Eugene Symphony: Tristan und Isolde, Act III

Francesco Lecce-Chong, conductor
Nina Warren, Isolde | Roy C. Smith, Tristan | Gary Simpson, King Marke
Ola Rafalo, Brangäne | Jared Bybee, Kurwenal

Explication
Joplin: Overture to Treemonisha
Wagner: Act III of Tristan und Isolde

The third and final act of Tristan und Isolde, the conclusion of our three-year exploration of Richard Wagner’s operatic masterpiece, reminds us that the transformative power of love conquers all, even death. American composer Scott Joplin, the “King of Ragtime,” was among the many inspired by the opera. The overture to Joplin’s opera Treemonisha, placed in a former slave community in 1884, opens the concert after Francesco shares his thoughts about the enduring significance of Tristan und Isolde.