Isolde's Liebestod

Tristan and Isolde (1912), by John Duncan

"As I have never in life felt the real bliss of love, I must erect a monument to the most beautiful of all my dreams, in which, from beginning to end, that love shall be thoroughly satiated. I have in my head 'Tristan and Isolde,' the simplest, but most full-blooded musical conception. With the black flag which floats at the end of it I shall cover myself to die."

~ Richard Wagner in a Letter to Liszt

Herbert von Karajan conducts the prelude of Tristan und Isolde.




Karajan rehearses a performance of Richard Wagner's Isoldes Liebestod ("The Love-Death of Isolde") with Jessye Norman, followed by the actual concert.




Bernstein conducts the finale of Tristan und Isolde.




(Isolde, aware of nothing round about her, fixes her gaze with mounting ecstasy upon Tristan's body.)

Isolde's Aria

How softly and gently
he smiles,
how sweetly
his eyes open -
can you see, my friends,
do you not see it?
How he glows
ever brighter,
raising himself high
amidst the stars?
Do you not see it?
How his heart
swells with courage,
gushing full and majestic
in his breast?
How in tender bliss
sweet breath
gently wafts
from his lips -
Friends! Look!
Do you not feel and see it?
Do I alone hear
this melody
so wondrously
and gently
sounding from within him,
in bliss lamenting,
all-expressing,
gently reconciling,
piercing me,
soaring aloft,
its sweet echoes
resounding about me?
Are they gentle
aerial waves
ringing out clearly,
surging around me?
Are they billows
of blissful fragrance?
As they seethe
and roar about me,
shall I breathe,
shall I give ear?
Shall I drink of them,
plunge beneath them?
Breathe my life away
in sweet scents?
In the heaving swell,
in the resounding echoes,
in the universal stream
of the world-breath -
to drown,
to founder -
unconscious -
utmost rapture!

(Isolde sinks gently, as if transfigured, in Brangaene's arms, on to Tristan's body. Those standing around are awed and deeply moved. Mark blesses the bodies. - The curtain falls slowly.)

*Translations of libretto via.


Jessye Norman performing "Mild und leise wie er lächelt" (Isoldes Liebestod), with Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted by Herbert von Karajan. (C) 2005 DOR Films




Isolde's Liebestod (The Love-Death of Isolde)




Pas de deux from the ballet "Tristan and Isolde," staged by choreographer Krzysztof Pastor to the music of Richard Wagner, performed by Svetlana Zakharova and Andrei Merkuriev.

I had the pleasure of seeing this performance in person on the "Homage to Nureyev" gala evening at the London Coliseum on 21/March/2010. One online review reads, "Zakharova was fluid, willowy, with great extensions and… well, she just reminded me of a naiad in a painting by Waterhouse." I cannot agree more. I feel that Svetlana, as one of the best ballerinas of our time, is still getting better and better. In the gala performance of Tristan and Isolde, she was like water, like prana, like 'chi,' she was one with her dance and her dance was an extension of her.




All about Wagner's Tristan und Isolde:

Bilingual side-by-side German English Libretto (also in Italian)
Wagner Operas. A comprehensive website featuring photographs of productions, recordings, librettos, and sound files.
Richard Wagner - Tristan und Isolde. A gallery of historic postcards with motifs from Richard Wagner's operas.
Recordings of Tristan and Isolde rated. Recordings reviewed by Geoffrey Riggs.
Discography of Tristan und Isolde. List of recordings and videos from 1901–2004 by Jonathan Brown.
Wagner's Tristan and Isolde BBC / Metropolitan Opera synopsis
Tristan und Isolde resource site Comprehensive website containing source material and musical motives
Tristan und Isolde Performance Watch the opera free of charge
Seattle Opera Performance Seattle Opera link
Tristan und Isolde on Wikipedia

Tristan and Yseult (1887), by Jean Delville