OP3149. TANNHAUSER, Live Performance, 19 Dec., 1942, w.Szell Cond. Met Opera Ensemble; Helen Traubel, Kerstin Thorborg, Lauritz Melchior, Alexander Kipnis, Herbert Janssen, etc. (replete with Milton Cross' commentaries); Ormandy Cond.LA Phil., w.Helen Traubel & Lauritz Melchior: LOHENGRIN - Excerpts, Live Performance, 1948, Hollywood Bowl. (Canada) 3-Immortal Performances IPCD 1053. Transfers & Essay by Richard Caniell. Program notes by Dewey Faulkner. - 748252292643

CRITIC REVIEWS:

"As is always the case with Richard Caniell's Immortal Performances releases, there is no question about the quality of restoration. Although this performance of TANNHAUSER has been available before on a variety of labels, this version is significantly better. The sound is fuller, the background is quieter, the pitches are correct, the flutter is mostly gone and the distortion minimized. There is no debate even possible about the quality of this versus any other: this is the one to get.

A more interesting question is which of the six [Met] Melchior TANNHAUSER performances would be first choice. The most important point, not open to debate in my mind, is that there was Melchior and then there has been every other tenor who sang this demanding role. One can imagine Vickers being equally gratifying, but he refused to sing it because his religious beliefs made it impossible for him to get inside the character. Melchior had a tenor voice at once powerful and beautiful. This lengthy and demanding role held no terrors for him, and at the end of the opera he sounds as if he could [immediately] sing it again. Passages that other tenors clearly struggle with are sung with complete comfort and ease by Melchior. He was capable of an astonishing range of vocal color, portraying tenderness, anger, pain and love with real imagination.

Melchior made his Met debut as Tannhäuser in 1926 and dominated in the role as in all the Wagner repertory until his forced retirement in 1950 by Rudolf Bing in an act of administrative arrogance that typified much of that general manager's reign. Listening to him in this performance one is astonished that we are listening to a singer who made his professional debut (as a baritone) 29 years earlier, and his second debut (as a tenor) 24 years earlier. This performance is miraculous - a beacon toward which other Wagnerian tenors should aim, even if they are not likely to get there.

The most serious competition is, in fact, from the same label: Immortal Performances IPCD 1039, the 1936 Met performance. Melchior, at 46 instead of 52, does sound just a bit fresher and more consistent vocally, but those differences are minor.

Caniell has taken the kind of liberty that has infuriated some of his critics, but that I support completely. In this 1942 performance, Traubel shattered the high B near the end of 'Dich teure Halle', emitting a note that barely resembled what we call music. In other performances, including some broadcasts, Traubel sang the note perfectly. Caniell has edited in a B from another Traubel broadcast. Even knowing that (he is candid in his notes) I could not hear the edit - it is perfectly done. And it is the right thing to do for those of us who plan to listen to the performance more than once, as long as he is upfront about it.

The principal differences between 1941 and 1942 are the conducting of Leinsdorf vs. that of Szell, and the Elisabeths of Flagstad and Traubel. While I enjoy both conductors, I must say that I find Szell's attention to detail here a significant point in his favor. Balances are carefully judged, attacks are precise, tempo relationships are carefully gauged, but at the same time the performance feels spontaneous and alive. Between Traubel and Flagstad the difference is less dramatic than you might have thought. Traubel certainly lacked the rich column of sound that Flagstad was capable of producing, but both have beautiful and ringing voices. Although Flagstad was a bit stolid as an actress, she actually inflects the music with more specificity and variety of color than Traubel, who seems to be engaging in a vocal concert. On the other hand, Elisabeth is hardly a character of the complexity of Isolde or a Sieglinde, and the vocal acting will not be a major issue for most.

A genuine superiority of the 1942 performance is found in the Landgraf: Emanuel List is a more than competent singer, but Alexander Kipnis in this 1942 version is much more than that. His richly expressive voice was a uniquely beautiful instrument, and he was an artist of unusual imagination as well. The preservation of his Landgraf is one of the joys of this release. Thorborg was a regular Venus at the Met over many years. She shows a sumptuous voice, very occasionally unsteady here, and can use its rich tone to portray the seductress but can also harden the sound to convey her anger.

As beautifully vocalized as Tibbett's Wolfram is in 1936, there is no denying the greater comfort with the idiom and identification with the character displayed by Janssen here.

Caniell also includes as a bonus excerpts from a 1948 Hollywood Bowl concert with Traubel and Melchior, including the complete Bridal Chamber Scene from LOHENGRIN. It is a wonderful 'extra', particularly because the recording, as heard here, is brilliantly clear. The ring of both voices, and fullness of the orchestra, is a pleasure to the ear. As is the normal practice of Immortal Performances, substantial portions of Milton Cross' radio announcements are included, but are tracked separately so skipping them is easy if you wish. As is also the normal practice for this label, the accompanying booklet is a major asset. Essays and historic photos are a vital part of what Immortal Performances produces.

The 1941 performance has the advantage of Flagstad over Traubel, but I prefer Szell to Leinsdorf. Immortal Performances plans a release of that one in 2016. I think that if I were to have only one example of Melchior's Tannhäuser, it would be this one, and if I were a serious Wagnerian I would not wish to be without it."

- Henry Fogel, FANFARE, Nov./Dec., 2015





"This matinee performance of TANNHAUSER (Paris version, 1861, but with cuts) is everything one might expect from Szell. And from Caniell and his Immortal Performance forces, also. The transfer at hand is taken from what Caniell describes as 'astonishingly noiseless transcription discs' so that it 'possesses sonic superiority over all other previous releases'. It is easy to agree, listening to the set. The recording and transfer hold their own in the terrific finale to the second act, where Wagner's glorious ensemble glows through the years - there are patchings: the first verse of Tannhäuser's 'Ode to Venus' was omitted, so Caniell has inserted one from a previous season (Leinsdorf); a bad high note of Traubel's in 'Dich teure Halle' is replaced to ease repeated listening. The resulting performance is magical. A surprise to modern ears is the wide vibrato on the horns in the opening chorale; less surprising is the discipline of the orchestra, a Szell specialty. Tempo changes in the Overture are impeccably managed; the Bacchanale borders on the frenetic yet stays within the confines of the supernaturally charged. Thorborg and Melchior's Venusberg duet is fairly driven, but there is no mistaking the lusty nature of Melchior's trumpet-like tenor. Thorborg is on good, sometimes verging on great, form as Venus, but she is not entirely consistent; nevertheless it is the heroic, uniformly stellar Melchior that leaves such a mark. His vocal definition at speed, and with Szell at the helm, is utterly remarkable; so much so that he does not sound in the least bit rushed, merely impassioned. Melchior is impeccable in a reading that moves from near-Sprechstimme to the highest romanticism, not to mention the frenzy of impassioned outpouring that is the Rome Narration.

Helen Traubel's Elisabeth is magnificent. Imperious, with cutting soprano tone, she matches Szell's intensity in 'Dich teure Halle', while her Prayer ('Allmächt'ge Jungfrau') is radiant. Szell gives her space to maneuver while maintaining his trademark intensity in the pit. Alexander Kipnis is likewise magnificent as the Landgraf, while Herbert Janssen's Wolfram is beautifully expressive in 'Blick' ich umher'....The Met Chorus is simply magnificent in the Act I processional (superbly paced by Szell), as it is in every single contribution here."

- Colin Clarke, FANFARE, Nov./Dec., 2015



"Herbert Janssen - with his plangent, fine-grained voice, keen intelligence, aristocratic musicianship, and (not incidentally) handsome appearance - was the leading German baritone in several major theatres during the 1920s and 1930s. After study with Oskar Daniel in Berlin he was immediately accepted by Max von Schillings for the Berlin State Opera, where he made his debut in 1922 as Herod in Schreker's DER SCHATZGRABER . He remained at the Berlin State Opera until 1937 singing both lyric and dramatic roles, many of them in the Italian repertory. He later appeared in important productions of DER FLIEGENDE HOLLANDER and TRISTAN UND ISOLDE at Covent Garden conducted by Reiner and Beecham, also singing Orest / ELEKTRA and in 1935 taking the title role in Borodin's PRINCE IGOR, for which he was highly praised.

Janssen was a fixture at the Bayreuth Festival from 1930 to 1937. His Wolfram in TANNHAUSER set a standard not approached since, and, fortunately, it was recorded in a somewhat truncated 1930 production. During that decade, he established benchmarks for several Wagner roles, particularly Kurwenal, Telramund, Gunther, and - especially - Amfortas. His interpretation of the latter was an exquisitely sung realization of a soul in torment, achieving a remarkable unity of voice, movement, and makeup. His doggedly loyal Kurwenal is preserved on complete recordings of TRISTAN UND ISOLDE made live at Covent Garden in 1936 and 1937. His tortured Dutchman is also available in a live recording made at Covent Garden and featuring Kirsten Flagstad as Senta.

In addition to his stage work, Janssen acquired a reputation as a superior singer of Lieder. The exceptional beauty of his voice and his interpretive acuity made him a prime candidate for Walter Legge's Hugo Wolf Society venture of the 1930s. Among the finest singers Legge could pull together, Janssen was given the largest assignment and his subscription recordings made throughout the decade remain supreme, even in the face of the best achievements of post-war Lieder singers.

Janssen was very unpopular with the Nazi regime, having turned down a dinner invitation from Hitler at Bayreuth, Janssen left Germany in 1937 and with Toscanini's assistance traveled immediately to Buenos Aires. After a season in Argentina, he came to the United States where he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1939, remaining at that theater until his stage retirement in 1952.

From 1940 onwards Janssen sang regularly at Buenos Aires and with the San Francisco Opera between 1945 and 1951. Following his retirement in 1952, he remained in New York as a respected teacher.

Janssen's performances were notable for the warm and sympathetic timbre of his voice, his excellent command of legato and clear enunciation, as well as his convincing acting. Also a highly accomplished lieder singer, he had in addition starred in the musical DREI MUSKETIERE at the Metropol Theatre in Berlin during 1928 opposite Gota Ljungberg."

- Erik Eriksson, allmusic.com