Wagner: 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 of Tristan, Meistersinger, the Ring, and Parsifal before him, he would be considered only a musical middleweight. Tristan marks 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