The idea of recording Wagner’s operas was first taken seriously in the early 1920s when extracts only were recorded. It was not until 1928 at the Bayreuth Festival that virtually the whole of Tristan und Isolde was recorded – Acts 1 and 2 were done substantially complete and only Act 3 was cut, a practice which was usual in those days. Because the great exponents of the title rôles, Melchior and Leider were signed to a rival company, a fine cast of substitutes, led by Rudolf Bockelmann, was assembled. The Bayreuth orchestra and chorus were magnificently conducted by the underrated Karl Elmendorff.