| Wagner - Tristan und Isolde / Heppner, Eaglen, Pape, Dalayman, Ketelsen, Metropolitan Opera | 
| Actors: Richard Wagner, Ben Heppner, Jane Eaglen, Rene Pape, Hans-joachim Ketelsen
Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.98
Buy New: $22.44
You Save: $17.54 (44%)
Buy New/Used from $21.00
Avg. Customer Rating:   (82 reviews)
Sales Rank: 53666
Format: Ac-3, Classical, Color, Dolby, Dts Surround Sound, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Chinese (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), German (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 238 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.6 x 0.6
MPN: 000174509
UPC: 044007304495
EAN: 0044007304495
ASIN: B0000CGV0P
Release Date: March 9, 2004
Theatrical Release Date: March 21, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 77 more reviews...
 HEFFALUMP is Us April 9, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wagner is one of my favorites; and Tristan and Isolde is my favorite Wagner Opera.
Strangely enough, I truly enjoyed most everything about this Met offering--except for the Heffalump.
For those unaware, a Heffalump is a character in A. A. Milne's Winnie-the- Pooh children's books. Heffridge Trumpler Brompet Heffalump IV, the Heffalump nicknamed "lumpy" apparently has learned how to sing Opera and appears mainly in shadows (Eaglen-Heppner in sillhoutte) in this Met's production of Wagner's magnificent Tristan and Isolde.
Despite my herculean efforts to try to suspend reality and become enraptured in this engrossing, emotion-packed Opera, I could not "picture" THIS Tristan and Isolde- in the shape of a moderate-sized elephant- falling in and consummating carnal love, 'love-potion' notwithstanding.
And for truly outstanding singing, check out EMI's 4 CD's- Great Recordings of the Century (EMI 7243 5 676262 6) with Flagstad, Suthaus, Thebom, Fischer-Dieskau, Greindl, and Schock with Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
 The Met was altered to a sty housing two hogs in this horrid Trisolde September 13, 2007
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is pretty much a failure. It seems most agree that the staging is awful, along with the acting. But, to my ears, even the sound(meaning performance) is hardly satifactory. Even if the performance was better, the staging is sound bad that it dilutes any chance of this being a success. I mean, this is an opera so the visual is just as important as the aural.
Eaglen and Hepner have the romantic chemistry of George Bush and Sadam Husein. Not at any point did I feel the characters felt for one another. And regarding their size, which is impossible to ignore, actually interferes with their performance(Eaglen especially-she is huge-if not bigger) which makes it difficult for her to grace the stage. In fact, the best moment of this entire performance is the love duet-when both characters are immersed in the background-reducing both characters to mere silhouettes-a brilliant stroke when the characters are about as sensual as lawn mowers.
In terms of performance, Rene Pape is extraordinary-proving once again has the most beautiful voice of any bass in the world. His Mark is unforgettable and could be the greatest on disc. Unfortunately, he is the singular upside. Now that the Barenboim dvd is available-go with that(though it has many quirks as well) but at least it doenst reduce the third act to a hog surrounded by (literally) a toy horse, a toy tower, and toy soldiers(about one foot by one foot in dimension--???--too literal take on minimalism(j\k) which is so absurd as to completely distract from the performance while you attempt to figure out how someone could be getting paid for so absurd an idea.
Rene Pape earns two stars. . Levine and the met-orch provide a beautiful backdrop(as always) earning the final star,though they are not enough to stage this sty. Dont waste your time.
 GORGEOUS VOICES, DESPITE THEIR SIZE! June 20, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In my opinion, Levine's bubbly and brisk, bright and ebullient style (they should have called HIM bubbles, too) works better for colorful Italian opera than for the ponderous languor of a Wagner tragedy. This "Tristan und Isolde" fails to elicit the proper degree of pain and suffering, mostly because Levine breezes right through the score, which ends up sounding not only rushed but a little too pat, as though Levine were merely marking the score in rehearsal rather than settling down for an actual, live performance. Above all, the feeling of urgency and desperation to Tristan and Isolde's love is missing. The orchestra itself plays impeccably, but again it all sounds a little too "by-the-numbers." Here, Levine is at his best when expressing the lighter side of love. BUT "Tristan und Isolde" is full of light AND darkness. It is the score's shadow side, the lovers' death wish, that eludes Levine.
The production works mainly because of the singing of the two leads, who are unfairly criticized for their size. While I would have liked to have heard a little more turmoil and passion roiling up in Eaglan during the first act, she has a delectable voice with a dulcet top that I could listen to forever. Her liebestod is all but perfect. Heppner, meanwhile, is a smooth and sweet-toned tenor, with just the right hint of vulnerability in his voice. He's not an ideal heldentenor, yet he sings the role beautifully. The reviewers who claim that there is no chemistry between Heppner and Eaglan in the title roles are just plain wrong. The chemistry is in their voices, which melt into one another divinely. Their voices were made for each other. To criticize Heppner and Eaglen for their size or because they don't look the part is unfair. For me, the number one thing is not the staging, but the singing, playing, and conducting.
Rene Pape is a strong-voiced Marke and Katarina Dalayman is a solid Brangane. The rest of the cast is uniformly stalwart. The lighting, with its subtle and sometimes not so subtle variations both in intensity and color, is superb in evoking moods. I also liked the way the shadows dramatize how the lovers become one in death. Despite the darkness (and the fact that the audience can't really see her), at one point, if you look carefully, you can faintly make out a beautiful smile on Eaglan's face as she listens to Heppner sing. The sets are elegant and minimalistic, with a geometric theme (four main, radiating lines form triangles by converging upstage center), though they work least well in Act Three; by then the eye craves a change.
The production looks and sounds great on DVD, although be forewarned: the audience doesn't stop coughing, sneezing, and clearing its throat even for a second. What a racket!
All in all, this is a solid, enjoyable Met production. It's absolutely worth it for Eaglan and Heppner. However, on DVD, for all its defects, I still prefer the 2005 Grand Theatre de Geneve, mainly because of Armin Jordan's passionate conducting. He just has more empathy for this opera than Levine does. I also like the Barenboim/Ponnelle and the new Belohlavek/Lehnhoff. Unfortunately, the Mehta "Tristan und Isolde" is a clownish production that undermines Waltraud Meier's wonderful Isolde.
 Very Good Production of a Brilliant Opera May 10, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I felt impelled to offer a review after reading so many that were critical of the principals in the cast. In truth, the cast is simply wonderful, and couldn't be more so. Eaglen, in particular, is a stunning Isolde, granting some of the most luscious vocals to the role I have ever heard. The rest of the cast is equally good, and the orchestra is positively spot on, with Levine as flawless at the helm as ever. Heppner and Eaglen may not look the part of the young lovers envisaged by the story, but given the quality of performances they evoke, it is difficult to ask for more. That said, the production is far from perfect; the set and the staging, in particular, often leave something to be desired, and there is something about this version that keeps it from being as breathtaking as Tristan has the potential to be. The Met's version of Parsifal, also on DVD, seems much more to do justice to the greatness of Wagner. However, Tristan and Isolde is a diffcult opera, and after having seen a number of version on DVD, I firmly believe that this is the best. If you are looking for a very good production of one of music's greatest operas, give this one a chance; musically, at least, you cannot do better.
"Good As Far As It Goes" March 24, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a fine production of an opera that doesn't appear often enough, owing to the taxing nature of the title roles. Eaglen and Heppner, happily, both sing with notable distinction. In addition, as King Marke, Rene Pape deserves kudos for his vocal work.
Not surprisingly, James Levine conducts the Metropolitan Opera orchestra superbly, preserving a noteworthy skillful balance between the vocal and orchestral demands.
The production, though minimalist, is not at odds with Wagner's narrative, nor is it obtrusively ugly in the manner of so many Eurotrash productions these days. The lighting, in fact, deserves singling out for its frequent beauty.
The principal quibbles with this production in the letters at this site have to do with the lack of visual appeal and acting skill in the two stars. Now it's true that Eaglen is a very large woman and no born actress
(I'm sure she'd acknowledge as much,) but the brilliance of her singing covers a multitude of such sins. Heppner as well is no shapely paragon of youthful beauty, but his singing, especially in Act 3, is nothing short of terrific. I wonder what the carpers, put off by the stars' fatness, would have said to the discredit of Melchior and Flagstad.
Great voices sometimes come in oversized bodies, and to make physical appearance or acting ability the primary determinant of one's pleasure in an opera such as "Tristan" is surely to miss the point.
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