Tristan und Isolde review – radical reimagining marks new chapter for Bayreuth

Bayreuth festival, Germany

Christian Thielemann and co were on top form for a raw, impressive new production by Bayreuth boss Katharina Wagner

There is personal and institutional credibility riding on Katharina Wagner’s new production of Tristan und Isolde, which opened the 2015 Bayreuth festival. In many respects, the new Bayreuth boss delivers. Her Tristan is not beyond criticism, but it is a serious and interesting staging. With fine singers in all roles and Christian Thielemann delivering high musical standards from the pit, it marks a turn away from the directorial indulgence that has seemed to be Bayreuth’s hallmark in recent years.

Related: The Bayreuth Wagner festival: more soap opera than classical opera

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