DVD : Wagner: Tristan und Isolde |
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Rating:  - * Staging will make you THINK way too much ... I have been waiting for a good Tristan on DVD forever...Unfortunately I didn't get it with this one...I don't understand why someone won't just create a production that is TRADITIONAL as Wagner wanted it? Instead all we've gotten so far are modern abstract concoctions trying to blend the new with the new... For this production we get some very weird stuff that highlights the "psychology" of the drama...it works sometimes but mostly it makes you think too much, and for Tristan, you want to be taken away all the time...you don't want to think! I mean the staging works at conveying hidden intentions in the story and characters, but I was left with a feeling of wanting to see more camera movement different scenery almost all the time. The singing is a bit hard to interpret...they hit all the notes perfectly, but they are almost cold in their delivery...like someone told them not to express any feeling! Their body movements are minimal and whenever they do move they do it so slowely! The only thing I liked about ths production was Baremboim's conducting...I say that it is inspired! But overall I wouldn't invest in this production unless you don't mind all the things I talked about. Take care, Ryan Rating:  - * A devastating pronouncement! ... Tristan and Isolde is one of the most emblematic Operas ever made along the history of the Western music, because among other facts, carves in relief the impossibility to achieve the love as supreme bliss for a long time. Tristan is the epitome of the noble, valorous, bold and courageous hero who suddenly finds himself literally trapped between his duty and his bliss, between the loyalty and his most intimate desires. But also, there` s not other Opera that reveals with chilling reality these inner contradictions immersed into the human soul and those unexplored labyrinths of the human physique. This version reflects and captures with magisterial precision this complex universe of never felt before feelings, the supreme bliss of love against the legal duty that should be kept before a superior authority. The mesmerizing, original and fabulous stage illustrates and conveys us about this state of existential anguish and febrile desperation about these two lovers. The extraordinary participation of both principal figures - Waltrud Meier and Sigfried Jerusalem plus the enraptured spell of the Orchestra superbly conducted by Daniel Barenboim have become this recording a must have and one of the most treasured musical documents ever recorded. Don't even doubt or hesitate about if you have to acquire or not this essential DVD. On the contrary, ask yourself if you can live without having it. Rating: - * Yet Another Wonderful Tristan ... In July, 2007, I started my review of the Barenboim/Ponnelle Tristan und Isolde with the following: "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." I then listed the previous ill-conceived and/or incompetent productions before writing about that production to which I gave 5 stars (and which still remains my favourite). I then gave 5 stars to the Belohlavek/Lehnhoff Tristan which came out in March and thought that there was an embarasse de richesse. Now, we have yet another excellent (and different) production which, for my taste, has now taken second place. As with the Barenboim/Ponnelle production (as well as others from Bayreuth), this was recorded on stage, but without an audience. As a result, everything is as intended, very clear and with the performers not fatigued. Some might worry about a possible lack of immediacy, but that is not a problem here. Barenboim's conducting (and the orchestra) seems better than in his previous DVD. The power and the passion of the score is very much in evidence. The acting and singing of Waltraud Meier and Siegfried Jerusalem (both singing these roles for the first time) are superb and, in my opinion, unsurpassed on DVD, although Johanna Meier certainly is just about as good. According to the liner notes, the direction was offered to Chereau, but he declined stating: "Tristan cannot be staged, it is a radio play". It was then offered to Heiner Muller. And what came out was, in many respects, very static in action. The set is minimal (a sunken area stage front for Isolde and Brangane with a raised area in back for Tristan and Kurwenal in Act I, rows of breastplates for Act II, and an armchair on ragged crushed stone in Act III. But the colours set the mood and enhance the action (such as it is) with many abstract Rathko-like rectangles for the preludes in the colours of the acts: red, orange and yellow in Act I, dark shades of blue for Act II, and washed out sand-grey for Act III until the Liebestod when Isolde is in silver/gold before a warm coloured backdrop. But despite the absence of much vigorous action, the body language of the performers makes everything very clear. I was at first puzzled at the lack of physical contact between Tristan and Isolde, particularly during the very erotic/romantic music of Act II. But that surely is what Wagner wrote the opera about -- yearning, frustrating, unconsummated love which can only find fulfillment in death. Tristan, self absorbed, led up to the idea of death while Isolde, Wagner's woman, tried to make contact but had to follow Tristan's lead. Their continual coming close and then separating, hardly touching, added considerably to the tension to the point where I wanted to call out to them to get on with it. The only time there seemed to be any mutual tenderness was finally when Isolde agreed to follow Tristan, just before he allowed himself to be stabbed. Quite disturbing, but a successful execution of a director's concept. However, when a director uses symbols there can be misinterpretation, particularly for a cross-cultural viewer. He can do what David Alden did in his somewhat bizarre "Tannhauser" and throw in scores hoping that some will be able to be interpreted. But Muller in this spare production has very few. I can understand (I think) the shoulder yokes on (and off) the characters -- but if anyone can come up with a plausible interpretation of he rows of breastplates in Act II, I would be grateful for an explanation. My only other (personal) reservation is that I have never liked the voice of Falk Struckmann. He is younger here (as Kurwenal) than in the other DVD's which I have seen; but he still sounds harsh, cold and dry. All told, one of the best productions of this great opera. Highly recommended. Rating: - * A Truly Great Performance ... This is a truly great performance of this opera. The singing is superb, especially that of Waltrud Meier, whose facial expressiveness is well caught on this video production. The orchestral playing wonderful and Barenboim's interpretation captures the emotional depth of the music. Highly recommended as a performance. This issue is offered in both PCM stereo and DTS 5.1. The seemingly total lack of audience noise suggests it was recorded (like the Ponnelle version) without an audience present. The DTS version presents a broader soundstage with more bass, but it takes a while to get used to the reverberant sound of the voices. The PCM version sounds more natural in that respect. There was some inconsistancy in the recorded sound, sometimes sounding closely miked, at other times more distant. But this was not a serious problem. The video reproduction is in widescreen format. The picture is flawless with no detectable video artifacts and presented in gorgeously reproduced color. The sets and stage direction for this production are somewhat problematic for me. The booklet notes led me to expect a much more austere production than is actually presented. The Rothko like color sets enhance the music nicely, especially in the first and last acts, and wonderfully in the golden/red glow of the final Liebestod. The set and staging for the second act was, however, a disappointment for me. My first response to the rows of armor was to be reminded of the rows of alien pods in the crashed spaceship from the first Alien movie, an image I haven't been able to erase from my mind. Isolde begins the act holding a pair of shoes in her hand, an image I found distracting and meaningless. The physical interaction between the two singers did not seem as "carefully restricted" as the booklet notes suggested it would be, but I felt that it lacked the intimacy that the music portrays. Wagner's stage directions (in this production ignored) indicating that Tristan should stretch out his cloak to hide Isolde when the lovers are discovered suggest a lot more was going on between the two (wonderfully captured by the music) than can be expected to be shown on a live stage. If you want to see the "real" thing, watch the Tristan sequence in the movie Excalibur. I would say that the musical interpretation of Levine is somewhat deeper (when I turn off the video) and that the sets of Ponnelle are more to my liking (except for the revisionist ending), but this is the better video all around. Rating: - * Best Tristan on DVD ... Wagner's operas are well represented on DVD. There are three excellent Rings, several superb Meistersingers, Parsifals in all flavours, Lohengrins by the ton, and a couple of good Hollanders. Up until now there has only been one Tristan worth watching - the 1983 Bayreuth production conducted by Barenboim and directed by Ponnelle. I believe that this 1993 Bayreuth production, also conducted by Barenboim, surpasses the earlier recording. Why? Let's start with the principals. Meyer and Jerusalem have great stage presence, wonderful voices and, unlike some others I've seen in these roles, are very capable actors. Waltraut Meyer is at her peak - quite frankly, I've never heard her sing as well as she does in this production (and she normally sings very well indeed). Jerusalem sails through the difficult third act, exercising his vocal and acting skills to the full. Barenboim matches the orchestra to the singers with amazing precision - not once did the opera overpower the voices, and not once was there a sense of holding back to let inadequate voices have their chance. This is particularly tricky in Liebestod, where the orchestra has a lot to say, but mustn't drown Isolde. The combination of Meyer, Barenboim, and of course, Bayreuth produced the most perfect Liebestod I've ever heard. The supporting roles were well played. Konig Marke was sympathetically portrayed by Mattias Holle. Kurvenal and Brangane were excellent. I suppose I should mention the slightly Eurodaft staging. Some odd decisions here, although they couldn't detract from the gesamtkunstwerk. - The strange plexiglass harnesses worn throughout act 1 (which I imagine symbolized inhibition, since they fell off after the love draught) - The vaguely Chinese costume and scenery (borrowed, I think, by the designer of the Met's current, lacklustre staging) - The brief flash of red light when Tristan and Isolda succumb to the love draught (another idea borrowed by the Met) However, unlike the Met, this was not a static, formalized, passionless performance. Tristan can be the most glacially slow of Wagner's operas if played without conviction, but this production conveyed the opera's essential passion. This is apparently the first release of this performance in any format. It's quite amazing how a gem like this can lie hidden for fifteen years. Technicalities; wide screen picture, synthesised DTS 5.1 sound; both superb. Strongly recommended. Almost as good as a trip to Bayreuth. |
