HoustonGrandOpera
510 Preston Street Houston, Texas 77002-1594
Tel. (713) 546-0200 Fax. (713) 228-4355
www.houstongrandopera.org
David Gockley, General Director

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA TO PRESENT HOUSTON PREMIERE OF
WAGNER'S TRISTAN AND ISOLDE
Thursday, January 27 at 6:30 p.m.
With Subsequent Performances January 30 Through February 11
Christoph Eschenbach Returns to Conduct the Houston Symphony
David Hockney Production Features the Houston Grand Opera Debuts of
Stig Andersen, Renate Behle, and Carsten Stabell

HOUSTON, TX - Houston Grand Opera presents its first production of Wagner's timeless love
story, Tristan and Isolde, on Thursday, January 27 in the Wortham Center's Brown Theater.
Additional performances take place on January 30m, February 12, 5, 8, and 11, 2000. Please note
early performance times for Tristan and lsolde, evenings at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at
1:30 p.m. Tristan and lsolde arrives in a stunning and new-to-Houston production by David
Hockney. Hockney's use of bold colors in his vibrant production has been credited with
enlivening the opera that for decades has usually been cast in grim shades of gray.

Tristan and Isolde is directed by Stephen Pickover and marks the debut of three
important singers, Danish heldentenor Stig Andersen as Tristan, Austrian soprano Renate Behle
as Isolde, and Norwegian bass Carsten Stabell as King Marke. Ms. Behle recently made her
acclaimed Los Angeles debut in this production as Isolde. Of her debut the San Francisco
Examiner's Allan Ulrich wrote, "This was a radiant, intelligent, career-making performance, and
Wagnerians everywhere can rejoice that Behle has arrived to continue a noble tradition," and the
Los Angeles Times's Mark Swed commented, "[Renate Behle], attempting her first Isolde, had a
very good night vocally."

Houston Symphony's Conductor Laureate Christoph Eschenbach returns to Houston to
conduct the Houston Symphony and Houston Grand Opera Chorus for all performances.
The cast is completed by a trio of American singers - mezzo-soprano Florence Quivar
who makes her debut as Brangaene, baritone Christopher Robertson as Kurwenal, and baritone
James Love as the Steersman - and a trio of Houston Grand Opera Studio artists - tenor Scott
Scully as the Shepherd, tenor Chad Shelton as the Sailor's Voice, and baritone Chen-Ye Yuan
as Melot.

"Tristan and Isolde is not only a giant peak in the four-hundred-year landscape of opera;
it is one of the supreme artistic landmarks of three thousand years of western civilization. I am
delighted that Houston Grand Opera is mounting its first production of Wagner's monumental
opera. With Christoph Eschenbach conducting, a production by David Hockney and an
international cast, this is a Tristan that will appeal to both hard-core opera fans and new
operagoers," said Houston Grand Opera General Director David Gockley.

The Story
An opera in three acts, Tristan and lsolde premiered in Munich in June of 1865. The
opera is based upon Gottfried von Strassburg's Tristan, which was written in 1210.
On a ship at sea between Cornwall and Ireland, Tristan (Andersen) is taking Isolde
(Behle) against her will to Cornwall to marry his liege lord, King Marke (Stabell). At a meeting
of the two, Isolde has her maid Brangaene (Quivar) prepare a poison for which Brangaene
substitutes a love potion. Isolde and Tristan drink the potion and disclose their love for each
other.
Later Isolde takes advantage of her husband's absence to meet Tristan. The pair declares
their passion, and turn away from the harsh realities of day to their own world at night. In the
morning, the King and his hunting party discover the lovers. Tle vengeful Melot (Yuan) attacks
Tristan, who allows himself to be wounded. Tristan is banished to his castle in Brittany, where
his servant Kurwenal (Robertson) tries to cheer his sick master. A shepherd's pipe announces the
arrival of Isolde by ship. Tristan mortally injures himself in his excitement to see Isolde and dies
in her arms. Another ship arrives bearing King Marke and Melot. Unaware that they have
actually come to pardon Tristan, Isolde sings the "Liebestod" (Love Death) aria and dies at
Tristan's side.

The Artists
Danish heldentenor Stig Andersen (Tristan) is a resident company member of the Royal Danish
Opera in Copenhagen, where he has most recently appeared in Lohengrin, Peter Grimes, Fidelio,
Tannhduser and The Flying Dutchman. In 1995 he made his Royal Opera debut as Albrecht in Hindemith's Mathis der Maier directed by Peter Sellars. Mr. Andersen made his American debut in 1996 under the baton of Zubin Mehta at Lyric Opera of Chicago, as Froh is Das Rheingold and Siegmund in Die Walkare. This year he makes his Metropolitan Opera debut as Siegfried in both Siegfried and Gotterddammerung, and sings in Munich in productions of Fidelio and Tannhauser conducted by Zubin Mehta. In 1999 he performed in a concert version of Siegfried in Barcelona, in Gotterdammerung in a new production in Helsinki, Parsifal in London, and Tristan and lsolde in Mannheim and at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. In addition to his work on the operatic stage, Mr. Andersen sings many concerts, with a repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary composers. His future concert plans include Mahler's Symphony No. 8 conducted by Christoph Eschenbach at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival. He is making his Houston Grand Opera debut.

Austrian soprano Renate Behle (Isolde) was a resident member of the Hannover State Opera until
1997. While there she performed many role debuts in the dramatic soprano repertoire, including Minnie in La Fanciulla del West, Electra in Idomeneo, Leonore in Fidelio, Sieglinde in Die Walkure, Brunnhilde in Siegfried and the title roles in Salome, Tosca and Ariadne aufmaxos. Recent engagements include Salome at La Scala and Athens; Tristan and Isolde in Los Angeles; Macbeth in Cologne; and Fidelio at the Salzburg Festival. Among Ms. Behle's future plans are new productions of Fidelio and her first Brunnhilde in Die Walkilre in Stuttgart; Salome, Fidelio and Tristan and Isolde in Dresden; Turandot in Graz; Salome in Buenos Aires; and Die Walkure in Austin. She is also an accomplished concert singer, performing the Dvorak Requiem, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 14 in Leipzig; Bernd-Alois Zimmermann's Requiem for a Young Poet at Carnegie Hall; and Ariane et Barbe-Bleu at Avery Fisher Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Behle's discography includes Zemlinsky's Der Kreidekreis and Spohr's Jessonda. She is making her Houston Grand Opera debut.

Renowned for her rich mezzo-soprano voice, American Florence Quivar (Brangaene) is a regular
guest of the world's leading opera companies, orchestras and music festivals. Recent career highlights include the Goddess of the Water in the world premiere of Anthony Davis's Amistad at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by James Levine, performances of Mahler's Symphony No. 3 in Boston, London, Paris and Vienna with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Seiji Ozawa, and Berlioz's La Morte de Cleopatre with the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Christoph Eschenbach. Ms. Quivar's roles include Adalgisa in Norma, Erda in Siegfried, Judith in Bluebeard's Castle, Eboli in Don Carlo, Delilah in Samson and Delilah and Azucena in Il Trovatore with such companies as the Royal Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Bavarian State Opera, Seattle Opera, Teatro Comunale in Bologna and the Salzburg Festival.
She is making her Houston Grand Opera debut.

American baritone Christopher Robertson (Kurwenal) has emerged as one of the most important
young baritones on the operatic scene and has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, the Royal Opera, Rome Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Frankfurt Opera. Mr. Robertson made his Houston Grand Opera debut in January 1998 in concurrent productions of Madame Butterfly (Sharpless) and Billy Budd (Mr. Redbum). He has appeared as Albert in Werther and in the title role of Don Giovanni at the Metropolitan Opera, Amonasro in Aida and the title role in Rigoletto in San Francisco, the title role in Guillaume Tell with Washington Concert Opera, Ford in Falstaffat Teatro Comunale in Florence, Gerrnont in La Traviata in Rio de Janeiro, and Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro at the Bavarian State Opera. He also appeared at the Teatro Bellini in Catania as Riccardo in performances of I Puritani, which
were recorded and released on the Nuova Era label.

During the decade since Norwegian bass Carsten Stabell (King Marke) won Vienna's Beivedere
Competition at the age of 25, he has performed with many of the world's most prestigious opera companies including the Royal Opera, Opera Bastille in Paris, Grand Theatre de Geneve, La Scala, Opera Marseille and Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Stuttgart Opera, where he was engaged for six years. His roles include Ramfis and Amonasro in Aida, Timur in Turandot, Sarastro in The Magic Flute, the Commendatore and Leporello in Don Giovanni, Oroveso in Norma, Heinrich in Lohengrin, Landgraf in Tannhauser, Titurel in Parsifal and Daland in The Flying Dutchman. Mr. Stabell is also a frequent concert soloist. He recently performed with the MDR Orchestra in Leipzig in Weber's Der Freischiltz and Dvorak's Stabat Mater. He is making his Houston Grand Opera debut.

Christoph Eschenbach, conductor laureate of the Houston Symphony, is making his eleventh
conducting appearance at Houston Grand Opera. Recently appointed music director of the Orchestre de Paris, Maestro Eschenbach is also the principal conductor for the Hamburg NDR Symphony Orchestra and artistic director of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. Since 1994 he has been music director of the Ravinia Festival, the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Previous Houston Grand Opera conducting engagements include The Marriage of Figaro, Cosifan tutte, Don Giovanni (1991), Lohengrin, Parsifal, Elektra, Der Rosenkavalier, and Salome. In 1998, Maestro Eschenbach conducted Renee Fleming at HGO in her first Arabella; during the same season, the two performed together in a Cullen Theater recital with Eschenbach at the piano. In 1990, he was awarded the Officer's Cross of the German Order of Merit for outstanding achievements as a conductor and pianist and in 1993 he received the Commander's
Cross. A prolific recording artist Maestro Eschenbach's recent recordings with the Houston Symphony include a 1997 all-Christopher Rouse disc for Teldarc, which won a Diapason d'Or award, an all-Richard Strauss disc featuring Renee Fleming for BMG; in 1999 he recorded Quartet for the End of Time by Messiaen with the Houston Chamber Players for Koch International.

The designs of internationally celebrated artist David Hockney were first seen at Houston Grand
Opera in the 1994 production of Turandot. A native of Great Britain who has made Los Angeles his permanent home since 1978, Mr. Hockney began creating for the stage in 1966, designing sets and costumes for London's Royal Court Theater. He has designed productions of operas including,The Rake's Progress, Die Frau ohne Schatten, L 'Enfant et les Sortileges, The Magic Flute, Le Rossignol and Les Mamelles de Tiresias, for companies including Glyndebourne, the Royal Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and San Francisco Opera. He has also designed ballets including Le Sacre du Printemps and Varii Capricci. Mr. Hockney's vast body of work includes paintings, portraits, photography, print design for magazines, books, films, videos and several celebrated series of etchings, as well as works resulting from his fascination with photocopy and fax machines, still video cameras and computer generated images. In 1997 he received the Order of the Companion of Honor Award from Her Majesty, the Queen of England.

Stephen Pickover (Director) has directed numerous operas, musicals and plays both regionally
and abroad. He is a guest stage director at the Metropolitan Opera where he has worked with over 20 productions, many of which have been televised nationally. In addition to his work at the Met Mr. Pickover is resident director of Riverside Opera Ensemble-, a company dedicated to providing performance opportunities for young artists and the development of new works. There he conceived and directed Where or When, a new Rodgers and Hart revue produced Off-Broadway. Mr. Pickover was formerly the general artistic director of the Struthers Library Theatre where he directed new productions of classic musicals. He holds a BS from the University of Michigan and an M.F. A. from Columbia University. Mr. Pickover is making his Houston Grand Opera debut.

Duane Schuler (Lighting Designer) has achieved international acclaim as a theatrical lighting
designer for opem ballet, theater, television and film. Tristan and lsolde is his twenty-second Houston Grand Opera production, with Cold Sassy Tree and Nabucco to follow this spring. His many lighting designs for HGO include Falstaff, Ariadne auf Naxos, Tanhauser, Turandot, Boris Godunov and Mefistofele. As resident lighting designer at Lyric Opera of Chicago for the past 22 seasons, he has created the lighting for a wide-ranging repertoire, including Aida, the Ring Cycle, The Rake's Progress and The Voyage of Edgar Allen Poe. He has designed for the Metropolitan Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Chicago's Goodman Theater, Los Angeles Opera, New York City Opera, Boston Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin. He is also a founding partner in the theater consulting and architectural lighting design firm of Schuler & Rook, Inc.

Tristan and Isolde is a production of Los Angeles Opera.
All performances of Tristan and Isolde are held in the Wortham Center's Brown Theater,
Texas at Smith. Tristan and Isolde will be sung in German with English surtitles projected over
the stage.

Single tickets for Tristan and Isolde, priced from $22 to $182 (inclusive of all city
surcharges), go on sale January 3, 2000. Tickets are available by telephone at (713) 227-ARTS,
out of town at 1 (800) 828-ARTS, in person at the Wortham Ticket Center located in the lobby of
the Wortham Theater Center, or on the website at http:/Iwww.houstongrandopera.org.
Subscription packages are available by calling (713) 546-0246 or on the website at
http://www.houstongrandopera.org.
Student and senior citizen rush tickets are $26 (one ticket per ID) and go on sale at noon
(12:00 p.m.) the day of performance, subject to availability. To check availability, please call
(713) 227-ARTS or I (800) 828-ARTS.
Call Houston Grand Opera at (713) 546-0200, during business hours, for general
information.
Grand Guarantors for Tristan and Isolde are the Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation
and Houston Endowment Inc.
Guarantors are The Brown Foundation, Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Richard A.Lydecker,
NL Industries, Inc., and Lynn Wyatt
Additional funding provided by The Edgar Foster Daniels Foundation

Since its inception in 1955, Houston Grand Opera has swiftly moved from a small regional organization into the fifth- largest opera company in the United States. With David Gockley as its general director, HGO has widened its circles, both in repertoire and in reach. The company has an international reputationf or commissining and producing new works (24 world premieres and six American premieres since 1973) as well as a reputation for reaching out to new audiences. HGO has toured extensively, including trips to Japan, Italy, Egypt and France, and the company is the only one in the United States to win a Tony, two Grammys and two Emmy awards. HGO has an eye on the future of opera too, launching not only the acclaimed Houston Grand Opera Studio (a program designed to train young singers for major careers) but also the Community Connections Initiative (a multi-pronged program aimed at educating and developing new audiences). For its 1999 - 2000 season, the Houston Grand Opera's budget is $19 million.

All performances of Houston Grand Opera's production of Wagner's Tristan and Isaide are held in the Wortham Theater's Brown Theater, Texas at Smith, Houston, TX.
Sung in German with English subtitles

Performance Dates
Thursday, January 27, 2000 at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, January 30, 2000 at 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 2, 2000 at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 5, 2000 at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, February 8, 2000 at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, February 11, 2000 at 6:30 p.m.

Ticket Information:
• Single tickets for Tristan and Isolde priced from $22 to $182 (inclusive of all city surcharges) go on sale September 20.
• Single tickets are available by telephone at (713) 227-ARTS, out-of-town at 1 (800) 828-ARTS, in person at the Wortham Ticket Center located in the lobby of the Wortham Theater Center, or on the website at http://www.houstongrandoperaorg.
• Call (713) 546-0200 during regular business hours for general information.
• Subscription packages are still available by calling (713) 546-0246 or on the website at
http://www.houstongrandopera.org.
• Student and senior rush tickets are $26 (one per ID) and go on sale at Noon (12:00 p.m.) the day of performance, subject to availability. Call (713) 227-ARTS or I (800) 828-ARTS the day of
performance to check on availability.
• Disabled access: (713) 546-0246 or 1-800-346-4462; TDD: (713) 546-0246 or 1 (800) 346-4462;
Descriptive Services: (713) 546-0231.
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