PEAK OF THE OPERA SEASON: TRISTAN AND ISOLDE DIRECTED BY ROBERT WILSON

A musical, theatrical and cultural event of the season – not only in Slovenia, but also in Europe!

Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde is considered one of the most important works of the Western classical musical and one of the pinnacles of European art in general. Four European opera houses from Belgium, Poland, Spain and Slovenia have joined forces in this impressive project. "Tristan and Isolde" is co-produced with leading opera houses - La Monnaie in Brussels, Teatro Real in Madrid and Opera Wroclaw; the Ljubljana performances will also be included in the program of Festival Ljubljana.

Robert Wilson, one of the most influential and visionary directors of contemporary theatre and opera, is directing Wagner's masterpiece Tristan and Isolde for the first time in his almost 60-year career. This will be a historic event for the Ljubljana Opera House, where the first Slovenian production of this magnificent work will be staged.

We are announcing a unique musical and theatrical spectacle – an experience that you simply cannot miss!

Reserve the dates: premiere on February 5, performances on February 7, 10, 12, 14 and 16.

The title roles will be performed by Maida Hundeling and Bryan Register. In the other main roles, you will hear and see Monika Bohinec, Dubravka Šeparović Mušović, Petar Martinčič, Giorgio Surian, Jože Vidic and Nebojša Babić.

The orchestra will be conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk.

Ticket sales start in the first week of September.

Take a look at the introductory words by the dramaturge Konrad Kuhn below, see exclusive photos from the preliminary studio rehearsals of "Tristan and Isolde", which took place in our theater in June, and watch a video message by Robert Wilson.

»After having staged Parsifal, Lohengrin and the Ring Cycle, world renowned stage director and visual artist Robert Wilson (USA) is tackling this seminal work for the first time. Much like Wagner changed the music world in the 19^th century, Robert Wilson left a tremendous impact on the theater world in the 20^th century and continues to do so in our time. After creating works like Deafman Glance and Einstein on the Beach in the 1970s, it was only much later that he turned to existing plays and finally opera. When he does so, he tries to create a vessel for the poetry of the music. To put it in his own words: “I want to create a structure of time and space that allows me to hear the music better than when I close my eyes.”

His productions never try to impose a certain view or “interpretation” of an existing work, e.g. by “updating” the plot or setting. In the case of Tristan and Isolde, his goal is to let the power of the story told through music unfold by creating an abstract form devoid of any psychological realism. For him, the main topic of the work is the contrast between the “world of day” that stands for mundane striving and ambition opposed to the “world of night”, where truly deep emotions can be sensed and the story of the two unhappy lovers reaches us directly.«