Tristan und Yseult Berlin Concert
The tragic love story of Tristan and Isolde continues to touch our hearts today – almost a thousand years after it emerged. Tristan, the closest friend of King Mark of Cornwall, and Isolde, the Irish princess, come from formerly inimical royal families, but become inseparably linked upon ingesting a love potion. They can only act on this love secretly, as Isolde is in fact promised to King Mark as his wife. In the end, their connection is discovered, and the two lovers die. The origin of this myth presumably lies in Celtic lore; it was already passed down in the Middle Ages in various versions by French, English and German writers. In the 19th century, the subject became very popular once again when Richard Wagner set it to music.
The RIAS Kammerchor is presenting a new examination of the subject, the composition Le Roman de Tristan by Judith Weir. The British composer, who is particularly known for her expressive dramatic works, orients herself within the piece toward one of the earliest French versions of the myth, whose author is believed to be the poet Béroul. Musically, Weir predominantly moves in an expanded tonality in her compositions, often including elements of folk music. Music from different epochs is contrasted with this premiere, referring indirectly to the origin and essence of the love drama: a chanson by Guillaume de Machaut renders homage to the courtly love of medieval times, while Rakastava by Jean Sibelius depicts the late romantic variant of a love song. The compositions by Edvard Grieg and Veljo Tormis, to round things off, broaden the love to a nostalgic reverie.
We recall with this, in addition, Veljo Tormis’s tenth death anniversary in 2027. Tormis left behind an oeuvre consisting of more than 500 choral works, and thus has a lasting impact on concert programmes, as can be experienced this season at the 2nd subscription concert Crossing Bridges. There is no doubt that this evening with Judith Weir’s new composition will also touch you deeply in the same way.
7:10 p.m. Pre-concert talk | approx. 9:45 p.m. Post-concert discussion | The concert will be recorded by Deutschlandfunk Kultur.