Tristan und Isolde
by Nikolaus Lehnhoff
List Price:
Our Price: $26.95
You Save: $32.03 (54%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $22.45 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Nina Stemme, Rene Pape, Robert GambillDirector: Nikolaus Lehnhoff
Brand: Naxos OF America INC
Writer: R. Wagner
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); German (Subtitled); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); Italian (Subtitled); German (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Classical, Color, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.77:1
Running Time: 358 minutes
Published: 2010-11-26
DVD Release Date: 2008-02-26
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC / Opus Arte
Movie Reviews of Tristan und Isolde
Movie Review: To die in order to live: a brilliant performance of Tristan
Summary: 5 Stars
By Wagner's own written comments, composition of Tristan und Isolde was inspired by his love affair with Mathilde Wesendonck and the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer. Mathilde had married the silk merchant Otto Wesendonck, who was a great admirer of Wagner's music, and after he and Mathilde met the composer in Zurich in 1852, he placed a large cottage on his estate at Wagner's disposal. By 1857, Wagner had become thoroughly enamored with Mathilde. Wagner wrote voluminously and admitted to returning the many favors Otto had done for him by seeking the romantic favors of his wife. Wagner maintained a relationship with Mathilde for some time while composing Tristan. Tristan was composed between 1857 and 1859, premiering 10 June 1865 under the baton of Hans von Bülow in Munich, despite the fact that Wagner was now having an affair with his wife, Cosima. All three wrote extensively about this strange turn of events. Wagner, of course, was still married to his first wife Minna. Tristan is the quintessential opera about eros and it is natural to wonder to what degree these romantic entanglements influenced its genesis. The complexity of Tristan insured that critical opinion was initially less than favorable. Eduard Hanslick, the most influential 19th Century music critic, said that Tristan "reminded him of the old Italian painting of a martyr whose intestines are slowly unwound from his body on a reel." Opinion quickly changed and Tristan has remained in the repertory ever since. These events, all carefully verified as to their factual nature by musicologists, make up some of the historical background to perhaps the single greatest opera, certainly the most influential, of the 19th century. Tristan is without question a brilliant opera and its importance in musical history is without precedent.
The score of Tristan und Isolde has often been called a landmark in the development of Western music. From its opening chord, the famous 'Tristan Chord' f-b-d#-g# which resolves to another dissonant chord, there is a feeling of ambiguous tonality throughout the opera. Techniques used by Wagner were to prove influential in the gradual movement away from tonality that was the hallmark of the 20th Century. Hans von Bulow, who experienced Tristan's creation at close hand, shows how Wagner's contemporaries were aware of the degree to which the opera was the beginning of modern music. In a letter, he wrote 'Nobody had expected Wagner to write such music. It creates a direct connection to late Beethoven .... The musician who still refuses to believe in progress here has no ears!' Every performance of Tristan carries this accumulated historical baggage to some degree.
The 2003 production by Nikolaus Lehnhoff of Tristan und Isolde represents the first introduction of a Wagner opera into the Glyndebourne repertoire. It confronts the historical baggage directly, reducing Tristan's complex web of symbols and meaning into elemental images. The opening act occurs in front of a geometric spiral that represents the womb, a stark clue to the inner-directed and intimate nature of this production. Light and shadow envelop the stage. Settings for the action: ship, garden, castle, are treated as scenic cyphers and are judged as not requiring scenic representation. According to the producer, the setting of the plot is the soul. "The soul's cosmogony can be experienced even before the realities of time and space are neutralised at the opera's end." Tristan is about the conflict between night and meaning. Imprisoned in the dungeon of the world, the only freedom is death. Death is revealed as savior and as love's only safe harbor, and its symbol or sign is night. What passes for life and for meaning is bound to light and the daytime. Tristan occurs somewhere in the interstices between light and darkness. We infer it from Wagner's comments and directions.
This production is brilliant in its simplicity: acting and singing are appropriate in their intimacy, superb in their execution. There are no weak links. Nina Stemme is a wonderful Isolde. Robert Gambill an excellent Tristan. Bo Skovhus as Kurwenal and Rene Pape as King Marke are exemplary. The London Philharmonic play magnificently under Jiri Belohlavek. From top to bottom, this production exhibits intelligence and taste. The Opus Arte presentation is excellent, as well. Six hours of material is spread across three discs. The recording in both PCM stereo and DTS 5.1 surround sound is warmly natural and lifelike, complimenting the production's warmth and intimacy. The enclosed glossy booklet is informative. There are more than two hours of film extras included.
Now my favorite DVD of Tristan, this is a brilliant production that treats its audience with respect. Lovingly produced, it invites repeated viewing as a method of enticing Tristan's meaning from beneath the shroud of darkness. Glyndebourne's inaugural Wagner entry is a profound success. Most strongly recommended.
Mike Birman
Summary of Tristan und Isolde
WAGNER:TRISTAN UND ISOLDE - DVD MovieSimilar DVD Movies
R. Strauss - SalomeUniversal Studios; Release date: 2007-07-10; DVD
Best price: $15.37
Price in other shops:
Bizet: CarmenUniversal Studios; Release date: 2008-10-28; Published: 2011-10-24; DVD
Best price: $14.73
Price in other shops:
Wagner - ParsifalUniversal Studios; Release date: 2007-09-11; Published: 2011-10-24; DVD
Best price: $22.44
Price in other shops:
![Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nrnberg [DVD Video] Image](/images/Wagner-Die-Meistersinger-von-Nrnberg-DVD-Video-B0012K53TK-X.jpg)
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nrnberg [DVD Video]Naxos OF America INC; Release date: 2008-02-26; DVD
Best price: $26.00
Price in other shops:
Wagner: LohengrinRelease date: 2010-06-21; DVD
Best price: $25.38
Price in other shops:
Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / Heppner, Mattila, Morris, Pape, Allen, Polenzani, Levine, Metropolitan OperaUniversal Studios; Release date: 2005-01-11; DVD
Best price: $21.96
Price in other shops:
Wagner - Lohengrin / Peter Hofmann, Karan Armstrong, Bernd Weikl, Elizabeth Connell, Leif Roar, Woldemar Nelsson, Bayreuth OperaNaxos OF America INC; Release date: 2006-07-25; DVD
Best price: $27.74
Price in other shops:
Wagner: Tristan und IsoldeUniversal Studios; Release date: 2008-07-08; Published: 2011-10-24; DVD
Best price: $24.87
Price in other shops:
Tristan und IsoldeRelease date: 2009-01-13; DVD
Best price: $20.95
Price in other shops:
Wagner - Tristan und IsoldeUniversal Studios; Release date: 2007-08-14; Published: 2011-10-24; DVD
Best price: $22.44
Price in other shops: