With several hundred recordings of Wagner's "Prelude" and "Liebestod" from Tristan und Isolde and of Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony in the catalog, what possible reasons could there be for re-releasing Czech conductor Václav Talich's 1953 recordings of the works? The first and foremost reason is that they are so unbelievably great. In every note of every bar, Talich's interpretation expresses the overwhelming emotional ecstasy of Wagner's "Prelude" and "Liebestod" and the unbearable psychic agony of Tchaikovsky's Sixth. But ...
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With several hundred recordings of Wagner's "Prelude" and "Liebestod" from Tristan und Isolde and of Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony in the catalog, what possible reasons could there be for re-releasing Czech conductor Václav Talich's 1953 recordings of the works? The first and foremost reason is that they are so unbelievably great. In every note of every bar, Talich's interpretation expresses the overwhelming emotional ecstasy of Wagner's "Prelude" and "Liebestod" and the unbearable psychic agony of Tchaikovsky's Sixth. But since there are probably dozens of recordings that express that same ecstasy and agony, what is it about Talich's performances that make them special?In part, it's his phrasing. Whether from the Prague Radio Symphony in the Wagner and from the Czech Philharmonic in the Tchaikovsky, Talich's phrasing is molded to the arch of the melody in a manner that is wholly in sympathy with the music and yet wholly individualistic. In part, it's his colors. Whether with the Radio Symphony or the...
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