Based on a medieval tale, Tristan and Isolde is told through music that seems to transcend time and space. Wallow in the heady, ambiguous harmonies and drifting melodies that set Wagner’s opera apart as one of the most progressive of its day.

EPSG:4326

London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano

Barbican Centre

An unusual program where Antonio Pappano, Principal Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, demonstrates both his opera experience and his dramatic flair. Vilde Frang interprets Beethoven's Violin Concerto on a 1734 Guarneri. Sarah Jakubiak and Clay Hilley can be heard in Wagner's "Liebestod" act from Tristan und Isolde. In addition to his role as Siegfried, the American heroic tenor has already earned acclaim in the Festspielhaus as the emperor in Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten.

Wagner & Beethoven

Festspielhaus Baden-Baden

Premiered in 1843, Wagner’s first great opera, and his most concise, looks back to the Gothic mysteries of his youth and forward to the penetrating psychological dramas he would later craft. Love, greed, hubris and obsession drive a narrative shaped by the sea and those whose lives depend on it, opening with a violent storm in which echoes of Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Weber can be heard, and punctuated by folk-like ballads for the sailors and the women who wait for their return. Cursed to sail for eternity with his ghostly crew, the Dutchman can only be redeemed by the love of a faithful woman. Daland’s daughter Senta, betrothed to Erik, is shocked to recognise the Dutchman from an ancient painting acquired by her grandmother. Their love is instant, but will it be strong enough to lift the Dutchman’s curse?

Wagner: The Flying Dutchman (at Opera Holland Park)

Opera Holland Park

Back by popular demand, the London Opera Company revives its critically acclaimed production of Wagner’s romantic tragedy, Tristan und Isolde. Featuring a full orchestra of professionals and the crème de la crème of London’s music graduates, alongside a stellar cast of singers with world-renowned expertise in Wagner, this promises to be an unmissable event for Wagner fans.

Neal Cooper

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 18, 2026

Tristan und Isolde · Sinfonia Smith Square

Past events

Jul 12, 2026

London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano · Barbican Centre

Jul 5, 2026

Wagner & Beethoven · Festspielhaus Baden-Baden

Future and recently performed repertoire

Melot in Tristan and Isolde by Wagner

Barbican Centre

Melot in Tristan und Isolde by Wagner

Festspielhaus Baden-Baden

Singer in Tristan und Isolde by Wagner

Sinfonia Smith Square

Erik in The Flying Dutchman by Wagner

City of London Sinfonia

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