it is the most beautiful cathedral in the world, a planet in itself.” Surrendered to the music of Richard Wagner, the set designer Bárbara Lluch described the score of Tristan and Isolde during the presentation of the production “minimalist” which premieres today in , until the 31st. Under the baton of the Finnish Susanna Mälkki, the German composer’s opera is surely the main bet of the season, also crowned by the world debut of the soprano Lise Davidsen in the role of Isolde. The American tenor Clay Hilley will play the character of Tristan.
Víctor García de Gomar, artistic director of the Gran Teatro del Liceu, stressed that this event represents a “historic” moment for the institution by placing it and “That is already a gift in itself,” he stressed, stating that this production will leave a “mark” in the history of the theater. “This opera is an infinite occasion, an ocean, an immense piece. Of powerful music with no return,” he said about a production that revolves around three women (in orchestra direction, in scenery and in singing). Tickets are almost sold out.
and, Lluch returns for the third time in two years to the Liceu where he feels more and more at home. “When Víctor offered it to me, I thought he had gone crazy. It is my favorite opera and that of everyone who loves opera. We all know that with it there is a before and after,” he stressed, alluding to the impact of a score that is considered revolutionary in the history of music. Lluch did not hide and joked about the vertigo on the day of the first rehearsal – “It seemed like a meeting of alcoholics anonymous: I am Bárbara, and I am afraid, I am Susanna and I am also afraid…” -, but added that he has never had so much “commitment, tranquility, space and freedom to create.”
Inspired by a legend from the 12th century, from which I would drink tells the story of a couple who begins their relationship with hatred – she wants to poison him for revenge – and ends in a total, passionate love that ends in tragedy and the death of the two protagonists. “They are demigods and I can’t imagine them in a home environment and in a realistic environment,” Lluch revealed. “I wanted something surreal, minimalist, that did not hinder at all the beauty and narrative of the music and the text. It is the minimum to not hinder the magic of Wagner.” The scenography is complemented by the play of lights, with influences from the painter Turner, by Urs Schönebaum.
The show lasts four and a half hours and will focus on Davidson, who returns to the stage after a maternity leave. “He is a character (that of Isolde) that requires a lot of preparation, it’s like doing a marathon,” he noted, highlighting the complexity of the role. Hilley has sung this opera 15 times and admitted that it requires great preparation because, he noted, “any deviation kills you.” Mälkki, who already triumphed at the Liceu conducting the orchestra with Il trittico, stated that it is a very special premiere and that the work questions all the fundamental elements of life. “The cast is stellar and something Olympic and dramatic is required of them,” he concluded.
