Main cast: Tristan, Erin Caves; Isolde, Lise Lindstrom; Brangäne, Bettina Ranch; King Marke, Egils Silins, Kurwenal, Kay Stiefermann; Conductor, Xu Zhong; Director, Roland Schwab; Shanghai Opera House Chorus, Shanghai Opera House Orchestra
On Sunday 6 July (2025), I was fortunate enough to attend a performance of Tristan and Isolde in the Lyric Theatre (Da Juchang) of the Shanghai Grand Theatre (Shanghai Da Juyuan). It was one of three performances of the work that constituted, as Katharina Wagner, the Artistic Director of the Bayreuth Festival, put it in the Programme prepared for the event, “the first time that the ‘Bayreuth Festival’, founded by my great-grandfather Richard Wagner” was “hosted in Shanghai. It is also a big event that Wagner fans all over the world are paying attention to”.
The General Manager of the Shanghai Grand Theatre, Zhang Xiaoding was similarly enthusiastic. She said that “this momentous event not only unfurls the grand curtain of a cultural undertaking of international significance but also signals the official commencement of ‘Shanghai Time’ for the Bayreuth Festival, one of the world’s preeminent classical art gatherings”.
For me personally, as a frequent visitor to China and Wagner enthusiast, it is marvellous that enough people in China are keen enough on Wagner’s music to make such a venture successful. I love the fact that Western-style opera-houses have been built in Chinese cities for some decades now and are making an impact on the cultural scene in China. The Shanghai Grand Theatre dates from August 1998 and is not new to Wagner, having been the site of two Cologne Ring cycles in September 2008. But it is new to Bayreuth. Moreover, it is not the only large-scale Western-style performance centre in China. Bayreuth and China have initiated a mutual “project” that lasts from 2025 to 2027. Die Walkűre will be performed in 2026 and Tannhäuser in 2027.
To return to the particular performance I saw, the orchestra under the baton of Xu Zhong was brilliant, truly in style and managing the emotional content splendidly. The singers were mostly good, as one would expect from Bayreuth. The Isolde I heard was the famous Lisa Lindstrom, an originally American singer, and trained in California. She has a very strong voice, capable of reaching the high notes, stable and loud, but, at least to my ear much more beautiful when singing softly. She took the two high Cs at the beginning of the love duet very well and her “Liebestod” was really excellent, as one would expect from such an internationally famous singer. She looks the part and her acting was very effective.
The Tristan of Erin Caves was the weakest point musically. He was very good in Act II both in the love duet and in “O Kőnig” towards the end. He has a nice, smooth voice. I have to say, however, that he was not very good in Act III. Admittedly, it’s extremely taxing music (and he is, after all, supposed to be mortally wounded at the end of Act II). But he simply failed to sing many of the high notes in the marvellous, super-dramatic and truly revolutionary Tristan music of Act III. In particular, when he hears Isolde singing “Tristan, geliebter” from off-stage, there was not enough drama and no high notes when he sings “Zu ihr, zu ihr”, no sustained high A as there should be, inadequate reflection from the singer of the super-intense emotion of the music the orchestra was playing so well.
Brangäne (Bettina Ranch) was very good all through. Her highlight (Brangäne’s warning) in the love duet in Act II was very good indeed, smooth, dreamlike, beautiful, music of first-rate genius excellently sung. Other lesser roles such as Kurwenal and King Marke were also excellent and contributed to a very good performance.
The production was minimalistic but quite effective. On the whole, I thought it a bit lacking in life. In Act I, the chorus does not appear on stage. Act II has action only in a few places, and it would be best to make the most of that. At the end of the act, where Tristan fights a duel with Melot, which he loses, he just sits on a chair, and there is no duel. On the other hand, at one point during the duet, Melot could be seen creeping in and out observing the lovers but not himself being seen. I thought this effective. The costuming was very simple. It did not offend, but neither did it inspire.
Some other remarks for such a performance may be interesting. The performance I attended began at 2:00 pm and finished at 7:00 with two half-hour-long intervals. Snacks were provided for a cost, but no opportunity to have dinner, as one can at Bayreuth.
There were subtitles in Chinese and German, on both sides of the stage. That is of course rational, but I may add that the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing, every opera performance I have attended had subtitles in Chinese and English, no matter what the language of the opera being performed.
The Lyric Theatre holds 1800 people. It was not completely full on the afternoon I attended Tristan. However, it was well patronized, and shows a good deal of interest in Wagner’s music in China. I spoke to several people about attitudes towards Wagner. One student tells me he is studying music at the Conservatorium, which mainly means Western music. He says there is a focus on Wagner which, although not exclusive, is still quite strong. Students and others are aware of the controversy over Hitler’s love for Wagner, but most are quite happy to judge it along musical criteria, even though the atmosphere in China remains politically strong. I also spoke to a university professor of law, whose love for this music and music-drama had driven him to come twice to the opera. The woman who sat next to me said she did not like the production much but really loved the musical quality of the performance.
Over the years I have seen quite a few Wagner performances in China. All of them have been creditable to very good. I’m impressed that China’s music schools train performers of Wagner’s music. Of course, I didn’t see evidence of this among the singers of the Tristan I saw. But the orchestra was Chinese and very good and though Conductor Xu Chong got much training in Paris he originates from China and illustrates China’s enthusiasm for Wagner.
Overall, it was a very good performance, reaching great heights although showing some weaknesses. Above all, I think it is marvellous that Bayreuth chooses to offer parts of its festival in Shanghai. In our dangerous times, cultural exchange and appreciation of this sort is precisely what the world needs most!!
Colin Mackerras
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