Tristan und Isolde, in Full Score

Among musicologists and serious lovers of music Wagner's Tristan und Isolde is generally considered the high point of orchestration in the musical tradition of 19th-century Europe. It shows in most successful form Wagner's unsurpassed gift for utilizing the instruments of the orchestra, and generations of students Nave worked with it to learn its techniques. Tristan und Isolde also has a remarkable historical position. It was the opera which most of the post-Wagnerians used to build upon, and it was also the opera which the anti-Wagnerians seized upon very frequently for their attacks and for their attempts to move musically away from Wagnerism. Accepted or rejected, it has been the work with which late 19th- and early 20th-century musicians had to come to terms, and much musical history of this period can be understood through it.

This present edition reproduces the full orchestral score in a clear, modern engraving for easy reading and piano study, with large legible notation. Do not confuse this with a piano rendering; it is a full orchestral score.

In addition to its obvious uses for study, this score is also an indispensable associate for anyone listening to record sets or broadcasts. In no other manner can the listener keep full awareness ofí the incredible orchestral richness of this opera.

Unabridged republication of the Peters, Leipzig (c. 1910) edition. A few stage directions added by Felix Mottl.

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