# Mehta or Tennstedt?



## renoir227 (Jan 9, 2018)

Hey. Whose interpretation of Wagner do you like more? Zubin Mehta's or Klaus Tennstedt? Or do you prefer any other? 

Personally I like Klaus Tennstedt more because it deals better with the darkness and seriousness of Wagner's music. His record of Götterdämmerung with London Philarmonic Orchestra is legendary imo.
Though i really adore the record of Mehta with Bavarian Symphony Orchestra when they recorded Tristan und Isolde.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

I have rather Solti, any day of the weak.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Mehta is not one of the first half dozen conductors to come to mind when I think of Wagner.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Based on my concert-going expierience, if I had a choice of concerts and Mehta was conducting one of them ... I would probably go to the other.


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## Faustian (Feb 8, 2015)

I don't think I've ever heard a Wagner recording conducted by either. And I've heard a lot of Wagner recordings.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Faustian said:


> I don't think I've ever heard a Wagner recording conducted by either. And I've heard a lot of Wagner recordings.


Mehta has certainly conducted Tristan on multiple occasions, dating back as far as 1972:









He's also conducted the Ring operas, and Tannhauser at least once. I'm not sure about the others. I'd describe Mehta's Wagner as competent, but not much more. I like his Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, and some of his Strauss, as well as his recordings of New Year concerts in Vienna.

On the other hand, I don't believe that Tennstedt ever conducted Wagner in any opera house, although I could be wrong about that. He did record some orchestral excerpts and some concert pieces with singers. I think that there's a Walkure Act 1 out there.


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## rw181383 (Aug 4, 2017)

wkasimer, here is the Walküre Act 1/Tennstedt you mentioned:


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## damianjb1 (Jan 1, 2016)

Tennstedt made some very fine Mahler recordings. He also conducts one of favourite Four Last Songs recordings with Lucia Popp.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Both are outstanding Wagner conductors . But unfortunately, Tennsted conducted very little opera in the theater after he left the former East Germany . He appeared once at the Met conducting Fidelio in the 80s . 
EMI was planning to have him conduct a recording of Elektra. with the LPO but for some reason this plan fell through and some time later , Sawallisch recorded a superb one for the same label . 
Too bad . 
Mehta conducts a Tristan on DVD with the Bavarian State opera with Waltraud Meier which is musically to die for , and the production is mercifully free of the worst Eurotrash excesses even though it's set in the present day . 
But it would have been fantastic to have Tennstedt conduct Wagner at the Met . Unfortunately, this never happened .


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

damianjb1 said:


> Tennstedt made some very fine Mahler recordings. He also conducts one of favourite Four Last Songs recordings with Lucia Popp.


Dessert island disc, well mine anyway.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

damianjb1 said:


> Tennstedt made some very fine Mahler recordings. He also conducts one of favourite Four Last Songs recordings with Lucia Popp.


Got the Mahler set and love it


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

MarkW said:


> Mehta is not one of the first half dozen conductors to come to mind when I think of Wagner.


Agreed. But- then again, neither is Tennstedt.

Could I "supersize" your sentiment and say that I could go at least a dozen deep in the Wagner conductor litany before beginning to contemplate Tennstedt?


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