socialism, while Keilberth was the German conductor of the younger generation whose direct and dramatic approach to Wagner's music entirely bypassed the blended textures and epic lengths of the previous generation.
The three performances here date from during and after the war and show that Keilberth's approach to Wagner did not so much change as intensify over time. His Overture to Tannhäuser with the Grosses Orchester der Deutschlandsenders und des Senders Berlin from 1940 doesn't lack majesty in the "Pilgrim's Hymn" nor sensuality in the "Venusberg Bacchanal." But its colors are much brighter than older conductors' and its tempos are always moving forward so that the piece never slows down and sinks under its own weight.
More characteristic of Keilberth's mature style is the performance of the Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg with the Bamberger Symphoniker from 1955. Some might wish that the brass in general and the first trumpet in particular were more often in tune, but Keilberth's crisp rhythms, clean textures, and tight ensemble make the music sound unusually brilliant and buoyant.
Less successful are the Wesendonck-Lieder with soprano Martha Mödl and the Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, also from 1955. Where Keilberth's approach is direct and dramatic, Mödl's is simply dramatic, and this distance between their styles is obvious in their performance. It's not that Mödl's style is unappealing. From the start of "Der Engel," her wide but controlled vibrato, rich but subtle tone, and strong but flexible phrasing is emotionally engaging. But though Keilberth and the Cologne orchestra stick with her no matter what she does with the tempo, Mödl is clearly running the show, and Keilberth seems unwilling to impose his views on her.
As a bonus, this disc includes four lieder by the late German Romantic Hans Pfitzner sung by soprano Clara Ebers with Keilberth again conducting the Bamberger Symphoniker in 1955. Pfitzner's music can sometimes be heavy going, but with Ebers' sweet supple voice and Keilberth's sympathetic conducting, these performances are sheer magic.
Sonically, the Köln Wesendonck-Lieder come off best with close but clean air check sound. The two Bamberg recordings are nearly as good, though the Meistersinger Prelude lacks the bloom of the Pfitzner songs. With its cramped acoustic and limited dynamic range, however, the 1940 Berlin Tannhäuser Overture shows its age.
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