Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (Bayreuth, 1983)

For nearly two decades between 1981 and 1999, Daniel Barenboim was the central conductor at the Bayreuth Festival. He made his debut on the Green Hill with this production of Tristan und Isolde, the first of two he conducted at Bayreuth. With a cast featuring René Kollo, Hanna Schwarz and Matti Salminen, he had tried and tested Bayreuth singers at his disposal, while the American-born soprano Johanna Meier was hailed as an ideal Isolde. Director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle created characterizations of rare psychological precision as well as one of the legendary images of Wagner production history: as Tristan dies, Isolde appears to him as an inner vision under a huge tree.

Soloists: 

Hermann Becht (Bass-Baritone), Martin Egel (Baritone), René Kollo (Tenor), Johanna Meier (Soprano), Helmut Pampuch (Tenor), Matti Salminen (Bass), Robert Schunk (Tenor), Hanna Schwarz (Mezzo-Soprano)

Ensembles: 

Bayreuth Festival Chorus, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra

Conductor: 

Daniel Barenboim