Glyndebourne’s Tristan und Isolde 2024 @Mike Hoban
Tristan und Isolde is a 12th century medieval chivalric romance based on Celtic sources. The tale is about tragic love. It depicts the Cornish knight Tristan whose mission is to escort the Princess Isolde from Ireland to marry his uncle, King Marke of Cornwall. On the journey, Tristan and Isolde drink a love potion instigating a forbidden love affair between them. When King Marke finds out about this, he feels betrayed until he is told about the love potion and Tristan, on his deathbed, is forgiven for this betrayal.
The opera by Richard Wagner is written in the two years before 1859 to a German libretto and premiered in Munich in 1865. The opera was enormously influential amongst western classical composers and provided inspiration to so many including Bruckner, Mahler, Strauss, Berg and Britten. Most regard it as setting the harmony and tonality, and direction for classical music in the 20th century, and perhaps it is the famous Tristan chord that is at the heart of this theory.
Julian Johnson, in his dissertation on the subject said “historians will tell you that the chord marks a key step towards atonal music. But Wagner’s music though highly chromatic is absolutely not atonal – it hinges on the power of tonality.”
At the key moments in the opera Tristan’s chord is associated with the love potion that Isolde’s maid, Brangäne, substitutes for that of the death potion.
So, does the chord signify the power of love? Across its three acts there are a series of build ups straining towards climax only to be held at the last moment and the chord is at the core of this until the arrival of the Liebestod. The Tristan chord can be treated as part of a familiar formula of romantic music with of course the Liebestod at its final core.
The Conductor, Robin Ticciati, confirms in his notes that he is intoxicated by the themes of love, death and friendship and the score burns with such intensity that at any moment it could spontaneously burst into flames. Although surrounded by death, Tristan und Isolde remains an opera of transcendental healing. Musically, with the outstanding London Philharmonic Orchestra in the pit, this was a virile performance at times crackling with electricity and full of superb textural detail.
The Director, Nikolaus Lehnhoff, gives us a slow and static production being a vortex of circular steps but with moments of great intensity and beauty. However, access to the set requires some great athleticism which is not a strength possessed by the major principals. Indeed, one of them the Brangäne, sung by the thrilling mezzo soprano of Karen Cargill, was herself injured on set and sang the role from the side aisle with her understudy acting the role on stage.
Stuart Skelton who is Australia’s finest heldentenor was an outstanding Tristan singing with beauty and providing an intensely dramatic portrayal. His Isolde, Miina-Liisa Värelä who is a graduate of Helsinki’s renowned Sibelius Academy provides a dramatic interpretation full of tonal flexibility and is captivating in her role. The other roles were all well sung including the Melot of Samuel Sakker, The King Marke of Franz-Josef Selig and the Kurwenal of Shenyang.
The Revival Director Daniel Dooner and the Lighting Designer Robin Carter produced some magical moments particularly at the end with Isolde beautifully singing the Liebestod as she unites with Tristan in death, in the highest plane of unending love.
David Buchler