Waltraud Meier, Ian Storey, Michelle DeYoung, Gerd Grochowski & Matti Salminen
Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Daniel Barenboim (conductor) & Patrice Chéreau (stage director)
Live from Il Teatro alla Scala di Milano – December 2007.
Set designs Richard Peduzzi
Costume designs Moidele Bickel
Lighting Bertrand Couderc
“Daniel Barenboim made a triumphant debut as principal guest conductor at La Scala's gala opening-night premiere of a new staging of Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde," receiving 20 minutes of applause, a shower of roses and shouts of "bravi." Associated Press
“The gaudiest event of the opera season in Europe, La Scala’s opener on Dec. 7 was a sublime new version of Tristan und Isolde directed by Patrice Chéreau under the baton of the house’s new principal guest conductor, Daniel Barenboim. ….. Mr. Barenboim, who knows this opera as well as anyone, drew rich, densely textured, multilayered sounds from his players.’’ New York Times
With Tristan und Isolde La Scala opened its 07/08 new in a new production staged by Patrice Chéreau. In this collaboration Daniel Barenboim and Patrice Chéreau (of whom Daniel Barenboim said: "In Chereau, I found my ideal partner“) fulfil a Wagnerian dream they had been cherishing since 1980. The opera hadn’t been staged at La Scala for over 30 years and was a triumph with over 20 minutes of applause. This is Patrice Chéreau’s 2nd DVD on VC after Aix-en-Provence’s Così.
The public and critics were unanimous in praising the performances, the production, Daniel Barenboim’s conducting as well as the cast, which boasts Waltraud Meier as Isolde and saw as Tristan, British tenor Ian Storey in his Scala debut. The audience was equally thrilled by Finnish bass Matti Salminem’s performance as König Marke, and by Michelle DeYoung, the gifted American mezzo as Brangäne.
