Richard Wagner – Tristan and Isolde, Complete Opera, WWV 90.
Staatskapelle Dresden, Carlos Ludwig Kleiber. Deutsche Grammophon, 1982.
Act I. Prelude http://youtu.be/l25J7xdhhKc
Act III. Liebestod http://youtu.be/YjMwDbFng_g
Complete Opera http://youtu.be/SF4zN-Okonc
“ACT ONE
Prelude
At sea, on the deck of Tristan’s ship during the crossing from Ireland to Cornwall.”
Friedrich Nietzsche, who in his younger years was one of Wagner’s staunchest allies, wrote that, for him, “Tristan and Isolde is the real opus metaphysicum of all art. . . insatiable and sweet craving for the secrets of night and death. . . it is overpowering in its simple grandeur”. In a letter to his friend Erwin Rohde in October 1868, Nietzsche described his reaction to Tristan’s Prelude: “I simply cannot bring myself to remain critically aloof from this music; every nerve in me is atwitch, and it has been a long time since I had such a lasting sense of ecstasy as with this overture”. Even after his break with Wagner, Nietzsche continued to consider Tristan a masterpiece: “Even now I am still in search of a work which exercises such a dangerous fascination, such a spine-tingling and blissful infinity as Tristan — I have sought in vain, in every art.”
Tristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting. Wagner referred to the work not as an opera, but called it “eine Handlung” (literally a drama. a plot or an action), which was the equivalent of the term used by the Spanish playwright Calderón for his dramas.
Wagner’s composition of Tristan und Isolde was inspired by his affair with Mathilde Wesendonck and the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer. Widely acknowledged as one of the peaks of the operatic repertory, Tristan was notable for Wagner’s advanced use of chromaticism, tonality, orchestral colour and harmonic suspension.
The opera was profoundly influential among Western classical composers and provided inspiration to composers such as Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Karol Szymanowski, Alban Berg and Arnold Schoenberg. Many see Tristan as the beginning of the move away from conventional harmony and tonality and consider that it lays the groundwork for the direction of classical music in the 20th century.
It was only after Ludwig II of Bavaria became a sponsor of Wagner (he granted the composer a generous stipend and in other ways supported Wagner’s artistic endeavours) that enough resources could be found to mount the premiere of Tristan und Isolde. Hans von Bülow was chosen to conduct the production at the Munich Opera, despite the fact that Wagner was having an affair with his wife, Cosima von Bülow.
A lot of ink has been spilled about child prodigies like Mozart, but little attention has been paid to the phenomenon of the late bloomer. Clearly Wagner belongs to the latter group: had he died at 50, with the premiers of Tristan, Meistersinger, the Ring, and Parsifal before him, he would be considered only a musical middleweight. Tristan marks his first fully mature work and establishes Wagner as a composer of the first rank. This digital recording from the early 1980s features a good, experienced cast. Rene Kollo is nearing the end of his effective career, but turns in a workmanlike performance, while Margaret Price sounds fresh and young. During his career, Maestro Carlos Kleiber has not competed with Herbert von Karajan or Georg Solti in the number of his recordings, but the quality of his output has always been among the best, and here he offers an exceptionally delicate orchestral reading.
Tristan: René Kollo, Isolde: Margaret Price, Brangäne: Brigitte Fassbaender, König Marke: Kurt Moll, Kurwenal: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Melot: Werner Götz, Seemann Eberhard Büchner, Hirte: Anton Dermota, Steuermann: Wolfgang Hellmich, Dresden Staatskapelle, Leipzig Radio Chorus
Dame Margaret Price was persuaded to sing Isolde for a recording under German conductor Carlos Kleiber. The result, made up from several takes, is one of the most outstanding recorded Isoldes. Efforts to tempt Price to do Isolde on the stage, however, never came to anything. “I’m not a long-distance runner,” she insisted. “I’ll sing it to my dogs.”
The Guardian