Brilliant performances in the Met’s new Tristan und Isolde but staging gets in the way of the music

Michael Spyres shines in his debut as Tristan alongside powerhouse soprano Lise Davidsen as Isolde in Yuval Sharon's new, beguiling production at the Metropolitan Opera.

Because my review of Tristan und Isolde at the New York Metripolitan Opera is published in Bachtrack, I will not be publishing my show notes, here, and instead direct you to read more off-site. Lise Davidsen is our generation’s Isolde, until further notice. There was far more to say about this production than I can fit into BT’s wordcount, so at some point in the future, once this post joins the archive, I might add some additional comments.

Performance Date: 9 March 2026

As far as well-known composers of opera go, Wagner stands out for a few reasons, not least of which being that he expressed very solid ideas – convictions – about what this art form actually is. He articulated his beliefs about opera no less vehemently when they happened to change. Tristan und Isolde has the privilege of evidencing the shift that occurred after Wagner’s reading of Schopenhauer, a philosophy that moved him away from his previous Gesamtkunstwerk orientation and towards recognition of music as the fundamental element of communication in opera, more primary than…

Also… a fun little note. As far as we know, we were the first among the usual publications to post our review of this premiere.