A Mark Rothko Tristan und Isolde

[uffeviking]

It's the 1995 Bayreuth production with Barenboim conducting I have been waiting for ever since I saw a few snippets years ago. Now DGG issued it and it was worth waiting for. I am calling it a Mark Rothko production for more reasons than just the obvious: Entire backdrop and now and then smaller presentations of Rothko-like paintings, but the action, movements, makes me think of standing in front of a Rothko, motionless, exploring and discovering the minute details of colour changes, variations. There is no hurrying about, dashing and running, it's a slow-motion Tristan und Isolde. And just like in a Rothko painting, this lack of fast movements emphasises the beauty of Wagner's music and the singing of the performers. Nothing to distract from an incredibly and overwhelming performance.

Siegfried Jerusalem, Waltraud Meier, Matthias Hölle, Falk Struckmann, Poul Elming and Uta Priew are the main performers and I will tell you more about them. Right now I have to recover from my first viewing of the work.

[uffeviking]

The two stars:

[bhodges]

Wow, Lis!  As a big Rothko fan, I'm all ears.  I'll bet this is visually more satisfying than the recent filmed MET version (which in person worked fine), and I like both the stars here (intense photo, by the way).  Is it just my taste, or does this opera seems to lend itself to abstract production design, perhaps more than some of Wagner's other operas?

Will look forward to seeing this at some point.  Thanks for the heads-up. 

--Bruce

[uffeviking]

I have caught my breath and here is some more of my impression of this production. Hope you don't mind, it's a copy of my post at a different forum:

Thank you, . . . .,
for your addition to my short review. When I said I had to catch my breath, I was not making excuses, it is an extremely intense production. The director Heiner Müller "found staging Tristan hugely complex, very much harder than I thought." Quoting Brecht: "a dying man who sings is not real."

The Paris based fashion designer Yamamoto says: "Heiner Müller wanted to tear down all conventions of opera . . . and I made my best effort to do so."

The Austrian stage designer Erich Wonder, reminiscent of Wieland Wagner, believed in what didn't need to be seen wasn't there - no visible sailors, no watch tower for Brangäne, no visible shepherd's pipe. The only props are a phial, a cup and two swords. It is this simplicity of design, lack of any material distractions, making the production so gripping.

Siegfried Jerusalem, in my opinion in his best role, is a serene, mature Tristan; dramatic but the drama in a compressed form without superfluous gestures or movements. His passion completely concentrated in his voice, his expressive singing.

Waltraud Meier melds completely with Tristan in restrained physical acting, putting all the emotion in her strong voice, dispelling any doubt about her ability to sing a great Isolde.

Tristan und Isolde is my favourite Wagner work, have various versions on DVD and seen the Heppner/Eaglen one in Seattle, and will not say this or that one is better. This opera is a perfect vehicle for talented and imaginative designers to express their ideas and understanding. Müller's is one more to add to the assembly.

[uffeviking]

Bruce: You'll love one of the responses I got at another forum:

PS: Rothko

Rothko is one of my favorite painters. I worked in his studio in NY (after he died) restoring a number of his paintings going to exhibitions in europe in about 1970 or 1971. Later on, I had a small Rothko in my office at the museum where I worked for twenty-two years.

[uffeviking]

to which I replied thusly:


Oh you lucky lady - gentleman? - to have been so closely connected to one of my favourites. You'll be entranced by this production and spend many hours savouring every slow, brilliantly conceived moment. Just like you do with a Rothko: taking time to become aware of every one of the details.

In another way, Müller is again like Rothko, not bothering with the unimportant details. You know the opera and will remember the entrance of Marke in the 2nd act; Melot and Kurwenal follows him, but only Melot has something to sing. Müller simply leaves Kurwenal out of the picture, his presence is cluttering the scene - the painting!