Complement to a Classic: A newly released Klemperer ‘Dutchman’ throws light on a staple of the catalogue for David Breckbill

EMI’s commercial recording of Der fliegende Holländer conducted by Otto Klemperer has been a mainstay of the Wagner discography ever since it was made in 1968. It has attracted prominent champions: as one example, for years Gramophone named it the recommended recording of this opera. I have always had a hard time understanding why it holds such a treasured spot in the affections of especially British listeners, and have come to assume that those who admired it most were able to hear into the recording their memories of the concert performance at the Royal Festival Hall that occurred at the end of the recording sessions. Now Testament has released a recording of that live performance, sounding better than it did in prior unofficial releases (despite some minimal distortion at climaxes), thereby prompting reflections on a whole host of issues surrounding experience, memory and the nature of recordings.