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WAGNER, Richard – Prelude to the opera ‘Tristan and Isolde’ – FIVE SOLO CELLOS or Cello Orchestra

Other Identification:
Richard Wagner’s Prelude to Tristan und Isolde (mainly composed during 1857–1859, and premiered in 1865) is a revolutionary orchestral work depicting longing, desire, and unfulfilled love. Famous for opening with the unresolved “Tristan chord”, it builds a long, tension-filled arch of sound representing the lovers’ inner torment. The piece is in a continuous, slow, and passionate crescendo (marked “langsam und schmachtend”), and is often described as a long arch, that builds to a massive climax before dying down. It represents, according to Wagner, “anxious sighs, hopes and fears, laments and desires”.

Movements or sections:
The Prelude is considered a landmark in music history for its intense chromaticism and suspension of traditional harmonic resolution, which pushed music towards modernism. In concert performances, the Prelude is frequently combined with the final scene of the opera, the “Liebestod” (“Love-Death”), which concludes with the resolution of the musical tension as the lovers find unity in death.

Instrumentation:
QUINTET OF FIVE CELLOS
Possible with an orchestra of cellos

This music is in 4 PDFs:
[1 – General Score
[2 – Cello 1
[3 – Cellos 2 to 3
[4 – Cellos 4 to 5

Approximate difficulty:
The version for cello ensemble by David Johnstone is certainly difficult, but yet is perfectly playable by competent cellists. It is recommended to hear a recording with this cello score to hand; almost everything is included in the cello writing!

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David Johnstone lives near Pamplona (Navarre, Spain) with his wife Rosa and their two “Spanglish” children, close to the Atlantic Pyrenees. The nearest international airport is Bilbao.

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