by usia review

Tristan und Isolde: The Infinite Longing of Desire

“Longing, the insatiable desire that cannot fail to be reborn.”

— Joan Matabosch

Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde stands as one of the supreme achievements of Western art—a work that transcends opera to become metaphysical tragedy, aesthetic ritual, and musical revolution. Its subject is not merely love, but longing itself: endless, unfulfilled, and destructive.

Main Cast

Isolde – Catherine Foster, dramatic soprano

Recipient of an honorary grant from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Foster is widely acclaimed for her interpretations of Die Frau ohne Schatten, Fidelio, La Forza del Destino, Don Carlo, Elektra, and Turandot.

Tristan – Andreas Schager, Heldentenor

An Austrian heroic tenor who began his career in lyrical repertoire before making a decisive transition to Wagnerian roles in 2013 as Siegfried in Berlin and later at La Scala. Since then, he has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro Real Madrid, and other leading international houses.

Kurwenal – Thomas Johannes Mayer, baritone

A German baritone well known to Madrid audiences for Lohengrin (2014) and Der fliegende Holländer (2016).

Brangäne – Ekaterina Gubanova, mezzo-soprano

Born in Moscow, she has appeared at all major opera houses, including Bayreuth.

King Marke – Franz-Josef Selig, bass

Synopsis

Act I

Tristan escorts Isolde to Cornwall, where she is to marry King Marke. Still wounded by betrayal and humiliation, Isolde orders her handmaid Brangäne to prepare a poison intended for Tristan. Instead, a love potion is substituted. Upon drinking it, Tristan and Isolde are seized by an uncontrollable, absolute passion.

Act II

While King Marke is absent on a hunt with Melot, Isolde meets Tristan. In the great nocturnal love duet, they surrender themselves entirely to desire, which can only flourish in darkness. They are discovered by Melot and King Marke. Confronted with their betrayal, Marke expresses profound grief rather than rage. Isolde chooses Tristan, and Melot wounds him gravely.

Act III

Faithful Kurwenal rescues Tristan and brings him to his ancestral castle in Brittany. Delirious and dying, Tristan repeatedly calls Isolde’s name. Two ships approach: one carrying Isolde, the other King Marke. Kurwenal, unaware of Marke’s forgiveness, fatally wounds Melot. Tristan regains consciousness briefly, curses the love potion, and dies in Isolde’s arms. Isolde sings the Liebestod, dissolving into transcendence through love and death.

Musical and Dramatic Considerations

This semi-staged concert performance of Tristan und Isolde at the Teatro Real Madrid, presented without music stands and with full dramatic interaction among the singers, allowed for a deeper inner concentration. Freed from conventional staging, the audience could surrender fully to Wagner’s hypnotic musical continuum—precisely what makes Tristan a masterpiece.

Vocal Performances

Catherine Foster delivered a noble and intensely musical Isolde. Her voice, fundamentally lyrical with a warm, radiant upper register, flowed with legato, expressive phrasing, and clear articulation. Her dramatic intent was always controlled, never forced. The ovations at the end were well deserved. Foster replaced soprano Ingela Brimberg, originally scheduled for the role, with authority and distinction.

Andreas Schager, as Tristan, brought immense physical and vocal energy to the role. His heroic tenor is supported by excellent diaphragmatic control and clarity of diction. While his timbre remains somewhat lyrical, one might wish for a darker coloration in the middle register. Nevertheless, his intensity and endurance were formidable.

Thomas Johannes Mayer’s Kurwenal was richly sung, with a full, fiery baritone and deep emotional commitment. His devotion to Tristan was conveyed with moving sincerity.

Ekaterina Gubanova offered a refined Brangäne, with a clear, lyrical mezzo-soprano and beautifully projected warnings from offstage.

Franz-Josef Selig embodied King Marke with vocal authority and moral gravity, shaping Wagner’s long lines with dignity and expressive restraint.

Orchestral Direction

Under the baton of Semyon Bychkov, the orchestra was guided with firmness, transparency, and architectural vision. He supported the singers attentively while sustaining Wagner’s immense harmonic tension—never allowing the drama to lose momentum.

Staging and Aesthetic Choices

The semi-staging offered intelligent and respectful solutions, avoiding the aberrant and anachronistic concepts that have plagued past Wagner productions (one recalls, for example, a Ring cycle where the Rhinegold was replaced by gasoline bombs). Here, the relationships were clear, human, and emotionally credible.

Kurwenal’s devotion to Tristan was portrayed with raw passion and anguish. Costume choices were uneven—the women wore garments suggestive of earlier eras, while the men appeared in modern suits—but these contrasts did not detract significantly from the dramatic truth.

Final Reflections

Wagner opened the door to the dissolution of traditional tonality, and Tristan und Isolde remains the most radical expression of that breakthrough. This work is not merely an opera; it is a tragedy, a philosophical meditation, and almost a secular religious experience.

The insatiable yearning that permeates every bar—the longing that can never be fulfilled in life—makes Tristan und Isolde one of the most profound artistic explorations of desire ever conceived.

A FUNDACIÓN DEL TEATRO REAL Opera 

 #wagner #teatrorealdemadrid  @teatrorealdemadrid

Thanks to: Teatro Real de Madrid, Graça Prata Ramos