Letter from Clara Schumann to Johannes Brahms, 23 October 1875; via Schumann-Brief-Datenbank / Neue Robert-Schumann-Gesamtausgabe (in German) As a commoner, the path to royalty was a dream to Isolde. She loved Viego until her dying breath, but he refused to leave her side even in death. Within the Waters of Life, Isolde revived in a fit of agony and confusion, and stabbed Viego with his own sword. An arrangement of "Prelude und Liebestod" for string quartet and accordion, written for the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam (2021) by Max Knigge [55]

The Prelude and Liebestod is a concert version of the overture and Isolde's Act III aria, "Mild und leise". The arrangement was by Wagner himself, and it was first performed in 1862, several years before the premiere of the complete opera in 1865. The Liebestod can be performed either in a purely orchestral version, or with a soprano singing Isolde's vision of Tristan resurrected. Strauss was a day shy of his first birthday when his father, Franz, played the horn at the premiere of Tristan und Isolde, at the Munich Court Theatre on June 10, 1865. The staging of the opera, six years after its completion, was enabled by King Ludwig II, who had intervened decisively in Wagner’s life the previous year, offering him apparently endless funds (welcome) allied to advice and well-meaning interventions (less welcome). Wagner’s attempt to get the work performed at his own instigation proved fruitless: it famously went through 77 rehearsals at the Hofoper in Vienna in 1863 before the orchestra declared it unplayable. The premiere of the work itself, delayed by a month much to the delight of the hostile elements in Munich, might be counted a modest success. The title-roles were taken by the husband-and-wife team of Ludwig and Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld, the former an artist who Wagner admired perhaps above any other singer he worked with.Kaczmarczyk, Jeffrey (2015-01-31). "Many lovely moments in Grand Rapids Symphony's evening of music by Wagner". mlive . Retrieved 2023-03-06.

Twain, Mark (6 December 1891). "Mark Twain at Bayreuth". Chicago Daily Tribune. See "At the Shrine of St. Wagner". twainquotes.com . Retrieved 18 November 2010. Isolde was a poor seamstress born in a rural colony within Camavor. In her childhood, she crafted Gwen, a doll that embodied her fantasies of adventure and royalty. One day, the recently appointed king of Camavor, Viego, fell in love at first sight, and asked for her hand in marriage. Viego loved his new wife, so much that he refused to go anywhere without her and focused more on her than ruling his kingdom. This bred contempt from his allies, knowing that Camavor would crumble due to Viego's neglectful rulership.Goulding, Phil G. (16 March 2011). Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1,000 Greatest Works. Random House Publishing Group. p.148. ISBN 978-0-307-76046-3. Wagner, Richard (1981). Tristan and Isolde (English National Opera Guide). London: J. Calder. ISBN 978-0-7145-3849-5. (Includes libretto, English translation by Andrew Porter, introduction by John Luke Rose, and commentaries.) For some years thereafter, the only performers of the roles were another husband–wife team, Heinrich Vogl and Therese Vogl. [14] Performance history [ edit ] Drawing for a libretto (undated) Wagner, Richard (1911). My Life ((2 volumes; authorized English translation)). New York: Dodd, Mead. ( Volume 1 and 2 at Google Books) Hubbard, Tom (1998). Isolde's Luve-Daith: Poems in Scots and English (Pamphlet Poets Series No.8ed.). Kirkcaldy: Akros. pp.3–7. ISBN 0-86142-095-0.