Opera
Tristan
und Isolde
Richard Wagner
‘As I have never truly experienced the happiness of love in my life,’ Richard Wagner wrote to Franz Liszt in December 1854, ‘I would like to erect a monument to this most beautiful of all dreams, a work in which this love can be expressed to the full.’ At the time, he was writing the first outlines of Tristan und Isolde. Wagner conceived his opera as an extended dialogue between two lovers, Tristan of Cornwall and Isolde, an Irish princess who had been married off to King Marke. Tristan und Isolde is Wagner’s hymn to love and death, and in his harmonies, melodies, and aesthetics he resolutely explored new directions. Ralf Pleger, a prize-winning director of innovative musical films, is aiming for an immersion in the Wagnerian combination of words and music in partnership with the visual artist Alexander Polzin. Their approach allows Alain Altinoglu every opportunity to let the cosmic dimension of the score ring out clearly.
Synopsis
Tristan, King Marke’s most loyal vassal, takes the Irish princess Isolde to Cornwall to be married off to his master. During the journey, Isolde uses a deadly poison in an attempt to extinguish the intense but unspoken love between her and Tristan that had arisen beforehand. Isolde’s confidante Brangäne, however, replaces the poison with a love potion. From that moment, Tristan and Isolde become inseparably linked. Their secret love is soon betrayed to King Marke by the jealous Melot, who also fatally wounds Tristan. He is brought to his island, longing for one final meeting with Isolde before he dies. When she eventually comes, he himself pulls open his wound and collapses in her arms. Isolde follows him, dying in the most sublime ecstasy.
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Magazine
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OperaGoing with the storm
Ralf Pleger and Alexander Polzin on their staging of ‘Tristan und Isolde’
Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde poses a major challenge to every opera director. To turn the unendliche stream of monologues and dialogues in this masterpiece into enduring images, La Monnaie brought together two complementary visual artists. The German film director Ralf Pleger is well-acquainted with the Wagnerian universe: his documentary on the life and work of this composer won him the Public Award on the 2013 World Film Festival of Montréal. For this new production, he joins hands with the German sculptor Alexander Polzin, who previously at La Monnaie created the impressive stage design for our 2017 production of Aida. In this video portrait, both artists contemplate their approach to Wagner’s timeless hymn to love and death.
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OperaA masterpiece that leaves nobody unmoved.
Musical director Alain Altinoglu rehearses ‘Tristan und Isolde'
Musical Director Alain Altinoglu on his first encounter with Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, and the major music-historical influence of this four-hour tour de force.
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OperaFocus dramaturgy
‘Tristan und Isolde’
Let our head of Dramaturgy Reinder Pols guide you on the metaphysical trip that is ‘Tristan and Isolde’. An unforgettable homage to the mythic power of love, coming to La Monnaie on May 2.
Gallery
Dates
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Thu 02 May 2019
Time
18:00
Venue
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Sat 04 May 2019
Time
18:00
Venue
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Tue 07 May 2019
Time
18:00
Venue
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Wed 08 May 2019
Time
18:00
Venue
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Fri 10 May 2019
Time
18:00
Venue
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Sun 12 May 2019
Time
15:00
Venue
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Tue 14 May 2019
Time
18:00
Venue
-
Thu 16 May 2019
Time
18:00
Venue
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Fri 17 May 2019
Time
18:00
Venue
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Sun 19 May 2019
Time
15:00
Venue
Cast
ConductorALAIN ALTINOGLU
Artistic conceptRALF PLEGER & ALEXANDER POLZIN
DirectorRALF PLEGER
Set designALEXANDER POLZIN
CostumesWOJCIECH DZIEDZIC
LightingJOHN TORRES
Assistant lightingKATE BASHORE
ChoreographyFERNANDO MELO
Chorus masterMARTINO FAGGIANI
TristanBRYAN REGISTER
CHRISTOPHER VENTRIS (4, 7, 10, 16, 19)
König MarkeFRANZ-JOSEF SELIG
IsoldeANN PETERSEN
KELLY GOD (4, 7)
RICARDA MERBETH (10, 16, 19)
KurwenalANDREW FOSTER-WILLIAMS
BrangäneNORA GUBISCH
EVE-MAUD HUBEAUX (4, 7, 10, 16, 19)
Melot / Ein SteuermannWIARD WITHOLT
Ein Hirt / Ein junger SeemannED LYON
La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra and male Chorus
ProductionDE MUNT / LA MONNAIE
Co-productionTEATRO COMMUNALE DI BOLOGNA
With the support of THE BELGIAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S TAX SHELTER, IN COOPERATION WITH PROSPERO MM PRODUCTIONS SA/NV AND TAXSHELTER.BE, POWERED BY ING
In coproduction with Shelter Prod and Prospero MM Productions With the support of taxshelter.be and ING With the support of the tax shelter of the Belgian federal government
