2010.8.18. Tristan und Isolde

Seattle Opera's new production of Tristan und Isolde.

Isolde:       Annalena Persson 
Tristan:      Clifton Forbis 
Brangäne:     Margaret Jane Wray
King Marke:   Stephen Milling
Kurwenal:     Greer Grimsley
Melot:        Jason Collins
Conductor:    Asher Fisch
Director:     Peter Kazaras
Set & Costume:Robert Israel
Lighting:     Duane Schuler

Endless singing of night and day, love and death. Too much yearning, exaggeration, irrationality. The Isolde character goes from extremely unpleasant to ridiculous, probably just insane. Hard to feel sympathy towards her. The greatest love story, only the last 5 minutes, the 2 loves touched each other, and then one was dead. All they seek is death, only at death (for no reason) they can be united. The show starts at 6:30, ends at 11:25 (with 2 intermissions). Even though I hoped it could end sooner, I was still moved. Good voice and acting. Better orchestral music than the arias. Costume looks strange, a bit old Asian (no shoulder cut, no waist). Lighting is always excellent. Disappointing stage set: minimal, abstract. A white bed sheet hanging in the center stage on a long red line. Crumbled large box wrapped in white sheet pile on the side. I had to go to the after show Q&A to learn about the rational behind these. Philosophical: clothes go from bright red in first act, to bottom red in the 2nd, to all white in the 3rd act: signifying life fading from Isolde. White cloth separates Schopenhauer's phenomenal and noumenal. 3 times the cloth was pulled down (first time? Tristan stabbed by Melot, Tristan dies).