Tristan und Isolde Opera

Tristan und Isolde

            The opera titled Tristan und Isolde by Richard Wagner was revolutionary in the further development of classical music and changing the presentation of operas. The performance I watched premiered December 11, 1999 and way it was presented created an emphasis on the orchestra and singers. The mise-en-scène, while still very important to the opera, served to draw attention more towards the music than to the stage.

            This opera was so influential in developing the music played in opera because the pieces played in the prelude would end with suspension that would not be resolved until the very final act of the opera. This not only left the audience, in my opinion, seeking a resolution throughout the entire performance, but created a sense of completion at the end. The pieces played would also build tension to create the climax for the song just to abruptly end with no fulfillment for the audience, which would keep the audience engaged. This way of presenting the music and further intertwining it with the story is what really changed the way operas were written and performed. The music of this opera didn’t just change opera though, it also changed western classical music with its tone and color to the songs as they created a very emotionally charged impact on the audience and got the audience invested to the story.

            The technology used in this performance was quite interesting. Instead of having the actors come out on stage from the side, there were several trap doors that the actors would emerge from and they came out very gracefully and quickly were at one moment there was only two actors on stage and within five seconds there were at least thirty. There also wasn’t an actual background, instead the use of lights and color were used to show the time of day and the climaxes of each act. For the day time the background was white and at night it was a deep blue light. During the climax of the first act the background was red and the actors were just silhouettes, which, along with the music, made the scene very emotional. The background also played a large part of the mise-en-scène because the setting for each act was very simple. The impact of the music is what allows the setting to be rather plain. The props they did use though, were very well done and were important to the story. The first act which takes place on a ship was where they used they used the most props, those props being various crates and luggage which was very important in making it clear that Isolde, who was the only major character present for most of the act, was being shipped off somewhere.

            This opera impacted more than music performance though. According to the National Public Radio “the libretto, written by Wagner himself… anticipates modern poetry,” (Huizenga, 1) This is because the story, while inspired by Tristan, goes much deeper into the difference of light and dark and the mortality of life. These themes are very common topics among famous poets and it all started with this opera thanks to the libretto. The words carried meaning much deeper than any other operas before it.

            I believe that when the audience first watched this opera they were enraptured by the music and the beauty of it. They were probably very engaged to the story because of the music and the emotion it evoked. The story is loosely based off Tristan so I don’t believe they would be surprised by any of the climaxes in the acts, but the music would make them feel like they were watching a new and unpredictable story. The constant unresolved tension throughout the act would keep them on the edge of their seats to see if what they thought would happen would actually.

            If I were to turn this opera into a videogame I would divide the game into two perspectives. One play through would be from Isolde’s maid’s perspective, as her maid is the one who accidently gave Isolde aa love potion in the first act that caused her to fall in love with Tristan, who she despised prior. The player would have to follow objectives that are intended to lead to a cure for Isolde so the maid could fix her mistake and to uncover deception from Tristan’s closest friend, Kurwenal. Her story would be completed after her and the king reaching Isolde and Tristan. The other perspective would be Tristan’s. In his play through the player would have to complete objectives to attempt to run away with Isolde and the finale would be a battle between Tristan and Kurwneal that would end in Tristan dying, but then a cut scene would show Isolde reviving him and then dying. I would have the game played in first person so the player could become more invested in the character they play and would have Isolde’s maid’s perspective have to be completed first in order to unlock Tristan’s perspective so the ending would more of a surprise.

            This opera changed the way music is played and how the music relates to the story. The music went beyond setting the mood and added to the story by making the events happening on stage directly correlate to the music. The music had much more tone and emotion to it that the mise-en-scène was not required to be as detailed, although they still were. Without this opera, classical music and film scores may have never used the tone of certain instruments and chords to create an emotion that the audience can not only hear, but also feel. This opera, while not fitting the idea of what most operas were at the time, was a masterpiece that altered art across all practices and became one of the most renowned operas of all time.

Works Cited

Huizenga, Tom. “’Tristan Und Isolde,’ The Love Story That Changed Opera For Good.” National Public Radio. https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2015/06/10/411525906/tristan-und-isolde-the-love-story-that-changed-opera-for-good. Accessed February 11, 2018.

“Tristan und Isolde.” Metropolitan Opera, https://www.metopera.org/Season/On-Demand/opera/?upc=811357011539.