With Tristan und Isolde La Scala broadens its horizons and opens a new season in its history. In this new Scala production the conductor Daniel Barenboim and the director Patrice Chéreau fulfil a Wagnerian dream that they had been cherishing since 1980 and had postponed for a quarter of a century.

Daniel Barenboim, one of today’s most admired and sought-after conductors, truly begins his work in Milan with Tristan, thereby further bringing La Scala to the international scene.

In preparation for the show the first “Prima delle Prime” talk took place on Wednesday 28 November: at 6 pm Wagner’s opera was discussed by the musicologist Franco Serpa in the “Arturo Toscanini” foyer. This cycle of conferences is supported and organised by the “Amici della Scala” association in coordination with the Theatre. Furthermore, on 26 December at 9.45 pm, Mediolanum Channel will broadcast a “Tristan” special, the first of the programmes that the TV channel makes every year on a few chosen works staged at La Scala.

The performance was broadcast live on Classica at 5 pm for the Italian audience and on Arte at 7 pm for the European audience.

On the big screen Wagner’s opera was also shown at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi, Teatro Dal Verme and Istituto dei Tumori in Milan, Teatro Grande in Brescia, Teatro Ponchielli in Cremona, Teatro Fraschini in Pavia and Auditorium Torelli in Sondrio. In addition more than thirty cinemas belonging to the Microcinema and Digima network screened the performance.