Opera Queensland embarks on one of its most ambitious productions to date with two performances of Richard Wagner’s epic Tristan und Isolde in October 2020.Tristan und Isolde is a dramatic love story based on a 12th Century romance. The German composer’s groundbreaking love story will be performed twice at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s (QPAC) Concert Hall on Wednesday 28 October 2020 and Saturday 31 October 2020. The Queensland Symphony Orchestra will perform the landmark score under the baton of renowned Wagner conductor, Finland’s Pietari Inkinen, with New Zealand Heldentenor Simon O’Neill and US soprano Megan Miller cast in the title roles.
Opera Queensland’s Artistic Director Patrick Nolan said he began planning the magnificent three-act opera, when he was appointed to the role in April 2017. “Opera Queensland is delighted to bring some of the world’s leading opera singers to Australia to perform what is widely regarded as one of the greatest operas in the musical canon,” Nolan said.
The opera was last performed in Brisbane 15 years ago and Brisbane audiences are yearning to hear it again according to Mr Nolan. The semi-staged production will feature lavish costumes, video projections that wrap the dimensions of the stage and the vocal excellence of the Opera Queensland chorus. “The Concert Hall is the ideal venue and its very fine acoustics will give Wagner’s music the greatest opportunity to soar,” Nolan said.
Tristan und Isolde requires great physical and emotional prowess from the singers. They need to rest for at least two days between shows for their bodies and voices to recover, according to Opera Queensland’s Artistic Director Patrick Nolan. “There are very few people on the planet who can sing Tristan and Isolde and we worked in collaboration with Pietari to cast Simon and Megan. Their voices needed the right quality and texture, their vocal types needed to match, and they needed to bring to the role not only a highly-skilled vocal aptitude but an emotional range that comes from a rich life experience,” said Nolan.
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