Recorded on 9 August 2009 at Bayreuth in the legendary Wagnerian hall, this Tristan and Isolde was a rock thrown into the still pool of convention, as the mise en scène transplanted the action into modern-day Cornwall; the musical direction was in the hands of the venerable old hand Peter Schneider (born 1939), who didn't hesitate to take some daring musical paths – especially daring in this temple of tradition – by giving a boost to the tempo and the musical continuity. The production brings together the American Robert Dean Smith as Tristan, who had stunned the lyrical world the year prior in the same role at the Met, when he replaced Ben Heppner at short notice; and the Swede Iréne Theorin as Isolde, in the tradition of the great Isoldes of the past: an ample and powerful voice, yet imbued with great emotion: her closing Liebestod was a very fine moment. The rest of the cast is completely solid and experienced. And it's a live recording, with all the risks that that entails, the immediate presence of all the singers and all the incandescence that this incredible hall lends to the artists that use it. © SM/Qobuz