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 Jiri Belohlavek 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.
Composer Richard Wagner
Director Nikolaus Lehnhoff
Conductor Jiri Belohlavek
Cast Nina Stemme, Robert Gambill, Katarina Karnéus, René Pape, Bo Skovhus, Stephen Gadd, Timothy Robinson, Richard Mosley-Evans
The Glyndebourne Chorus
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Run time: 5 hours 58 minutes
Language: German
Available in DVD and Blu-ray format
