Tristan und Isolde: by Richard Wagner

I don't think there is any other way to start this post other than saying this is one SERIOUSLY long opera. Clocking in at 4:30 (including intermissions) necessitated the early start time of 6:30 pm rather than the usual 7:30 pm. Let me tell you all it was a good thing, because I was already dropping off to sleep at 11:20 when it finished.

Pros: The music really was quite lovely. It really was. There is a beauty in Wagner's music from the listeners perspective that is not easily duplicated. At first listen it seemed as though the overture was simple but then I stopped and really listened. While it was easy on the ears like a simple piece of music this was hardly simple! There were so many parts that it was insane! I mentioned to Penny at an intermission that the man must have been on LSD when he wrote the music because there were so many parts but yet they all flowed together perfectly. Also, Greer Grimsley (for all that his photo in the program makes him look like Fabio) has a perfectly lovely voice and was a pleasure to listen to. My only sadness was that he was not featured until Act III. It really was a shame. We also had a huge treat in that we got to hear the spendy performers. Most often we hear the understudies or those who have been cast for the alternate performances. So hearing the big guns was very nice.

Cons: I knew this one was going to be long. I really did. I also knew that it was maybe a bit sleepy with very little action. Which was very, very true. All of Act I was dialogue. And if you have never heard opera dialogue it is strange. It is kinda half sung half chanted. There were no true arias in the entire Act I. Totally bizarre. Act II had the most dispassionate love affair that I have ever seen. Obviously there is no going back and rewriting what Wagner has done but I find it disappointing that the staging was so stilted. This "love affair" didn't even have the lovers hold hands. They stood and sang with very little passion, more often then not, not looking at each other. Penny and I decided that if that was what a love affair was all about we would pass thank you very much! Since the artists that had been cast in the roles have performed it multiple times for multiple different opera companies I can't help but wonder if that is just how it is supposed to be performed. Bizarre at the least. Like a love affair of zombies.

All in all it was about as good as I expected. I went in with the expectation that I was going to be sleepy by the end of it and I was. I think I would enjoy it more if I stopped trying to read the dialogue and just closed my eyes and enjoyed the music. Although I might fall asleep, you never know.

Must See Rating ***