When you read halfway through the story in the Star-Bulletin about the
Hawaii Opera Theater's production of "Tristan und Isolde," you'll find
a reference to the work's four-hour length, *including* intermissions.
As a true Wagnerite would say:  Oyveh!  Did Wagner really produce an
hour's worth of filler?

The story quotes HOT and "Tristan" director Henry Akina and conductor
Istvan Torzs on the matter:

   Akina and Torzs discussed and carefully chose the cuts as a team,
   "We looked at any number of cuts that have been done at other opera
   companies, some of which, I must say, were absolutely horrendous ....
   I'm quite happy with what we came up with."

   Before making a final decision, Akina and Torzs discussed musical
   cuts with Wolfgang and Gudrun Wagner, grandson of Richard Wagner and
   his wife, who are in town for HOT's opening night.  The Wagners "have
   been very kind in telling us ...  what traditions are important, but
   at no time have they said what we must do," says Akina.

   Torzs underscores, "We did not run specific cuts by (Wolfgang Wagner).
   I know his stand on this question:  Wolfgang Wagner is a very practical
   man of the theater, which is the kind of person I like to deal with."

   Akina admits, "cutting 'Tristan' is not usually done these days in
   bigger houses, but we didn't really think we could perform a 5-hour
   opera here:  we are a regional theater.

Being at "regional theater," Torzs felt the need to explain the opera in
what may be regarded as "regional terms" --

   "For all the philosophical and deep emotional content of the piece,
   and I may not win a lot of friends by saying this, I have always
   thought of 'Tristan' as a little bit of a soap opera.  To me, it's
   a love story:  boy meets girl; boy kills girl's old boyfriend and
   cuts his head off and sends her the head; girl gets angry but loves
   the guy anyway; girl has to marry the king, but boy and girl are in
   love and get caught with their pants down, so to speak; boy dies and
   girl gets transfigured.  To me, with all the embellishments, it's
   (still) a love story.

With Martin Bernheimer attending the Honolulu production, chances are we'll
get a review with a larger-than-regional view.

Janos Gereben