1981 Tristan und Isolde

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As a step towards his goal (never realized, in the end) of an annual Pacific Northwest Festival of the Arts, Glynn Ross expanded Seattle Opera’s by-now traditional pair of Ring cycles by adding Tristan und Isolde to the summer run in 1981 (one performance per cycle). But first, the company presented Tristan during the subscription season, so it would be easy to remount later in the summer. Recent breakthroughs in lighting and projection technology contributed to the stylish look of the production, and a pair of stalward Seattle Opera Wagnerians took on the challenging lead roles.
  • Edward Sooter (Tristan) and Johanna Meier (Isolde) in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, 1981 © Chris Bennion
  • Nancy Williams (Brangäne), Edward Sooter (Tristan), Richard Clark (Kurwenal) and Johanna Meier (Isolde) in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, 1981 © Chris Bennion
  • Edward Sooter (Tristan), Johanna Meier (Isolde), and Nancy Williams (Brangäne) in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, 1981 © Chris Bennion
  • As a step towards his goal (never realized, in the end) of an annual Pacific Northwest Festival of the Arts, Glynn Ross expanded Seattle Opera’s by-now traditional pair of Ring cycles by adding Tristan und Isolde to the summer run in 1981 (one performance per cycle). But first, the company presented Tristan during the subscription season, so it would be easy to remount later in the summer. Recent breakthroughs in lighting and projection technology contributed to the stylish look of the production, and a pair of stalward Seattle Opera Wagnerians took on the challenging lead roles. Our first production of Wagner's great song of love and death.
  • Johanna Meier (Isolde) in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, 1981 © Chris Bennion
  • Edward Sooter (Tristan) and Johanna Meier (Isolde) in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, 1981 © Chris Bennion
  • Edward Sooter (Tristan) and Richard Clark (Kurwenal) in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, 1981 © Chris Bennion
  • Edward Sooter (Tristan) and Johanna Meier (Isolde) in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, 1981 © Chris Bennion