Motivated by the love that bound him to Mathilda Wesendonck, Richard Wagner’s composition of Tristan und Isolde goes far beyond any simple operatic gesture. Peter Sellars’ production pours oil onto this troubled sea of emotions in an almost dematerialised setting bared of all earthly contingencies whilst Bill Viola presents the lovers’ initiatory quest for nirvana in videos detached from the stage, suspended like altarpieces.

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

The Bayreuth Festival 2023 will open with the premiere of Wagner's "Parsifal". Jay Scheib is directing, and Pablo Heras-Casado is the musical director.

Richard Wagner: "Parsifal" Bayreuther Festspiele 2023

Production Bayreuth 2024. There is no arrival in Tristan and Isolde, only the longing for the unattainable, for the place “where the end of deception promised me my heart”. Two people who strive to fall out of the roles ascribed to them, to escape the supposed lies of the day. Two people suffering from life, whose declaration of love consists of wanting to restore a moment that has irretrievably passed. Two nocturnal devotees who, in their regressive desire to be uplifted and completely abandon themselves, lose touch with reality and who, in their desire to abandon their ego to another and escape their own history, ultimately fail themselves. “To long to die, not to die of longing.”

Tristan und Isolde

Conductors Andris Nelsons, Klaus Mäkelä, Riccardo Chailly and Petr Popelka conduct the four movements of Beethoven's 'Symphony No. 9' in succession across Europe. An epic concert celebrating the bicentenary of the creation of Beethoven's masterpiece.