Augustine of Hippo and Tristan und Isolde: Difference between pages

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'''''Tristan und Isolde''''' is an [[opera]] in three acts by [[Richard Wagner]]. It was composed between [[1857]] and [[1859]], and received its first production in [[Munich]] on [[June 10]], [[1865]].

[[image:Augustine_of_Hippo.jpg|right|thumb|St. Augustine of Hippo as pictured during the [[Renaissance]]]]

== Sources ==

'''Aurelius Augustinus''', '''Augustine of Hippo''' ('The knowledgeable one') ([[November 13]], [[354]] – [[August 28]], [[430]]) is a [[saint]] and the pre-eminent [[Doctor of the Church]] according to [[Roman Catholicism]], and is considered by [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] [[Protestantism|Protestants]] to be (together with the [[Apostle Paul]]) the theological fountainhead of the [[Reformation]] teaching on [[salvation]] and [[divine grace|grace]]. He was the eldest son of [[Monica of Hippo|Saint Monica]]. Works of Saint Augustine, an [[African]] by birth, a [[Roman]] by education, a [[Milan]]ese by baptism, still inspire many Christians all over the world who follow the path of faith.

In the principal parts of this opera Wagner followed the romance of [[Gottfried von Strassburg]], which in turn is based on the story of [[Tristan]] and [[Isolde]] from [[King Arthur|Arthur]]ian legend.

==Life==

== Critical reception ==

Saint Augustine was born in [[354]] in [[Tagaste]], a provincial Roman city in [[North Africa]]. He was raised and educated in [[Carthage]]. His mother Monica (Saint Monica) was a devout [[Christianity|Christian]] and his father [[Patricius]] a [[Paganism|pagan]]. As a youth Augustine followed the unpopular [[Manichaeism|Manichaean]] religion, much to the horror of his mother. In Carthage, he developed a relationship with a young woman who would be his [[concubine]] for over a decade and produce a son. His education and early career was in [[philosophy]] and [[rhetoric]], the art of persuasion and public speaking. He taught in Tagaste and Carthage, but soon aspired to compete with the best, in Rome. However, Augustine grew disappointed with the Roman schools, which he found apathetic. [[Manichean]] friends introduced him to the prefect of the City of Rome, [[Symmachus]], who had been asked to provide a professor of rhetoric for the imperial court at [[Milan]].

Many Wagnerian critics of the time claimed that the musical portion of the opera attained the highest summit of all music; on the other hand, an equally influential group of critics, centered around [[Eduard Hanslick]], condemned the work as being incomprehensible.

The young provincial won the job and headed north to take up his position in late [[384]]. At age thirty, Augustine had won the most visible academic chair in the Latin world, at a time when such posts gave ready access to political careers. However, he felt the tensions of life at an imperial court, lamenting one day as he rode in his carriage to deliver a grand speech before the emperor, that a drunken beggar he passed on the street had a less careworn existence than he.

== Significance in the development of classical music ==

Although Monica pressed the claims of Christianity, it is the bishop of Milan, [[Ambrose]], who had most influence over Augustine. Ambrose was a master of rhetoric like Augustine himself, but older and more experienced. Prompted by Ambrose's [[sermon]]s, Augustine moved away from Manichaeism, but instead of becoming Catholic like Ambrose, he converted to pagan [[Neoplatonism]]. Augustine's mother followed him to Milan and he allowed her to arrange a society marriage, for which he abandoned his concubine (however he had to wait two years until his fiancée came of age - and promptly took up in the meantime with another woman).

The very first chord in the piece is the so-called ''[[Tristan chord]]'', often taken to be of great significance in the move away from traditional [[tonality|tonal]] [[harmony]]:

In the summer of [[386]], in a garden, Augustine underwent a profound personal crisis and decided to convert to Christianity, abandon his career in rhetoric, quit his teaching position in Milan, give up any ideas of marriage (much to the horror of his mother), and devote himself full time to religion, [[celibacy]] and the [[priesthood]]. Ambrose baptized Augustine on [[Easter]] day in [[387]], and soon thereafter in [[388]] he returned to Africa. On his way back to Africa his mother died, as did his son soon after, leaving him relatively alone.

[[Image:Wagner Tristan opening.png]]

Upon his return to north Africa he created a [[monastic]] foundation at Tagaste for himself and a group of friends. In [[391]] he was [[ordination|ordained]] a [[priest]] in [[Hippo Regius]], (now [[Annaba]], in [[Algeria]]). He became a famous [[preacher]] (more than 350 preserved sermons are believed to be authentic), and was noted for combating the Manichaean heresy.

'''Sound samples'''

In [[396]] he was made [[coadjutor bishop]] of Hippo (assistant with the right of succession on the death of the current bishop), and remained as [[bishop]] in Hippo until his death in [[430]]. He left his monastery, but continued to lead a monastic life in the episcopal residence. He left a Rule ([[Latin]], ''Regula'') for his monastery that has led him to be designated the "[[patron saint]] of [[Regular Clergy]]," that is, [[parish clergy]] who live by a [[monastic rule]].

* [[Image:Audiobutton.png]] [[Media:Wagner Tristan opening.midi|Sound sample of these bars]] ([[MIDI]] file)

* [[Image:Audiobutton.png]] [[Media:Tristan und Isolde beginning clip.ogg|Recording of these bars]] ([[Ogg Vorbis]] file)

== Characters ==

Augustine died on [[August 28]], [[430]], during the siege of Hippo by the [[Vandals]]. He is said to have encouraged its citizens to resist the attacks, primarily on the grounds that the Vandals adhered to [[Arianism|Arianism]], which was heretical according to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, of which Augustine was a bishop.

*Tristan ([[Tenor]])

==Writings==

*Isolde ([[Soprano]])

*King Marke ([[Bass (musical term)|Bass]])

*Kurwenal ([[Baritone]])

*Brangaene ([[Mezzo-soprano]])

*Melot (Tenor)

*A shepherd (Tenor)

*Helmsman (Bass)

*Voice of a young sailor (Tenor)

*Male and Female Chorus

== Story ==

At the end of his life (ca. [[426]]-[[428]]) Augustine revisited his previous works in chronological order and suggested what he would have said differently in a work titled the ''[[Retractions (book)|Retractions]]'', giving the reader a rare picture of the development of a writer and his final thoughts.

{{spoiler}}

== Augustine and the Jews ==

===Act I===

Augustine wrote in Book 18, Chapter 46 of ''[[The City of God]]'' [http://www.ccel.org/fathers/NPNF1-02/Augustine/cog/t103.htm] (one of his most celebrated works along with ''[[Confessions (St. Augustine)|The Confessions]]''): "The Jews who slew [[Jesus|Him]], and would not believe in Him, because it behooved Him to die and rise again, were yet more miserably wasted by the Romans, and utterly rooted out from their kingdom, where aliens had already ruled over them, and were dispersed through the lands (so that indeed there is no place where they are not), and are thus by their own Scriptures a testimony to us that we have not forged the prophecies about Christ."

Isolde and her handmaid, Brangaene are quartered aboard Tristan’s ship, being transported to King Marke’s lands in Cornwall where Isolde is to be married to the King. The opera opens with the voice of a young sailor singing of a “wild Irish maid”, which Isolde takes to be a mocking reference to herself. In a furious outburst she wishes the seas to rise up and sink the ship, killing all on board. Her scorn and rage are directed particularly at Tristan, the knight who is taking her to Marke. She sends Brangaene to command Tristan to appear before her, but Tristan refuses Brangaene's request, saying that his place is at the helm. His henchman, Kurwenal, answers more brusqely, saying that Isolde is in no position to command Tristan, and reminding Brangaene that Isolde’s previous husband, Morold was killed by Tristan.

Augustine deemed this scattering important because he believed that it was a fulfillment of certain prophecies, thus proving that Jesus was the [[Messiah]]. This is because Augustine believed that the Jews who were dispersed were the enemies of the Christian Church. He also quotes part of the same prophecy that says "Slay them not, lest they should at last forget Thy law". Some people have used Augustine's words to attack Jews as anti-Christian, while others have used them to attack Christians as anti-Jewish. See [[Christianity and anti-Semitism]].

Brangaene returns to Isolde to relate these events, and Isolde sadly tells her of how, following the death of Morold, a stranger called Tantris had been brought to her, found mortally wounded in a boat, and that she had used her healing powers to restore him to health. However she discovered that Tantris was actually Tristan, the murderer of her husband, and had tried to kill him with his sword as he lay helpless before her. However Tristan had looked not at the sword that would kill him, but into her eyes, and this had pierced her heart. Tristan had been allowed to leave, but had returned with the intention of marrying Isolde to his uncle, King Marke. Isolde, in her fury at Tristan’s betrayal, insists that he drink atonement to her, and from her medicine-chest produces the vial which will make this drink. Brangaene is shocked to see that it is a lethal poison.

To appreciate the significance of Augustine's utterances one must relate them to the [[apologetic]] or [[polemic]] against Judaism of earlier [[Church Fathers|Fathers]], especially the Latin writers [[Tertullian]] (''Adversus Iudaeos''), [[Cyprian]] (''Testimonia ad Quirinum''), [[Pseudo-Cyprian]] (''De Montibus Sina et Sion'' and other writings), [[Novatian]], [[Commodian]], [[Lactantius]], [[Zeno of Verona]], [[Ambrosiaster]], [[Ambrose]], [[Jerome]], [[Prudentius]], as well as to [[Origen]]'s interpretation of the [[Old Testament]] which sees it as a book whose spiritual meaning the Jews cannot understand.

At this point Kurwenal appears in the women’s quarters saying that Tristan has agreed after all to see Isolde. When he arrives, Isolde tells him that she now knows that he was Tantris, and that he owes her his life. Tristan agrees to drink the potion, now prepared by Brangaene, even though he knows it may kill him. As he drinks, Isolde tears the remainder of the potion from him and drinks it herself. At this moment, each believing that their life is about to end, they declare their love for each other. Their rapture is interrupted by Kurwenal, who announces the imminent arrival on board of King Marke. Isolde asks Brangaene which potion she prepared and is told that it was no poison, but a love-potion. Outside, the sailors hail the arrival of King Marke.

An important work on this subject is [[Bernhard Blumenkranz]], ''Die Judenpredigt Augustins'', Paris [[1973]] (originally [[1946]]).

===Act II===

==Influence as a theologian and thinker==

[[Image:Tiffany Window of St Augustine - Lightner Museum.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Detail of St. Augustine in a [[stained glass window]] by [[Louis Comfort Tiffany]] in the [[Lightner Museum]], [[St. Augustine, Florida]].]]

A nocturnal hunting party leaves King Marke’s castle empty except for Isolde and Brangaene, who stand beside a burning brazier. Isolde several times believes that the hunting horns are far enough away to allow her to extinguish the flames, giving the signal for Tristan to join her. Brangaene warns Isolde that one of King Marke’s knights, Melot, has seen the looks exchanged between Tristan and Isolde, and suspects their passion. Isolde, however, believes Melot to be Tristan’s most loyal friend, and in a frenzy of desire extinguishes the flames. Brangaene retires to the ramparts to keep watch as Tristan arrives.

Augustine remains a central figure, both within Christianity and in the history of Western thought. As he himself was much influenced by [[Platonism]] and [[Neoplatonism]], particularly by [[Plotinus]], Augustine was important to the "baptism" of Greek thought and its entrance into the Christian, and subsequently the [[European]] intellectual tradition. Also important was his early and influential writing on the [[Will (philosophy)|human will]], a central topic in [[ethics]], and one which became a focus for later philosophers such as [[Arthur Schopenhauer|Schopenhauer]] and [[Friedrich Nietzsche|Nietzsche]]. It is largely due to Augustine's arguments against the [[Pelagians]], who did not believe in [[original sin]], that [[Western Christianity]] has maintained the doctrine of original sin. Catholic theologians generally subscribe to Augustine's belief that God exists [[eternity|outside of time]] in the "eternal present"; time existing only within the created universe.

The lovers, alone at last and freed from the constraints of courtly life, declare their passion for each other. Tristan decries the realm of daylight which is false, unreal, and keeps them apart. It is only in night that they can truly be together, and only in the long night of death that they can be eternally united. Brangaene is heard several times throughout their long tryst calling a warning that the night is ending, but the lovers ignore her. Finally the day breaks in on the lovers, Melot leads Marke and his men to find Tristan and Isolde in each others arms. Marke is heart-broken, not only because of his betrayal by his adopted son, Tristan, but because he, too, has come to love Isolde.

Augustine's writings helped formulate the theory of [[The Just War Theory|the just war]]. He also advocated the use of force against the [[Donatism|Donatists]], asking "Why ... should not the Church use force in compelling her lost sons to return, if the lost sons compelled others to their destruction?" (''The Correction of the Donatists'', 22–24)

Tristan now asks Isolde if she will follow him again into the realm of night, and she agrees. Melot and Tristan fight, but at the crucial moment, Tristan throws his sword aside and is mortally wounded by Melot.

Augustine's work ''[[The City of God]]'' heavily influenced works of [[Wincenty Kadlubek]] and [[Stanislaw of Skarbimierz]] on the relation between ruler and his subjects that led to the creation of [[Nobles' Democracy]] and "De optimo senatore" by [[Wawrzyniec Grzymala Goslicki]].

===Act III===

St. [[Thomas Aquinas]] took much from Augustine's theology while creating his own unique synthesis of Greek and Christian thought. Two later theologians who claimed special influence from Augustine were [[John Calvin]] and [[Cornelius Jansen]]. [[Calvinism]] developed as a part of [[Reformation]] theology, while [[Jansenism]] was a movement inside the [[Catholicism|Catholic Church]]; some Jansenists went into [[schism]] and formed their own church.

Kurwenal has brought Tristan home to his castle at Kareol in Brittany. A shepherd pipes a mournful tune and asks if Tristan is awake. Kurwenal says that only Isolde’s arrival can save Tristan. The shepherd says he will keep watch and pipe a happy tune to mark the arrival of any ship. Tristan now wakes and mourns that he is again in the false realm of daylight, once more driven by unceasing unquenchable yearning, until Kurwenal tells him that Isolde is coming. Tristan is overjoyed and asks if her ship is in sight, but only the shepherd’s sorrowful tune is heard.

Augustine was [[canonization|canonized]] by popular recognition and recognized as a [[Doctor of the Church]] in [[1303]] by [[Pope Boniface VIII]]. His [[feast day]] is [[August 28]], the day on which he is thought to have died. He is considered the [[patron saint]] of brewers, printers, theologians, sore eyes, and a number of cities and dioceses.

Tristan relapses and recalls that the shepherd’s tune is the one he heard when his father and then his mother died. Once again he rails against his desires and against the fateful love-potion until he collapses in delirium. At this point the shepherd is heard piping the arrival of Isolde’s ship, and as Kurwenal rushes to meet her, Tristan in his excitement tears the bandages from his wounds. As Isolde arrives at his side, Tristan dies with her name on his lips.

[[Eastern Orthodox]] theologians consider that Augustine's theology of original sin is a key source of division between East and West.

Isolde collapses beside him as the appearance of another ship is announced. Kurwenal sees Melot, Marke and Brangaene arrive and furiously attacks Melot to avenge Tristan. In the fight both Melot and Kurwenal are killed. Marke and Brangaene finally reach Isolde and Marke, grieving over the body of his “truest friend” explains that he has learnt of the love-potion from Brangaene and had come, not to part the lovers, but to unite them. Isolde appears to wake but, in a final aria describing her vision of Tristan risen again (the “Liebestod”), dies of grief.

A passage from Augustine's ''de Doctrina Christiana'' has been seen [http://gnuhh.org/work/fsf-europe/augustinus.html] as a fore-runner of the [[free software movement]], as it expressed the philosophy that knowledge, unlike physical possessions, must be freely shared: "For if a thing is not diminished by being shared with others, it is not rightly owned if it is only owned and not shared."

== Influence of Schopenhauer on ''Tristan und Isolde'' ==

Under the similar heading of miscellaneous is the argument by [[Frances Yates]] in her [[1966]] study, ''The Art Of Memory'', that a brief passage of the ''Confessions'', X.8.12, in which Augustine writes of walking up a flight of stairs and entering the vast fields of memory [http://www.stoa.org/hippo/text10.html#TB10C8S12 (see text and commentary)] clearly indicates that the ancient Romans were aware of how to use explicit spatial and architectural metaphors as a mnemonic technique for organizing large amounts of information. A few French philosophers have argued that this technique can be seen as the conceptual ancestor of the [[user interface]] [[paradigm]] of [[virtual reality]].

Wagner was introduced to the work of the philosopher [[Arthur Schopenhauer]] by his friend [[Georg Herwegh]] in late 1854. The composer was immediately struck by the philosophical ideas to be found in “Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung” ([[The World as Will and Idea]]), and it is clear that the composer and the philosopher had a very similar world-view. By the end of that year, he had sketched out all three acts of an opera on the theme of Tristan and Isolde, although it was not until 1857 that he began working full-time on the opera, putting aside the composition of [[Der Ring des Nibelungen]] to do so.

==Books==

Wagner said in a letter to [[Liszt]] (December 1854): “Never in my life having enjoyed the true happiness of love I shall erect a memorial to this loveliest of all dreams in which, from the first to the last, love shall, for once, find utter repletion. I have devised in my mind a ''Tristan und Isolde'', the simplest, yet most full-blooded musical conception imaginable, and with the ‘black flag’ that waves at the end I shall cover myself over – to die.”

*''On Christian Doctrine,'' [[397]]-[[426]]

By 1857 Wagner was living as the guest of the wealthy silk merchant [[Otto von Wesendonck]], and during the composition of ''Tristan und Isolde'' was involved with Wesendonck’s wife, Mathilde, although it remains uncertain as to whether or not this relationship was platonic.

*''[[Confessions (St. Augustine)|Confessions]],'' 397-[[398]]

*''[[The City of God]],'' begun ca. [[413]], finished 426

*''On the Trinity,'' [[400]]-[[416]]

*''[[Enchiridion of Augustine|Enchiridion]]''

Nevertheless, the twin influences of Schopenhauer and Mathilde inspired Wagner during the composition of ''Tristan und Isolde''. Schopenhauer’s influence is felt most directly in the second and third acts. The first act is relatively straightforward, consisting mostly of an exposition of how Tristan and Isolde come to be in their current state. However the second act, where the lovers meet, and the third act, in which Tristan longs for release from the passions that torment him, have often proved puzzling to opera-goers unfamiliar with Schopenhauer’s work.

==Letters==

Wagner uses the metaphor of day and night in the second act to designate the realms inhabited by Tristan and Isolde. The world of Day is one where the lovers must deny their love and pretend they do not care for each other, where they are bound by the dictates of King Marke’s court: it is a realm of falsehood and unreality. Tristan declares in Act 2 that under the dictates of the realm of Day he was forced to remove Isolde from Ireland and to marry her to his Uncle Marke. The realm of Night, in contrast, is the representation of intrinsic reality, where the lovers can be together, where their desires reach fulfillment: it is the realm of oneness, truth and reality. Wagner here equates the realm of Day with Schopenhauer’s concept of [[Phenomenon]], and the realm of Night with Schopenhauer’s concept of [[Noumenon]]. This is not explicitly stated in the libretto, however Tristan’s comments on Day and Night in Act 2 and 3 make it very clear that this is Wagner’s intention.

*On the Catechising of the Uninstructed

*On Faith and the Creed

*Concerning Faith of Things Not Seen

*On the Profit of Believing

*On the Creed: A Sermon to Catechumens

*On Continence

*On the Good of Marriage

*On Holy Virginity

*On the Good of Widowhood

*On Lying

*To Consentius: Against Lying

*On the Work of Monks

*On Patience

*On Care to be Had For the Dead

*On the Morals of the Catholic Church

*On the Morals of the Manichaeans

*On Two Souls, Against the Manichaeans

*Acts or Disputation Against Fortunatus the Manichaean

*Against the Epistle of Manichaeus Called Fundamental

*Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

*Concerning the Nature of Good, Against the Manichaeans

*On Baptism, Against the Donatists

*Answer to Letters of Petilian, Bishop of Cirta

*The Correction of the Donatists

*Merits and Remission of Sin, and Infant Baptism

*On the Spirit and the Letter

*On Nature and Grace

*On Man's Perfection in Righteousness

*On the Proceedings of Pelagius

*On the Grace of Christ, and on Original Sin

*On Marriage and Concupiscence

*On the Soul and its Origin

*Against Two Letters of the Pelagians

*On Grace and Free Will

*On Rebuke and Grace

*The Predestination of the Saints/Gift of Perseverance

*Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount

*The Harmony of the Gospels

*Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament

*Tractates on the Gospel of John

*Homilies on the First Epistle of John

*Soliloquies

*The Enarrations, or Expositions, on the Psalms

*On the Immortality of the Soul

In Schopenhauer’s philosophy, the world as we experience it is a representation of an unknowable reality. Our representation of the world (which is false) is [[Phenomenon]], while the unknowable reality is [[Noumenon]]: these concepts are developments of ideas originally posited by [[Kant]]. Importantly for Tristan and Isolde, Schopenhauer’s concept of Noumenon is one where all things are indivisible and one: and it is this very idea of one-ness that Tristan yearns for in Acts 2 and 3 of Tristan und Isolde. Tristan is also aware that this realm of Night, or Noumenon can only be shared by the lovers in its fullest sense when they die. The realm of Night therefore also becomes the realm of death: the only world in which Tristan and Isolde can be united forever, and it is this realm that Tristan speaks of at the end of Act two (“Dem Land das Tristan meint, der Sonne Lich nicht Scheint”).

==Related topics==

* [[Augustinians]]

* [[Predestination]]

* [[Free will]]

* [[In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas]]

* [[Constantinian shift]]

* [[Floria Aemilia]]

Tristan rages against the daylight in Act 3 and frequently cries out for release from his desires (Sehnen): it is also part of Schopenhauer’s philosophy that man is driven by continued, unachievable desires, and that the gulf between our desires and the possibility of achieving them leads to misery. The only way for man to achieve inner peace is to renounce his desires: a theme that Wagner explores fully in his last opera, [[Parsifal]].

==Bibliography==

*[[Peter Brown (historian) | Peter Brown]], ''Augustine of Hippo'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1967) ISBN 0-520-00186-9

*James J. O'Donnell, ''Augustine: A New Biography'' (New York: HarperCollins, 2005) ISBN 0-06-053537-7

*John von Heyking, ''Augustine and Politics as Longing in the World'' (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2001) ISBN 0826213499

*[[Adolphe Tanquerey]], ''The Spiritual Life: A Treatise on [[Ascetical theology|Ascetical]] and Mystical Theology'', 1930, reprint edition 2000, ISBN 0895556596, p. 37.

== Recordings of Tristan und Isolde ==

==External links==

{{wikiquote}}

*General:

**At UPENN: [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/augustine/ Texts, translations, introductions, commentaries...]

*Texts by Augustine:

** {{gutenberg author|id=Augustine_of_Hippo|name=Augustine of Hippo}}

** In Latin, at "The Latin Library": [http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/august.html books and letters by Augustine]

**At "Christian Classics Ethereal Library" [http://www.ccel.org/a/augustine/ Translations of several works by Augustine, incl. introductions]

**At "New Advent": [http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/ Several works by Augustine in English, incl. introduction]

** [http://www.onelittleangel.com/wisdom/quotes/saint_augustine.asp Augustine of Hippo] Pictures, selected quotes

**[http://www.philosophyarchive.com/text.php?era=400-499&author=Augustine&text=Confessions%20and%20Enchiridion%20Introduction The Enchiridion] by Augustine

**[http://www.augustinus.it] Full latin and italin text resource

Tristan und Isolde has always been acknowledged as one of the greatest operas, and has a long recorded history. In the years before the [[Second World War]], [[Kirsten Flagstad]] and [[Lauritz Melchior]] were considered to be the prime interpreters of the lead roles, and mono recordings exist of a number of live performances with this pair directed by conductors such as [[Thomas Beecham]], [[Fritz Reiner]], [[Artur Bodanzky]] and [[Erich Leinsdorf]] . Flagstad recorded the part for EMI near the end of her career under [[Wilhelm Furtwangler]], producing a set which is considered a classic recording. Following the war the performances at [[Bayreuth Festival|Bayreuth]] with [[Martha Modl]] and [[Ramon Vinay]] under [[Herbert von Karajan]] (1952) were highly regarded, and these performances are now available as a live recording. In the 1960s the soprano [[Birgit Nilsson]] was considered the major Isolde interpreter, and she was often partnered by the Tristan of [[Wolfgang Windgassen]]. Their performances at Bayreuth in 1966 were captured by Deutsche Grammophon, although some collectors prefer the pairing of Nilsson with the Canadian tenor [[Jon Vickers]], available in “unofficial” recordings from performances in Vienna or Orange. Karajan did not record the opera commercially until 1971, and his set is still controversial for the use of a lighter soprano voice as Isolde, paired with an extremely intense Vickers, and for the unusual balance between orchestra and singers favoured at that time by Karajan. By the 1980s recorded sets by conductors such as [[Carlos Kleiber]], [[Reginald Goodall]] and [[Leonard Bernstein]] were mostly considered to be important for the interpretation of the conductor, rather than that of the lead performers. The set by Kleiber is notable since Isolde is sung by [[Margaret Price]], who never sang the role on stage.

*Texts on Augustine:

**[http://www.mrrena.com/august.shtml St. Augustine: Between Two Worlds]

**[http://personal2.stthomas.edu/gwschlabach/docs/jhy-aug.htm Augustine and 'other catholics']

**[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/augustine/ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry]

There are many recordings of the opera, some of the most popular being listed below:

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* [[Karl Elmendorff]] conducting the Bayreuther Festspiele Orchester with Gunnar Graarud as Tristan and Nanny Larsen-Todsen as Isolde, 1928 (Columbia Records, mono, rereleased in 2003 on CD by Naxos)

{{Link FA|pl}}

* Thomas Beecham/Fritz Reiner conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Kirsten Flagstad and Lauritz Melchior, 1936 – 1937 (EMI, mono)

* Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra with Kirsten Flagstad and Ludwig Suthaus, 1953 (EMI, mono)

* Karl Bohm conducting the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Birgit Nilsson and Wolfgang Windgassen, 1966 (Deutsche Grammophon, stereo)

* Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra with Helga Dernesch and Jon Vickers, 1972 (EMI, stereo)

* Carlos Kleiber conducting the Dresden Staatskapelle with Margaret Price and Rene Kollo, 1982 (Deutsche Grammophon, stereo)

=== Video ===

* ''Tristan und Isolde'' [[Conductor]]: Karl Bohm. ORTF orchestra. Soloists: Brigitte Nilsson, Jon Vickers; 1973, at the Theatre Antique, Orange, France. Despite some technical problems and limited commercial distribution, it is still the finest video recording for its powerful performance (as of 2005-11-21).

* ''Tristan und Isolde'' [[Conductor]]: [[Daniel Barenboim]], Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele, Staged and Directed by: [[Jean-Pierre Ponnelle]], Soloists: René Kollo, Johanna Meier, Matti Salminen, Hermann Becht, Hanna Schwarz, Unitel 1983, [[Laserdisc]] Philips 070-509-1

==External links==

*[http://www.tip.net.au/~jgbrown/Tristan/discography/ Discography of ''Tristan und Isolde]

*[http://www.scarp.plus.com/TristanundIsolde.html ''Tristan und Isolde'' libretto] from the Wagner Libretto Page

* [http://www.richard-wagner-postkarten.de/postkarten/tri.php Richard Wagner - Tristan und Isolde]. A gallery of historic postcards with motives from Richard Wagner's operas.

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[[de:Augustinus von Hippo]]

[[etCategory:AugustinusOperas]]

[[esda:AgustínTristan deog HiponaIsolde]]

[[de:Tristan und Isolde]]

[[eo:Aŭgusteno]]

[[fres:AugustinTristán d'Hipponee Isolda]]

[[glfr:AgostiñoTristan deet HiponaIsolde]]

[[ja:トリスタンとイゾルデ (楽劇)]]

[[ko:아우렐리우스 아우구스티누스]]

[[pl:Tristan i Izolda (opera)]]

[[hr:Aurelije Augustin]]

[[it:Sant'Agostino d'Ippona]]

[[he:אוגוסטינוס]]

[[la:Augustinus]]

[[lt:Augustinas]]

[[hu:Szent Ágoston]]

[[nl:Aurelius Augustinus]]

[[ja:アウグスティヌス]]

[[no:Augustin av Hippo]]

[[pl:Augustyn z Hippony]]

[[pt:Agostinho de Hipona]]

[[ro:Sfântul Augustin]]

[[ru:Августин Блаженный]]

[[sk:Augustín]]

[[sl:Avguštin]]

[[fi:Augustinus]]

[[sv:Augustinus]]

[[tr:Aziz Augustinus]]

[[zh:奥古斯丁 (希波)]]