Richard Wagner: Der Fliegende Holländer

This live Flying Dutchman from the 1955 Bayreuth season -- the same one that produced Keilberth's celebrated Ring cycle -- is almost too famous to comment upon. The cast is all but perfect down to the smallest parts. the two leads, Hermann Uhde as the Dutchman and Astrid Varnay as Senta, cover themselves with glory. Uhde's voice is beautiful and technically solid at the same time, but it's his total dramatic conviction that won him such acclaim on this one magical night. Varnay's voice wasn't exactly beautiful, and she doesn't sound as young as later, lighter Sentas are in a role that has become more girlish over the years (after the era of Anja silja and Hildegard Behrens). But by suppressing some of her vocal amplitude, Varnay can make the most of her vivid dramatic instincts. She and Uhde make an incomparable couple.
In the two prominent secondary roles, Ludwig Weber carries the right age and authority as Daland; I think it adds to his characterization that he is a bit dodgy with rhythm and intonation. As Erik, Windgassen is luxury casting; hew as singing a great Siegfried that season. In the pit Kna conducts with intensity and command. there's no sloppiness or slack rhythms. His tempos are on the broad side, but as another reviewer notes, kna doesn't think this is Parsifal. The Bayreuth orchestra and chorus are in good shape, better to tell the truth, than they sound in Keilberth's Rheingold and Walkure.
Urania takes advantage in their transfer of the fact that the sound has always been good for a mono broadcast. (I don't know if any label has access to the master tapes from Bavarian Radio.) I imagine that most dedicated Wagnerites already know this legendary recording well, but there's always a new generation waiting to make a marvelous discovery.