Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde), WWV 90
Richard Wagner
Work background
Researched classical background
Wagner's three-act drama concentrates on Tristan and Isolde's love and the conflict between inward desire and the surrounding social world. Recurring motives and prolonged harmonic tension connect the prelude with later scenes. Much of the dramatic movement occurs through extended vocal and orchestral spans rather than a sequence of self-contained arias. The work's ending resolves musical ideas that have remained unsettled for a long time.
Inspiration and creative background
Wagner identified Gottfried von Strassburg's medieval Tristan as his narrative source and described the project to Liszt as a monument to an ideal of fulfilled love.
Tristan and Isolde - LA Phil
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
BSO | Wagner - Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde
Orchestra note on excerpts: also establishes full-opera chronology, narrative context and Wagner letters. The entry remains the complete opera. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
A listening guide
Listen for phrases that postpone a point of rest, then compare them with the final scene's longer release.
Listening suggestions are editorial guides to the music.
Forces: Vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra
Premiere: 1865
First performed at the Munich Court Theater; the score was completed before this staging.
This entry describes the musical work or cycle. Composition, premiere and publication dates describe different events. Performers and recordings can be explored through the external listening search.
Also known as: Tristan and Isolde
Tristan and Isolde - LA Phil
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
BSO | Wagner - Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde
Orchestra note on excerpts: also establishes full-opera chronology, narrative context and Wagner letters. The entry remains the complete opera. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Sources for this work
Tristan and Isolde - LA Phil
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
BSO | Wagner - Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde
Orchestra note on excerpts: also establishes full-opera chronology, narrative context and Wagner letters. The entry remains the complete opera. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
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