Courtesy/SFOG

SFOG News:

The tale of Tristan and Iseult is one of the greatest and most retold legends in European history, with written versions dating from the mid-twelfth century. 

One of the most complete versions, Tristan, by Gottfried von Strassburg, served as the source work for Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, which will be presented this summer by the Santa Fe Opera Guild (SFOP), 6-7:30 p.m. Monday, May 2 virtually on Zoom (Virtual Check-In, 5:50 p.m.).

The book that will be read and discussed in this session of Virtual Vivace –The Romance of Tristan and Iseult – was written in 1900, some 35 years after the opera premiered, by French author Joseph Bédier and subsequently translated to English.

Bédier’s work sought to encapsulate and condense many versions of the Tristan legend, and it covers major events in Tristan’s life from birth until his and Iseult’s deaths. Although many of the details in von Strassburg’s lengthy work are omitted, Bédier’s work can be considered a summary of the legend upon which Wagner’s opera is based. The discussion of the book will conclude with its differences from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde.

The facilitator for this session of Virtual Vivace is David Hughes, a member of the Wagner Society of Santa Fe. He is also a member of the Wagner Society of New York and contributes to its bi-monthly publication Wagner Notes, and he has served as the New York society’s International Representative since 2019.

Bernadette Snider is the moderator for the evening. She is a member of the board of the Santa Fe Opera Guild, Coordinator of Vivace and Editor of the Operagram.

For information & registration http://www.guildsofsfo.org/SantaFe/Events.html