Pappano and LSO Deliver Stellar Wagner's Tristan und Isolde

Antonio Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) delivered a concert performance of Richard Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" at the Barbican in London this week, drawing praise for its detailed orchestral textures and dramatic intensity. This performance continues the LSO's tradition of staging complete operas in concert, following acclaimed renditions of Janáček's "The Makropulos Affair" and Strauss's "Salome."

Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" is particularly suited to a concert format, as the composer himself described it as a "Handlung" (act or plot) and emphasized that it should be "deeds of music made visible," with the drama primarily residing within the orchestra rather than onstage action. Pappano, conducting with subtle gestures and no baton, guided the orchestra through the nearly four-hour score with an unhurried and delicate approach.

The performance allowed numerous orchestral details, often obscured in staged productions, to come to the fore. Critics noted the prominence of specific instrumental passages, such as harsh double bass sounds and a piercing oboe trill, alongside previously unheard horn licks and a more pronounced troubled bassline. The LSO's strings were highlighted for their immediate responsiveness, shifting effortlessly between hard-edged articulation and a cashmere-soft tone, with their sound described as "effortfully excavated or as light as silk in the breeze."

Clay Hilley performed a "blistering" Tristan, while Sara Jakubiak made her role debut as a "persuasive" Isolde. The overall effect, according to the review, was a performance where Pappano and the LSO were "at their finest," showcasing the opera's profound musical and dramatic depth through meticulous balance and execution.