Opus Arte

THE WORLD'S FINEST OPERA
BALLET, THEATRE AND MUSIC

The Royal Opera House
Glyndebourne
Royal Shakespeare Company
Shakespeare's Globe
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

Nina Stemme (Isolde); Robert Gambill (Tristan); Katarina Karnéus (Brangäne); Bo Skovhus (Kurwenal); René Pape (King Marke); Stephen Gadd (Melot)

Glyndebourne’s celebrated production of Nikolaus Lehnhoff’s Tristan und Isolde is a supremely intelligent achievement; gravely beautiful, haunting and meditative, it is deeply reflective rather than visceral, fortified by Roland Aeschlimann's stunningly effective set, a womb-like space through which the protagonists move like gods. Conductor Jiří Bělohlávek mirrors Lehnhoff's approach in his sophisticated plumbing of the score's depths, with every shift in texture carefully laid bare by an inspired London Philharmonic Orchestra. Nina Stemme's Isolde and Robert Gambill's Tristan, both gloriously lyrical, are matched by superb performances from René Pape as the betrayed and vulnerable King Marke and Bo Skovhus as Kurwenal, deeply touching in his helpless devotion to Tristan. This High Definition recording of a production of uncommon intimacy reveals the opera's music and drama in a new light.

DVD

Genre: Opera
Release Date: 01/01/2008
Sound Formats: DTS Surround 5.1; LPCM Stereo
Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, ES, IT
Catalogue Number: OA0988D

BLU-RAY

Genre: Opera
Release Date: 01/09/2009
Sound Formats: 2.0 & 5.0 Dolby True HD Audio
Ratio: 16:9
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, ES, IT
Catalogue Number: OABD7039D
Conductor(s):
Jiří Bĕlohlávek
Orchestra(s):
The Glyndebourne Chorus; London Philharmonic Orchestra
Artist(s):
Nina Stemme; Robert Gambill; Katarina Karnéus; Bo Skovhus; René Pape; Stephen Gadd; The Glyndebourne Chorus; London Philharmonic Orchestra; Jiří Bĕlohlávek
"I don’t think that I have ever witnessed a more perfect realisation of a Wagner opera than this superb Tristan
und Isolde... [Jiří Bĕlohlávek] is scrupulous with the score, and takes his time over it: the pauses and silences are immense and there is no factitious attempt to whip up excitement by speeding... a great and unforgettable
occasion." (The Daily Telegraph)

"A performance realised to Glyndebourne's highest standards – the chorus and stage brass are Bayreuthlevel, the casting immaculate (they can all really sing these parts), and Bĕlohlávek's conducting balanced with a Goodall-like attention to the filigree detail of Wagner's new-wave scoring." (Gramophone)

"...those looking for a Tristan with warmth and immediacy will find it certainly shares Barenboim's benchmark recommendation." (BBC Music Magazine)

Nina Stemme (Isolde); Robert Gambill (Tristan); Katarina Karnéus (Brangäne); Bo Skovhus (Kurwenal); René Pape (King Marke); Stephen Gadd (Melot)

Glyndebourne’s celebrated production of Nikolaus Lehnhoff’s Tristan und Isolde is a supremely intelligent achievement; gravely beautiful, haunting and meditative, it is deeply reflective rather than visceral, fortified by Roland Aeschlimann's stunningly effective set, a womb-like space through which the protagonists move like gods. Conductor Jiří Bělohlávek mirrors Lehnhoff's approach in his sophisticated plumbing of the score's depths, with every shift in texture carefully laid bare by an inspired London Philharmonic Orchestra. Nina Stemme's Isolde and Robert Gambill's Tristan, both gloriously lyrical, are matched by superb performances from René Pape as the betrayed and vulnerable King Marke and Bo Skovhus as Kurwenal, deeply touching in his helpless devotion to Tristan. This High Definition recording of a production of uncommon intimacy reveals the opera's music and drama in a new light.

DVD

Genre: Opera
Release Date: 01/01/2008
Sound Formats: DTS Surround 5.1; LPCM Stereo
Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, ES, IT
Catalogue Number: OA0988D

BLU-RAY

Genre: Opera
Release Date: 01/09/2009
Sound Formats: 2.0 & 5.0 Dolby True HD Audio
Ratio: 16:9
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, ES, IT
Catalogue Number: OABD7039D

Conductor(s):
Jiří Bĕlohlávek
Orchestra(s):
The Glyndebourne Chorus; London Philharmonic Orchestra
Artist(s):
Nina Stemme; Robert Gambill; Katarina Karnéus; Bo Skovhus; René Pape; Stephen Gadd; The Glyndebourne Chorus; London Philharmonic Orchestra; Jiří Bĕlohlávek

"I don’t think that I have ever witnessed a more perfect realisation of a Wagner opera than this superb Tristan
und Isolde... [Jiří Bĕlohlávek] is scrupulous with the score, and takes his time over it: the pauses and silences are immense and there is no factitious attempt to whip up excitement by speeding... a great and unforgettable
occasion." (The Daily Telegraph)

"A performance realised to Glyndebourne's highest standards – the chorus and stage brass are Bayreuthlevel, the casting immaculate (they can all really sing these parts), and Bĕlohlávek's conducting balanced with a Goodall-like attention to the filigree detail of Wagner's new-wave scoring." (Gramophone)

"...those looking for a Tristan with warmth and immediacy will find it certainly shares Barenboim's benchmark recommendation." (BBC Music Magazine)