FINALLY, I'm getting a chance to review this DVD. Having preordered the item before its official release date, which was two months ago, I just received my Tristan und Isolde yesterday. However, I'm not going to shortchange the production itself on account of Amazon's colossal blunder, because this DVD is definitely worth the wait!
Several other reviewers have already made all the important comments regarding this production, so I just want to add my voice to theirs. I own three DVDs of this opera, and this is the best Tristan und Isolde I have seen, based on the understated, lush compatibility, as well as the dreamlike beauty of the production, and on the consistency of the performances. This one comes closest to what I believe were Wagner's intentions(well, except for the ending) and is definitely worth owning. Probably the highest compliment I can pay it is this: I am eagerly looking forward to watching it again, and how many four hour DVDs can you say that about?
Rene Kollo in his prime was probably the Tristan of choice at that time, and watching and listening to this it's easy to see why. His voice has all the qualities one expects from a Tristan, beautiful, lyrical, also stentorian, plus he is physically convincing as a young warrior and lover. His expressive face captures all the right moods, from passion to guilt to madness and finally peace. Johanna Meier's Isolde is captivating from her very first note onward, she has a beautiful voice, singing Wagner instead of screaming it. I must say, however, that her rendition of the liebestod is probably the subtlest, most softspoken(softsung?) I have ever heard. Not that it isn't beautiful...I still had goosebumps...but she is so ethereal she is occasionally overpowered by the orchestra. It's a fine reading, and a lovely alternative, just not your typical liebestod in the forceful, passionate manner of Flagstad or Nilsson, or for that matter Eaglen or Polaski, who sing the role of Isolde on the other DVDs of this opera which I own. People familiar with my reviews know that I am an avid champion of Matti Salminen, and nothing about his performance here alters that opinon. He makes King Marke even more of a sympathetic character than usual, with his wounded, soulful voice and countenance. Daniel Barenboim's conducting is somewhat schizophrenic, very slow at times, then, seemingly at the drop of a hat, revved up to the extreme. I enjoyed the juxtapositions very much. And by the way, the orchestra sounds great, despite the tendency to occasionally drown out the singers. With orchestration this powerful, it's probably difficult to resist that urge for a full four hours. After all, the singers are allowed their time in the sun, why shouldn't the orchestra?
I'd like to conclude with some comments on Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's staging, which is lovely and eerie and dreamlike. Certain effects stand out. For instance, in act two, when Tristan and Isolde act out their long, stirring love duet under a large glimmering tree, the head of the tree is filled with lights that resemble eyes and even faces. I'm not sure if this was intentional, but I personally appreciated the effect, giving the impression that the lovers, even during their moment of supreme bliss, are under constant surveillance. Someone else mentioned how effective it is actually seeing the shepherd as he plays his wounded lament at the opening of act three, and I'd like to second that. Finally, regarding the ending, I found it very effective, at least as a one-time thing. If I were unfamiliar with the opera before watching this, though, I might have assumed Ponnelle's conceit jibes with Wagner's intentions, which it doesn't. I don't want to give too much away, because actually seeing this ending is a breathtaking surprise, I just want to caution first time viewers that this is not concordant with the composer's libretto. It is, however, a lush, fanciful, sad, ultimately beautiful touch, cinematic in fact, even if it does take away from some of the growth we have witnessed in a couple of the key characters, particularly King Marke.
I didn't intend to go on this long since the other reviewers did such a good job of talking this DVD up; like Wagner, I can't help getting carried away sometimes. Elvis had an album called A Thousand Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong, or something like that. Well, a thousand Tristan und Isolde fans can't be wrong, either. To exercise the very non-Wagnerian practice of being succinct: go for it.
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Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Daniel Barenboim
(Actor),
Beyreuth Festival Orchestra
(Actor),
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
(Director)
&
0
more Rated: Format: DVD
Unrated
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Genre | Music Video & Concerts, Classical / Symphonies |
Format | Multiple Formats, NTSC, Dolby, Subtitled, DTS Surround Sound, Classical |
Contributor | Johanna Meier, Daniel Barenboim, Hermann Becht, Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, Hanna Schwarz, Beyreuth Festival Orchestra, Helmut Pampuch, Matti Salminen, Robert Schunk See more |
Language | German |
Runtime | 4 hours and 7 minutes |
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Product Description
Rene Kollo stars in this Bayreuth production of the Wagner opera conducted by Daniel Barenboim.
Product details
- Aspect Ratio : 1.33:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : Unrated (Not Rated)
- Product Dimensions : 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 3.2 ounces
- Item model number : 3348242
- Director : Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
- Media Format : Multiple Formats, NTSC, Dolby, Subtitled, DTS Surround Sound, Classical
- Run time : 4 hours and 7 minutes
- Release date : August 14, 2007
- Actors : Daniel Barenboim, Beyreuth Festival Orchestra, Johanna Meier, Matti Salminen, Hanna Schwarz
- Dubbed: : German
- Subtitles: : English
- Language : Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0), German (DTS 5.1), German (PCM Stereo)
- Studio : Deutsche Grammophon
- ASIN : B000OONQ1W
- Number of discs : 2
- Best Sellers Rank: #66,996 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #728 in Performing Arts (Movies & TV)
- #1,626 in Opera & Vocal (CDs & Vinyl)
- #1,647 in Music Videos & Concerts (Movies & TV)
- Customer Reviews:
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2007
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2007
"Tristan Und Isolde" is doubtless one of the greatest operas ever written. Unfortunately it has been very badly served by the currently available productions on DVD.
The Nilsson/Vickers from Orange is ruined (as usual from Kultur) by a very poor technical production and design.
The Heppner/Eaglen from the Met has two principals who cannot act convincingly; although Heppner can really sing the part. Eaglen's voice leaves a great deal to be desired and her physical limitations prevent her from much in the way of physical action. Neither of them look even remotely the way I am sure most of us have pictured Tristan and Isolde to have looked.
The West/Meier from Munich is a travesty. The setting is just plain stupid, given what the text calls for; and West not only fails to sing convincingly, but he cannot act and looks even less like Tristan than Heppner. What is so frustrating is the waste of Waltraud Meier who has the acting and singing ability and the looks; and the waste of Kurt Moll who is a superb King Marke.
The Treleaven/Polaski from Barcelona is also spoiled by a silly production and less than stellar singing from the principals. They are the same cast as was used in the Barcelona Kupfer II "Ring", and I truly hated Treleaven and Struckmann there, as well as here.
I am writing this review now, despite not having seen this production for almost a year (since I found out that it would be rereleased as a DVD), because I want to share my great enthusiasm for it. It is based on my recollection of my much cherished Video. I have waited a long time for this rerelease as a DVD, and I am sure that DGG, unlike Kultur, have done their usual great technical transfer. It is a Bayreuth production from the early 1980's.
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle has designed a simple, but effective non-gimmicky set. The first act takes place on the deck of a stylised sailing ship, the second in the woods under a huge full canopied tree, and the third under a dead, split, blasted tree. The direction is tight and, with one notable exception at the end, is true to the text. I will not give it away other than to remark that up to then it was such a straight interpretation that Ponnelle probably could not resist putting at least some personal twist to it. Mind you, considering what was going on with Mathilda Wesendonck at the time, perhaps this is what Wagner might have subconsciously intended.
Under the conducting of Daniel Barenboim, the music is splendidly interpreted. It is clear, layered, and exciting. This certainly came across on my video, and I am sure that in surround sound it will be even better.
And the acting and singing and appearance of all the characters is an unalloyed joy. René Kollo as Tristan, Matti Salminen as King Marke, Hermann Becht as Kurwenal and Hanna Schwartz as Brangane.
However, this is a tour de force by Johanna Meier. She embodies all that I had pictured Isolde to be. She is beautiful, she sings -- my God, she sings -- and she expressively acts with the grace of a dancer. So far as I know, this is the only recording of her. What a loss.
For fear of getting even more carried away, I had better stop here; other than to state that I wish I could give it more than five stars.
But if you want a "Tristan Und Isolde" that is the gesamptkunstwerk I am sure Wagner had in mind (and possibly even with this ending) this is it!!
The Nilsson/Vickers from Orange is ruined (as usual from Kultur) by a very poor technical production and design.
The Heppner/Eaglen from the Met has two principals who cannot act convincingly; although Heppner can really sing the part. Eaglen's voice leaves a great deal to be desired and her physical limitations prevent her from much in the way of physical action. Neither of them look even remotely the way I am sure most of us have pictured Tristan and Isolde to have looked.
The West/Meier from Munich is a travesty. The setting is just plain stupid, given what the text calls for; and West not only fails to sing convincingly, but he cannot act and looks even less like Tristan than Heppner. What is so frustrating is the waste of Waltraud Meier who has the acting and singing ability and the looks; and the waste of Kurt Moll who is a superb King Marke.
The Treleaven/Polaski from Barcelona is also spoiled by a silly production and less than stellar singing from the principals. They are the same cast as was used in the Barcelona Kupfer II "Ring", and I truly hated Treleaven and Struckmann there, as well as here.
I am writing this review now, despite not having seen this production for almost a year (since I found out that it would be rereleased as a DVD), because I want to share my great enthusiasm for it. It is based on my recollection of my much cherished Video. I have waited a long time for this rerelease as a DVD, and I am sure that DGG, unlike Kultur, have done their usual great technical transfer. It is a Bayreuth production from the early 1980's.
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle has designed a simple, but effective non-gimmicky set. The first act takes place on the deck of a stylised sailing ship, the second in the woods under a huge full canopied tree, and the third under a dead, split, blasted tree. The direction is tight and, with one notable exception at the end, is true to the text. I will not give it away other than to remark that up to then it was such a straight interpretation that Ponnelle probably could not resist putting at least some personal twist to it. Mind you, considering what was going on with Mathilda Wesendonck at the time, perhaps this is what Wagner might have subconsciously intended.
Under the conducting of Daniel Barenboim, the music is splendidly interpreted. It is clear, layered, and exciting. This certainly came across on my video, and I am sure that in surround sound it will be even better.
And the acting and singing and appearance of all the characters is an unalloyed joy. René Kollo as Tristan, Matti Salminen as King Marke, Hermann Becht as Kurwenal and Hanna Schwartz as Brangane.
However, this is a tour de force by Johanna Meier. She embodies all that I had pictured Isolde to be. She is beautiful, she sings -- my God, she sings -- and she expressively acts with the grace of a dancer. So far as I know, this is the only recording of her. What a loss.
For fear of getting even more carried away, I had better stop here; other than to state that I wish I could give it more than five stars.
But if you want a "Tristan Und Isolde" that is the gesamptkunstwerk I am sure Wagner had in mind (and possibly even with this ending) this is it!!
Top reviews from other countries
Vicente Cuñat Alberola
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tristán e Isolda
Reviewed in Spain on December 1, 2020
Clásica puesta en escena, muy buen ballet y buenos cantantes . Es recomendable.
札幌やまぴー
4.0 out of 5 stars
演出のオリジナリティーと歌手の健闘
Reviewed in Japan on April 24, 2023
まず演奏者の健闘は充分讃えられて良い。特にトリスタン演じるコロは出色、バレンボイムの指揮もオーソドックスだがバイロイト伝統風といえる。演出には好みが分かれるだろう。第3幕はトリスタンの見る夢に過ぎないという試みは第2幕でさんざん歌われる「死への憧れ」と関連して抽象的な解釈を現実に持ってきたといえる。いわば主演はトリスタン一人なのだ。これを観て「わけがわからない」といった感想はやめてほしいものだ。また、ドラマは最初から最後まで大樹の元で行われる。様々な色に姿を変える演出は登場人物の内面を表すものだろうが、カメラは残念ながら捉えきれていない。画角もFHDでないので満足には遠いが、20世紀後半にバイロイトで上演されたいわば「新・ネオバイロイト」の記録として貴重であろう。繰り返しになるが、40代半ばのコロの歌唱は立派!!
Walter Tura
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tristan und Isolde
Reviewed in Italy on May 1, 2014
L'opera mi ha completamente soddisfatto. I cantanti sono veramente bravissimi, la regia e la scenografia completamente in linea con lo spirito wagneriano dell'opera. Ho apprezzato in particolare come sia sta evidenziata la storia d'amore e di morte in pieno spirito romantico.
Sylvie Oussenko Bacquier
5.0 out of 5 stars
tandem Barenboim-Ponnelle
Reviewed in France on February 4, 2012
Un Kollo (Tristan)au sommet de ses moyens, une distribution efficace avec d'admirables décors malheureusement assortis d'une mise en scène cucul ! Un grand décorateur n'est pas forcément un metteur en scène (il en était de même pour Jacques Dupont). Barenboim étire les tempi, fait durer ce qui devrait nous embarquer et cela devient ennuyeux (Ah ! les tempi de Böhm !): un pianiste n'est pas forcément un chef d'orchestre. La musique admirable de Wagner souffre...
Snake Man
5.0 out of 5 stars
Even better than it sounds!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2007
Much like my recent review of the 1981 Bayreuth production of Parsifal I am happy to say that this is by far the best production of Tristan und Isolde that I have seen and comes close to fulfilling everything that I imagine Wagner himself would have sought regarding his vision of gesamtkunstwerk.
There are no serious flaws with this performance/production though it is not perhaps absolutely perfect it is much better than other productions I have seen, including those that have been fairly traditional, that by comparison seem somewhat static and lacking in imagination in terms of staging.
Ponelle does a great job here firstly and foremost with a staging that perfectly complements the score - this is particularly clear in Act 2 whilst both Act 1 and Act 3 have appropriate sets. In Act 2 the music synthesizes perfectly with the changes from day to night and from the lovers' perception of day to night to day - sort of expressionistic but I think it works. Like the Parsifal production mentioned earlier the depiction of a natural world - large tree, grass, night and day effects - make this performance come to life and I think it is befitting of a Wagner opera: we see the natural world blend with a sort of transcendental world; this is a point that seems to be overlooked in modern productions of say 'der Ring'. The first act is done well though I felt it is the weakest of the three acts. This is perhaps difficult to stage but the use of a mast that semi-obscures Tristan seems quite appropriate. The final act opens impressively on a rock by a blackened tree as if to provide a contrast with the similarly dominating and very much alive tree present in the previous act when the lovers are in their element. Tristan is lying by the blackened tree and the shepherd sits side on to the audience to the left of the rock playing his pipe - I think this is a really effective touch, very melancholic but somehow mystical.
I am not sure about the ending in this act, it isn't what Wagner would have wanted, and I understand what Ponelle is doing here but I'm not sure about it really: Without meaning to spoil things he is essentially trying to engender the feeling that the finale isn't in fact tragic but actually is a sort of bliss through Schopenhaurian renuniciation.
The acting and singing performances of the key players are excellent: Kollo and Meier as the chief protagonists, Salminen as Marke, and also Schwarz as Brangaene. They certainly invest a lot of emotional energy and the studio recording allows for pretty much faultless sound, also in terms of being able to discern the singers and the orchestra clearly. Kollo and Meier are perhaps a little too old but that is maybe inevitable for an opera like this. Kollo doesn't look particularly upright and heroic in the opening act but is full of pathos and weltschmerz in the final act in a way that I can't imagine Vickers, for example, could be. Meier's age is perhaps a little too apparent in the close ups in the first act while in act 2 and 3 from a distance she makes a very fine Isolde. Salminen is spot on as Marke and puts real nuanced, rather than hammy, emotion into his performance. Schwarz sings very well throughout and her performance of the 'einsam wachend in der nacht' solo, one of my favourite bits, is really blended into the opera perfectly here. The other performers are also strong.
The conducting and orchestration is terrific. You would probably expect this given that the eminent Wagner conductor Barenboim is at the helm. His conducting emphasizes more the beauty than the passion of the work and on that basis i would liken it more to Furtwangler's famous recording rather than the more recent Böhm cd recording. Again, the beauty of the music is brought out more by the ongoing events on stage that are, for the most part, perfectly complementary in a manner that I would assume adheres fairly accurately with Wagner's staging specifications; although I would suspect that this would, at the time, have been considered in many ways a modern expressionistic interpretation.
Not much else to report except that from the dvd productions I have that are Bayreuth they have tended to be better on the whole anyway, I think the size and shape of the stage perhaps facilitate this. The quality of picture, chastized by another reviewer here, was not a problem for me - it's not perfect but it is as good as most classic dvd recordings and i don't think this made any difference to my enjoyment frankly.
So, i'd definitely recommend this, I prefer it to the Nilsson, Vickers, Böhm dvd recording and to the Jones, Kollo recording - where I think both singing and acting (probably owing to direction) is, for the most part, poor to be honest.
If you have always felt that the performances of Tristan und Isolde (whether on dvd or staged live) have not quite met with your expectations of how the opera could or should be done, then I think this could be the one for you and should really hammer home the greatness of this work.
There are no serious flaws with this performance/production though it is not perhaps absolutely perfect it is much better than other productions I have seen, including those that have been fairly traditional, that by comparison seem somewhat static and lacking in imagination in terms of staging.
Ponelle does a great job here firstly and foremost with a staging that perfectly complements the score - this is particularly clear in Act 2 whilst both Act 1 and Act 3 have appropriate sets. In Act 2 the music synthesizes perfectly with the changes from day to night and from the lovers' perception of day to night to day - sort of expressionistic but I think it works. Like the Parsifal production mentioned earlier the depiction of a natural world - large tree, grass, night and day effects - make this performance come to life and I think it is befitting of a Wagner opera: we see the natural world blend with a sort of transcendental world; this is a point that seems to be overlooked in modern productions of say 'der Ring'. The first act is done well though I felt it is the weakest of the three acts. This is perhaps difficult to stage but the use of a mast that semi-obscures Tristan seems quite appropriate. The final act opens impressively on a rock by a blackened tree as if to provide a contrast with the similarly dominating and very much alive tree present in the previous act when the lovers are in their element. Tristan is lying by the blackened tree and the shepherd sits side on to the audience to the left of the rock playing his pipe - I think this is a really effective touch, very melancholic but somehow mystical.
I am not sure about the ending in this act, it isn't what Wagner would have wanted, and I understand what Ponelle is doing here but I'm not sure about it really: Without meaning to spoil things he is essentially trying to engender the feeling that the finale isn't in fact tragic but actually is a sort of bliss through Schopenhaurian renuniciation.
The acting and singing performances of the key players are excellent: Kollo and Meier as the chief protagonists, Salminen as Marke, and also Schwarz as Brangaene. They certainly invest a lot of emotional energy and the studio recording allows for pretty much faultless sound, also in terms of being able to discern the singers and the orchestra clearly. Kollo and Meier are perhaps a little too old but that is maybe inevitable for an opera like this. Kollo doesn't look particularly upright and heroic in the opening act but is full of pathos and weltschmerz in the final act in a way that I can't imagine Vickers, for example, could be. Meier's age is perhaps a little too apparent in the close ups in the first act while in act 2 and 3 from a distance she makes a very fine Isolde. Salminen is spot on as Marke and puts real nuanced, rather than hammy, emotion into his performance. Schwarz sings very well throughout and her performance of the 'einsam wachend in der nacht' solo, one of my favourite bits, is really blended into the opera perfectly here. The other performers are also strong.
The conducting and orchestration is terrific. You would probably expect this given that the eminent Wagner conductor Barenboim is at the helm. His conducting emphasizes more the beauty than the passion of the work and on that basis i would liken it more to Furtwangler's famous recording rather than the more recent Böhm cd recording. Again, the beauty of the music is brought out more by the ongoing events on stage that are, for the most part, perfectly complementary in a manner that I would assume adheres fairly accurately with Wagner's staging specifications; although I would suspect that this would, at the time, have been considered in many ways a modern expressionistic interpretation.
Not much else to report except that from the dvd productions I have that are Bayreuth they have tended to be better on the whole anyway, I think the size and shape of the stage perhaps facilitate this. The quality of picture, chastized by another reviewer here, was not a problem for me - it's not perfect but it is as good as most classic dvd recordings and i don't think this made any difference to my enjoyment frankly.
So, i'd definitely recommend this, I prefer it to the Nilsson, Vickers, Böhm dvd recording and to the Jones, Kollo recording - where I think both singing and acting (probably owing to direction) is, for the most part, poor to be honest.
If you have always felt that the performances of Tristan und Isolde (whether on dvd or staged live) have not quite met with your expectations of how the opera could or should be done, then I think this could be the one for you and should really hammer home the greatness of this work.
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