Wagner Tristan und Isolde
November 2007 Reviewed by: Wes Marshall Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Tristan und Isolde is a valentine to love by composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883). But instead of giving us a sweet love story with a happy ending, Wagner offers a bundle of psychological contradictions, with enemies -- Tristan and Isolde -- becoming lovers, magic death potions creating love, and mislaid loyalties threatening that love. The opera oozes into a slow burn that is virtually sexual in its luxurious build-up, until it ends with one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written, "Mild und leise wie er lächelt" (chapter 20, disc 2).

Wagner’s music was such a change for opera that the people of Germany hardly knew what to do with him. The other notable German composer of the era was Johannes Brahms, whose conservative music hearkened back to Beethoven. During the mid-1800s, newspapermen anxious to sell a few more newsprint copies created a battle of the titans for who would reign supreme over Germany’s musical culture. Consequently, though Brahms and Wagner had little animosity towards each other, the public thought their conflict was reaching mythic proportions.

Battle lines were drawn in the dirt and everyone took sides, dissing one and championing the other. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: "Is Wagner a human being at all? Is he not rather a disease? He contaminates everything he touches -- he has made music sick." Rossini, by then the elder statesman of Italian opera, said "Wagner has lovely moments but awful quarters of an hour." Brahms received a few swipes as well. Tchaikovsky said, "I have played over the music of that scoundrel Brahms. What a giftless bastard!"

All this confusion and fighting was based on three issues. First and foremost was Wagner’s extended chromatic palette. Analyze a line in a Wagner opera and you’re sure to find minor chords with extensions out to 13ths. Second, rather than follow a set system of arias, ensembles and recitatives, Wagner would write four hours of non-stop melodies. Many felt (and still feel) that a Wagner opera is like having a too-rich meal. Finally, there’s the length of his operas. While the Baroque period ended up with some very long operas, most people of the mid-1800s knew nothing of Baroque music. They were used to the operas of Rossini, Donizetti and Mozart, which were mostly succinct and grounded in tradition. Wagner spun four-to-five-hour extravaganzas.

Today, Wagner’s music still has the power to make people take sides. One of the reasons most opera companies shy away from him is the concern over selling tickets, especially given the cost of producing his operas.

DVD to the rescue. Now we can see the great but expensive operas at home on our schedule. This performance of Tristan und Isolde is a perfect example of the treats we can find. Conductor Daniel Barenboim was in the midst of a flurry of Wagner performances and was attuned to the peculiar sound world needed to make these operas come to life. The singers fit their roles perfectly. While Johanna Meier as Isolde doesn’t have the look that would launch a thousand ships, she has the creamiest voice that is guaranteed to raise goose bumps in the Liebestod. Rene Kollo’s Tristan is energy bundled tightly with a powerful voice and a handsome look. The sets, stage direction and film direction were all under Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. His sets, especially, are spectacular.

The only downsides to this essential release are some graininess in the picture and the usual complete disregard for any extras. Sonically, orchestra, chorus and singers are all clearly delineated. You’ll probably not notice it, but there are no coughs, shouts, paper rustling, or any other extraneous sounds. After eight performances, Ponnelle arranged to record Tristan und Isolde in an empty opera house so they could fix errors and minimize the crowd noises.

If you love Wagner, this DVD is probably already on your want list. If you’re still on the fence, this makes a perfect introduction to Wagner’s lush sound.

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