Tristan and Isolde

The prestigious Russian conductor, Semyon Bychkov, is conducting four performances of an opera in semi-staged concerto version on the great work of Richard Wagner on 25 and 29 April and 3 and 6 May at the Teatro Real.

It is one of the most influential operas of all times, which was composed between 1857 and 1859 and was premièred in Munich (Germany) in 1865. It is based on a 12th century medieval French poem that became popular during Romanticism.

It tells of the love that arises between the knight, Tristan, and the Irish Princess Isolde. Tristan takes the woman to Cornwall to marry King Marke, but on the way, they fall in love with each other having mistakenly drunk a love filter. Unable to resist their desire, they end up betraying his majesty.  Their romance crosses the moral rules of the period, taking the characters to the limit.

Born in Saint Petersburg (Russia) in 1952, Semyon Bychkov has been the Chief Conductor of the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Music Director of the Paris Orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been the Music Director of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra since 2018.

Artistic File:

• Musical Conductor - Semyon Bychkov
• Semi Staging - Justin Way
• Choirmaster - Andrés Máspero
• Choir and Orchestra - Teatro Real Resident Choir and Orchestra

Cast:

• Tristan - Andreas Schager
• King Marke - Franz-Josef Selig
• Isolde - Ingela Brimberg
• Kurwenal - John Lundgren
• Melot - Neal Cooper
• Brangäne - Ekaterina Gubanova
• Shepherd - Jorge Rodríguez-Norton
• Sailor - Alejandro del Cerro
• Helmsman - David Lagares

Programme:

Opera in semi-staged concerto version

• Music and libretto by Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
• Premièred in Munich on 10 June 1865
• Premièred at the Teatro Real on 5 February 1911