Opera Guide: Tristan und Isolde

Normally I would NOT start with this opera, I would wait until I hooked you with operas that are more conventionally accessible. HOWEVER The Met is doing daily Free Streams of Operas because of COVID-19 and tonight they are streaming My all-time favorite opera: Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde! Click HERE to go to the stream! (it is only available until MARCH 24, 2020 at 6:30 pm EST)

Painting by John McKirdy Duncan (found on Google Images)

Basic Info:

• Written in 1859
• Premiered 1865,
• Written in German
• 3 Acts
• 4 hrs long
• Drama

Links:

Watch Tristan und Isolde
Libretto

Teaser Blurb:
Tristan und Isolde is Wagner’s version of the Medieval Romance Tristan written in the 12th Century by Gottfried von Strassburg. The story follows The Cornish Knight Tristan and the Irish Princess Isolde and their forbidden love.

Listen to Prelude below!

Note:
Wagner's operas tend to be a little complicated and sometimes hard to follow. I think this one is actually one of his more accessible ones in terms of plot. So its up to you on How you want to read the full synopsis. This one is fine to read the whole thing before you watch, you won't lose anything by knowing what happens, or you can watch the opera and read after you finish each act, or read the whole thing after you watch, or not at all!

Full Synopsis:
ACT 1 starts on a ship making its voyage to Cornwall from Ireland as Tristan has just won the hand of the Isolde in marriage for his Uncle Mark. Isolde is NOT happy and asks that Tristan come down and speak with her. This doesn’t happen and she becomes even more upset and begins telling her maid, Brangäne, the real reason as to why she is upset. She tells the whole story starting from when the Knight Tristan beheaded her betrothed, the Irish Knight Morhold, and sent his head back to Isolde. Once this happened Isolde swears that she herself will avenge Morhold. This is old news though and Isolde continues telling Brangäne about Tantris the mortally wounded man that she found and healed. While he was resting and recovering Isolde notices a notch in Tantris’ sword. She thinks to herself, “Surely not?” And she picks up the sword and checks it against the piece that was lodged in Morhold’s severed head. Furious she stands over the vulnerable Tristan and lifts his own sword against him. As she is about to plunge the blade into his heart he gazes into her eyes and she drops the sword.

Bonnie's Blurb:
This is my favorite opera of all time. Isolde is my ultimate dream role, and I have strong opinions and what is happening in this story and  what it means, if you watch it and want to talk, reach out!

She keeps his true identity concealed and sends him back to England so that she never has to face that gaze again. After she relates this all to her servant she confesses that she loves the English Knight, and anguishes that he does not return her love and has repaid her kindness with mockery. Unknown to her, the knight does return her feelings, and has won her for his uncle because it will make her queen which is a much deeper thanks, he believes. Unaware of this she resolves to kill herself and the knight with the death potion her mother has sent among others. She orders her servant to prepare the potion and summons Tristan by refusing to leave the boat until he comes and atones for his wrongs against her. Brangäne is too fearful to prepare the death potion instead. Once they drink the potion, there is no going back. But it is too late and once they land they can no longer belong to each other as Isolde is married immediately.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

ACT 2 happens a few months later and Tristan and Isolde have been meeting secretly under the cover of night quite often, but this night Brangäne is worried and warns Isolde not to give Tristan the all clear, Isolde physically cannot wait and tells her maid to stop worrying. Tristan and Isolde and united, and they talks about their ultimate to desire which is to be united together forever. Which both of them know can only happen through death. Meanwhile Melot, another knight who is jealous of Tristan and his place in the King’s has told Mark of the betrayal. They barges in and catch the compromised pair. King Mark is shocked and heartbroken, because it is Tristan, who is like a son to him that has betrayed him. Then Tristan asks Isolde of she will follow him, and she answers that she will. Then Tristan Challenges Melot to a duel and purposefully doesn’t put up a fight. He is mortally wounded and taken back to his childhood home.

PierluigiI Longo

In ACT 3 we find Tristan dying. He is waiting for Isolde who is supposed to be following him. He spends most of this act delusional and raving. Isolde’s ship is spotted and she rushes to Tristan's side, but she is too late and as he lies in her arms he uses his last breath to say her name. She laments his death when King Mark and Brangäne enter. King Mark says that Brangäne explained everything and he wants to unite Tristan and Isolde but it is too late, Tristan is dead and Isolde is so broken hearted she doesn’t even hear what King Mark has said. The opera ends with the Liebestod or "Love Death" as Isolde is finally totally united with Tristan in death.

Dorkie Dives:

Leitmotifs: basically musical nouns, leitmotifs are melodic fragments that represent, people, places, things, ideas, and emotions. Wagner knits these motives together to musically tell the story.

Tristan Chord: the very first chord of the opera. And its special because of what it represents and how Wagner uses it. This chord is the entire plot, it is the longing of Tristan and Isolde to be united. It is not a stable sounding chord, and this tension continues throughout the opera because this one chord is not resolved until the very end of the opera, 4 hours later. GENIUS

And I will leave you with my favorite Isolde, Swedish Soprano Birgit Nilsson, Singing the Liebestod. This is the video I show anyone who gets caught up in me dork-ing out over Tristan und Isolde. (This is probably my favorite aria ever)