Wagner - Tristan und Isolde | 
| Director: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Actors: Daniel Barenboim, Johanna Meier, Rene Kollo, Matti Salminen, Hanna Schwarz
Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.98
Buy New: $29.97
You Save: $10.01 (25%)
New (25) Used (9) from $21.99
Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 40951
Format: Classical, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Subtitled
Languages: German (Original Language), German (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 0
Discs: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 247 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: 000916309
UPC: 044007343210
EAN: 0044007343210
ASIN: B000OONQ1W
Theatrical Release Date: 1983
Release Date: August 14, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
 A Heavenly Tristan May 8, 2009
stevenrothbard (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It's quite remarkable that Daniel Baremboim has three DVD productions of "Tristan und Isolda" to his credit. I don't think any other conductor has been so honored that they have been chosen by Wagner's family or executors of his estate to preside over three productions of Wagner's greatest music drama. I haven't heard the later two productions, so I can't comment on them, and on which is the best of the three, but I can state that the current DVD production for DG is certainly one of the finest of this work either on CD or DVD. The singing of all of the principles is magnificient, and all the others are extremely good. Rene Kollo has a ringing tone with no flab on it, and his physical presence is totally convincing. This is what Tristan, the character, should look like. The sets and costumes are all excellent, too, creating a symbolic world of myth and poetry, because that's what this work is: a great poem on the transcendent powers of love. The surround sound is powerful, and picture quality is very fine. Just watch the atmospheric presentation of the well-known Prelude to Act 1, with its depection of a pre-dawn scene on the coast of Cornwall in some unspecified ancient mythic time, and you're hooked. This is an essential DVD which every music lover should have, even if you already own the CDs with Bohm/Neilson or Furtwangler/Flagstad. The only question is whether one can afford the other two Baremboim versions. This one is certainly heavenly.
A beautiful, lyrical performance March 23, 2009
Darby G. Fegan
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a beautifully sung and directed performance of one of the greatest of operas. The production perfectly captures the sensuality and "fin de siecle" atmosphere of Wagner's masterpeice. Barenboim expertly paces his orchestra through this demanding score relishing the sublime shifts in Wagner's erotic chromaticism. The singing is also quite good, and one wishes we had a cast today equal to this cast. Rene Kollo is a fine Tristan, with a honeyed lyric voice equal to both the lyric and heroic demnads of the role. Hanna Schwarz was simply one of the best singers of her time, a beautiful woman with a stunningly vibrant voice. Her Brangane certainly ranks among the best. For those who never heard Johanna Meier live, it may be easy to misjudge the power and thrust of her essentially lyric voice from listening to a video. Meier was one of the truly great singers of her era, and sadly, there are few recorded documents of her fine work. She did not have the big PR machine working for her as did some much lesser talented singers of her era. She is a tall, beautiful, elegant woman, incredibly fluid on stage, a far cry from the oversized Isoldes we have become accustomed to today. She radiated feminity in everything she did. I fisrst heard her live in Barber's Vanessa at Spoleto in 1978. She was second only to Steber in this role, and the voice was full, rich and vibrant. I then heard Meier sing the Walkure and Gotterdamrung Brunhildes in Dallas in the mid 1980's. She filled the vast and unresonant Fair Park auditorium easily, and once again she was divinely feminine. The last time I heard Meier was at the Met as the Empress in Frau Ohne Schatten, and she easily ranks among the great exponents of the role. Those who are fortunate to study with her as a teacher undoubtedly gain much from this deeply committed and humble artist.
 endurance March 3, 2009
C.A. Arthur (Tacoma, Washington)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Tristan looks like an Elvis impersonator and acts like the tin woodman. Isolde strongly resembles Hillary Clinton, only older. She acts like someone in a silent movie. The set designer wins the booby prize, being the worst of all this clunky performance. In any case, give thanks for the wonderful orchestra led by Daniel Barenboim. It almost makes the DVD version bearable.
Did Tristan die? November 4, 2008
Flavio Jose Morsch (Brazil)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As it is very hard to match Karajan's Parsifal in music making terms,it is not easy to bypass music of Boehm/Nilsson/Windgassen Tristan dated 1966.In this wonderful DVD we have an excellent orchestra by Baremboim with a wet creamy grandeur which he does not acchieve for instance in Bruckner.Of course J.Meier is not B.Nilsson,but she works. And R. Kollo is also well placed,without his unpleasent trebles,since Tristan is not exactly bel canto.Of course there are some boring moments at Act 3,due to Wagners prolixity ,typical of a time when idle aristocracy could spend seven hours inside Bayreuth Festspielhaus. May be I have a naive brain,however my eyes were not able to distinguish when or if has Tristan died in this stage. Flavio J.Morsch - Brazil
 Tristan und Isolde Lite March 10, 2008
Marc Musnick
11 out of 23 found this review helpful
Having heard and read so much praise I expected much more from the Ponnelle/Barenboim "Tristan und Isolde" from the Bayreuth Festival of 1981. For one thing, the DVD's video quality is extremely disappointing. Darkness is extremely grainy. Even bleeding most of the color out the video, the quality is that of early VHS which is not good.
Ponnelle's direction and designs are overly quirky and the sets are extremely ugly looking. The opening scene with Isolde on the floor with a cape spreading out covering most of the stage and wearing a ridiculous looking crown (which she rips up after the Narration and Curse) set the tone for most of the balance of the performance, which is a series of misfires better known as opera singers behaving badly. Isolde running about the stage at the beginning of act two in a state of pre-orgasmic ecstasy eventually hitting the ground grinding her body into the ground and simulating having Tristan on top of her is just so silly looking, I couldn't wait for it to pass. Tristan and Isolde looking lovingly at their image in an onstage pond during the Liebestnach was annoying in its reference to their narcissism sapping most of the erotic nature of the duet. I did like Ponnelle's revisionist ending having Isolde disappearing following the Liebestod and after a blackout before the final tableaux. Tristan imagined her return. The lights come up again with Kurvenal holding Tristan's corpse creating a truly heart wrenching scene. The only emotional moment in over four hours. No this is not what Wagner had wanted but after reading Ernest Newman's analysis of the opera, where he goes into great detail about the miserable life Tristan had lead, it made sense.
I never understood what gave Johanna Meier the impression that she was a dramatic soprano. She was a lovely Mozart and Strauss specialist during her City Opera days, with a voice more suited for Eva and Elsa, here she's swamped for the most part by Isolde's music. She does act the role well but she's around fifty percent deficient in vocal heft. This was the first time I saw Rene Kollo in action and I was less impressed than I thought I would be. Also with a modest voice, he more or less makes up with acting ability what he can't make up in volume. He plays Tristan as a manic depressive. Hanna Schwarz is also small scaled as Braganne. Hermann Becht, who I happen to like very much, was excellent as Kurwenal but the real "Wagnarian" sound was only delivered by Matti Salminen, here in his prime and wonderful as Marke.
Barenboim's conducting strays to the bombastic side easily swallowing up Meier and Kollo especially in the first portion of the love duet. But there's drive and tension throughout his reading.
This is not a performance I can see myself going back to often and it may end up on eBay sooner than later. But I will give it at least one more try, now that I know what to expect and what not to expect.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
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