"The opening night of the Metropolitan Opera's new Tristan und Isolde was one of those great nights at the opera, the kind that will have people arguing what shone most: the confident complexity of Yuval Sharon's staging, Lise Davidsen's indelible Isolde, her chemistry with tenor Michael Spyres, or the sensuous discipline of the orchestra. The answer, of course, is all of the above."
"Sharon has said that Tristan is one of the hardest of all operas to stage, and he's right, because the characters remain onstage so long that the momentum leaches out of every scene. He solves the process inventively—sometimes too inventively—matching the music's slow-motion roiling with Es Devlin's sets, which have a physicality all their own."
"Even as they enter the auditorium, audience members find themselves staring at a single multi-lidded eye, which, once the music begins, opens to reveal a shifting collection of circles, arcs, discs, and bowls. At times, the singers stand inside a great pipe, a conical segment that hangs above the stage and opens toward the audience like the mouth of a giant megaphone, giving voices a purely acoustical lift."
The Metropolitan Opera's production of Tristan und Isolde represents a peak achievement, succeeding through collaborative excellence across all artistic elements. Director Yuval Sharon's staging confidently addresses the opera's central challenge: maintaining dramatic momentum across its lengthy scenes. Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin aligns his interpretation with Sharon's theatrical vision, while singers Lise Davidsen and Michael Spyres deliver both vocally and dramatically. Designer Es Devlin's sets feature distinctive physicality, including a striking multi-lidded eye that opens to reveal geometric shapes and a conical pipe that acoustically amplifies the singers' voices. The elevated passageway functions as spiritual topography, representing the lovers' retreat, Tristan's mental escape, and ultimately a passage toward death.
#metropolitan-opera #tristan-und-isolde #opera-staging-and-design #vocal-performance #theatrical-production
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