Kirsten Flagstad & Constance Shacklock sing "Dein Werk? O tör'ge Magd!" (1951)

My personal favorite scene from the opera, sung by two demigoddesses. This is my favorite operatic recording of all time, and I believe never heard before on CZcams, so please enjoy!
Details:
Isolde - Kirsten Flagstad
Brangane - Constance Shacklock
Conductor - Karl Rankl
Music - Richard Wagner
Covent Garden
May, 1951.
All surviving excerpts from this performance can be found in this playlist: • Tristan und Isolde exc...

[@robertdonkers]

And Flagstad loved working with Constance Shacklock who she really took under her wings when she was a young singer. Shacklock always spoke with such love and admiration about her colleague.

[@scottgrunow5201]

Always a supreme moment in Flagstad's Isolde. Unsurpassed beauty and power

[@dramaticsoprano5168]

Flagstad sings Isolde as if she were possessed by the Goddess of Love. That's why I chose this Dido picture.
I wonder what you think of Constance Shacklock. One of the most successful British 'contraltos' (I'm sure she was probably a mezzo) after the war, but largely forgotten today.

[@draganvidic2039]

Flagstad… OMG

[@omarsomehow69]

What a beautiful smooth singing line she had

[@dramaticsoprano5168]

And for some reason line singing is something that seems a bit difficult for big voices. Especially before and after high notes, they sometimes have a ‘break’.

[@omarsomehow69]

@@dramaticsoprano5168 well, on big bulky voices for sure. But Flagstad was known for the purity of emission and that's understandable judging by thе recordings.

[@jaykauffman4775]

She is as good and in better sound on the 52 EMI set. Wonderful

[@ER1CwC]

@@dramaticsoprano5168The big voices that sing bulkily aren’t actually the ‘big’ voices. They are bulky because they are pushing! Or because they had inferior techniques. Flagstad, Farrell, Nilsson (yes, a bit lighter) - they for the most part never pushed.

[@roberthorn1838]

Flagstad is unbelievably magnificent here.In my opinion whatever wonderful qualities other Isoldes may have possessed, for sheer voice Flagstad stood alone!

[@cmarley4259]

Beautiful singing. Thank you!
And yes, I agree one of the best scenes from the opera. It used to be a popular concert aria/studio recording piece in the old school era.

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

My favourite bit from Tristan. Thank you for the video!

[@henrygingercat]

Great singing by any standards - oh if only more had been recorded!

[@EmilyGloeggler7984]

Would you do a video of other dramatic sopranos like Eileen Farrell, Felia Litvinne, Gina Cigna, or Florence Easton?

[@dramaticsoprano5168]

Absolutely, as I find them. Flagstad is just the singer I am collecting at the moment so you will mostly see her for now. I do have a few videos for others also, and make compilation videos of thrilling/challenging moments in the dramatic repertoire.