Recorded live at the Bayreuth Festival in July August 2009, this production marks the beginning of an exciting new long-term partnership between the Bayreuth Festival and Opus Arte. The prestigious music festival takes place each year in northern Germany in a theatre that Wagner himself personally supervised the design and construction of. The festival has become a pilgrimage destination for Wagner enthusiasts, who often have to wait up to ten years to obtain a ticket! Katharina Wagner, the great-grand daughter of Richard Wagner, is currently codirector of the festival together with her sister Eva Wagner-Pasquier. Tristan und Isolde was first performed in 1865 and provided inspiration to many composers including Mahler, Strauss, Szymanowski and Berg. It is widely acknowledged as one of the peaks of the operatic repertoire, and has been performed regularly since its premiere. This production, by renowned director Christoph Marthaler, stars leading Wagner exponents Robert Dean Smith and Irne Theorin in the title roles, supported by the Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra conducted by Peter Schneider.