Celtic legend

Mariusz Trelinsky. [Photo by Liang Gang/For China Daily]

Premiered in 1865, the opera is viewed as one of the most influential operas by Wagner.

German composer Richard Strauss once wrote: "Tristan und Isolde marked the end of all romanticism. Here the yearning of the entire 19th century is gathered in one focal point.

This indicates that the opera was a turning point in Western performing arts.

"Everything comes together in opera－ballet, poem, drama and theater," says Trelinsky in Beijing.

Tristan und Isolde is a "revolution" because after this opera, Western composers changed their approach to the art form, he says.

In most operas and musicals, it is very clear when an aria, duet, chorus, overture, or other ensemble ends, but Wagner blurred these boundaries.

Trelinsky says that unlike in many other romantic stories, in which lovers want to live together, the main characters of the opera's story hoped to be united in death. "Falling in love for them was like poison. But this opera shows that love can be as strong as death," he says. The director gives a contemporary flavor to the stage and costume designs.