Kletzki: Tannhauser Ov + Tristan und Isolde Prelude & Liebestod - Columbia 33 FCX 275

Jacket GOOD / LP POOR (French pressing - blue/silver label, heavy vinyl - mono)

Please note: There is significant surface noise; useful only as audition copy.

This outstanding LP from Columbia (33 FCX 275, French pressing, blue/silver label, mono – no stereo edition exists) features conductor Paul Kletzki and the Philharmonia Orchestra in a resplendent all-Wagner album, richly recorded in the fablec acoustics of London’s Kingsway Hall on 15* and 19 June 1953.

The exact contents are as follows:

Wagner: Tannhäuser - Overture and Venusberg Music*

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde – Vorspiel und Liebestod

Not readily associated with this music, Kletzki proves himself a stirring Wagnerian, imbuing these performances with tremenous ardor and drama – these are recordings that deserve to be far better known, which is true of most of Kletzki recorded legacy. The sound is first rate.