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At one time Glyndebourne did not do Wagner. Then, some twenty years ago, they staged a production of _ Tristan und Isolde _ by Nikolaus Lehnhoff that has stood the test of time. This year

sees yet another revival of that production, under the baton of their excellent music director, Robin Ticciati. It is a musical tour de force.  Wagner created what he called a _

Gesamtkunstwerk _ (meaning a work of art embracing several different forms), and wrote the libretti for all his own operas. This particular one was inspired by his amorous attachment to

Mathilde Wesendonck, the author of numerous literary works, including a set of poems that Wagner set to music (now known as the _ Wesendonck Lieder _ ). _ Tristan und Isolde _ was composed

between 1857 and 1859 while he took a break from his work on his tetralogy, _ The Ring _ . As an opera, _ Tristan _ deals with the numinous. More than any of Wagner’s works, it reaches into

the realm of metaphysics, realised in terms of suffering for a love that remains forever out of reach, unrealisable in one life, but inspiring a quest that leads into a domain of

non-existence. Musically, the chords progress without final resolution. The pianist and composer Clara Schumann (wife of Robert) found it a trial to sit through such music, describing it as

“the most repugnant thing I have heard or seen in my entire life”.   Yet audiences then and now are hugely moved, and that after all is the measure of a work of art. It is not whether the

cognoscenti love it, but whether the public will pay to attend, and for _ Tristan _ they most certainly will. The central motif is a death wish, and when Tristan asks Isolde if she will

follow where he goes, that is what he means. In this production, when Melot finds the lovers together, Tristan forces Melot’s sword into his own body. Death is the solution, and indeed the

resolution that finds its final expression in Isolde’s “love-death”, her _ Liebestod _ .  In the meantime we have tremendous musical action, and Glyndebourne’s production involves

beautifully placed off-stage musical effects: for example the horn calls in Act III, Brangäne’s warning in Act II, and the arrival of the sailors towards the end of Act I. Some of these can

be located on-stage, but here, under the revival director Daniel Dooner, they are heard from various parts of the auditorium to excellent effect. These and the subtle lighting changes by

Robin Carter made for an marvellous audience experience, to say nothing of the power projected by the singers themselves, with the Finnish soprano Miina-Liisa Värelä as Isolde and the

Australian _ Heldentenor _ Stuart Skelton as Tristan. The staging involves concentric ellipses, but stepping from one to another is not easy for such a large singer as Skelton. Wagner’s

music dramas are famous for the size of many of their performers and the very first Tristan at the premiere in 1865 was Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld, a large young singer who had already

received acclaim in the title roles of _ Tannhäuser _ and _ Lohengrin _ . His wife Malvina played Isolde. At Glyndebourne, as Tristan’s devoted friend and retainer Kurwenal the Chinese

bass-baritone Shenyang makes a powerful vocal and stage presence, Samuel Sakker is a fine Melot, and Caspar Singh a beautifully toned Young Sailor and Shepherd. Sadly, Karen Cargill had to

withdraw from the role of Isolde’s confidante Brangäne, but her replacement Marlene Lichtenberg showed a very fine, smooth contralto. The appearance of Franz-Josef Selig as King Marke is a

treat. His stage aplomb and authoritative bass produces a moving dialogue with Tristan after the lovers have been disturbed in Act II, and his Act III contributions as a bringer of peace are

magnificent. The wonderful acoustics of the Glyndebourne Opera House were shown to tremendous advantage, and I can only look forward to a later Wagner opera that demands such contrast

between gentle and forceful music, again conducted by the estimable Robin Ticciati. The composer’s final work,  _ Parsifal _ , is scheduled for summer 2025. A MESSAGE FROM THEARTICLE _We are

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