CCMusic.com

If there is one work that has been crucial to Daniel Barenboim's conducting career, it has to Wagner's Tristan und Isolde: he has been working on piercing it's secrets for more than 35 years. In the pit of the newly renovated Staatsoper Berlin and at the head of his Staatskapelle, he once again makes magic happen. Entrusted with the stage direction, Dmitri Tcherniakov delves into the psychological aspects of the drama and gives a new realistic depth to this opus. Thanks to his demanding direction of the cast, but also to a clever use of video projections, he manages to craft intense images which effectively resonate with the rapturous and voluptuous enchantments of the score. To complete this high-level artistic crew, the Staatsoper called upon some of the finest Wagner experts: Andreas Schager, already a superb Parsifal and a regular guest at the Bayreuth Festival, is Tristan, Anja Kampe is an unforgettable Isolde, and Ekaterina Gubanova thrills as Brangäne.