Richard Wagner - Tannhäuser - Sotin, Ludwig, Kollo - Solti 1970Christa Ludwig, René Kollo, Hans Sotin, Norman Bailey, Victor Braun, Helga Dernesch, Kurt Equiluz, Werner Hollweg, Manfred Jungwirth,
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Boys' Choir, Soloists of the Vienna Boys' Choir
Georg Solti
Studio recording, October 3-21, 1970
The most prominent advantage of this set is the use of the "Paris" edition of the score, as opposed to the "Dresden" version, which does not include the apparition of Venus or the Funeral of Elisabeth at the end, which were added for Paris. (It does include a song for the minstral knight Walther von Vogelweide in the song contest) Secondly, the full score is performend, including the ENTIRE Venusberg ballet: all ten-plus minutes of it.
The Cast is wonderful. Tannhauser has not been all that well served on record: Good performances for the most part, but there is no performance akin to Elisabeth Grummer's Elsa or Anja Silja's Senta: definitive performances. Rene Kollo is the closest we come to perfection. He is a controversial singer: his voice is not exactly of miraculous quality, and many despise his traversal of the role. I love it. He's no Domingo, who's Minstrel-Knight is ravishingly sung, but there is an intensity and dramatic depth to the Kollo's performance that Placido does not reach. The Rome Narration, as with many Tannhausers, is his best moment: all the agony and angst of the character come pouring out. It's both frightening and heartbreaking. There is beautiful singing in the duets with Venus and Elisabeth, and his blasphemous Hall Song is wonderful. --Amazon customer
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