The read
It runs long at 3h 58m.
Synopsis
Inspired by Wagner’s own tortured affair with the wife of his patron, this searing masterwork is based on Arthurian legend and tells of an illicit romance between a Breton nobleman and the Irish princess betrothed to his uncle and king. The composer’s larger-than-life sensibilities are on full display throughout the score: Along with intoxicating orchestral music that surges in tandem with the couple’s burgeoning passion and a chord left symbolically unresolved until the last moments of the opera, the opera also features one of the repertory’s most soaring and ecstatic final climaxes, as Isolde surrenders to a love so powerful that she transcends life itself.
Ratings
IMDb7.6/10
3 audience votes
Key crew
- Brian LargeDirector
- Richard WagnerOriginal Music Composer
- Richard WagnerWriter
Cast
- Ben HeppnerTristan
- Jane EaglenIsolde
- Hans-Joachim KetelsenKurwenal
- Katarina DalaymanBrangäne
- René PapeKing Marke
- Brian DavisMelot
- Anthony Dean GriffeyA Sailor's Voice
- Mark SchowalterA Sheperd
- James CourtneySteersman
- James LevineSelf - Conductor
- MET OrchestraCast
Stills
Themes
operaopera live performancethe metropolitan opera