Tristan und Isolde - in pictures

Husband and wife Ludwig and Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld created the original roles in the 1865 Munich premiere of Wagner’s opera. After Ludwig’s sudden death only six weeks later Malvina never sang again. Photograph: Alamy

Nina Stemme as Isolde and Stephen Gould as Tristan the Royal Opera House’s current revival of Christof Loy’s 2009 staging. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/Tristram Kenton

Gwyneth Jones (left), as Isolde, with Simon Estes (right) as Tristan in a 1980 staging in San Francisco. Photograph: Ira Nowinski/Ira Nowinski/CORBIS

Irene Theorin as Isolde and Robert Dean Smith as Tristan in Bayreuth’s 2012 staging by Christoph Mathaler. Photograph: Enrico Nawrath/Enrico Nawrath/dpa/Corbis

Another German production, this time from the National German Theatre in Weimar, with Franco Farina and Marion Amman in the title roles, January 2011. Photograph: Martin Schutt/Martin Schutt/dpa/Corbis

Andrew Fielding’s modern staging for Grange Park opera in 2011 was hailed by the Guardian’s George Hall in a five-star review: “No Tristan will ever be perfect, but this bold venture builds into something wholly exceptional.” Here, Alwyn Mellor as Isolde. Photograph: Alastair Muir/REX/Alastair Muir/REX

A scene from the final act in an undated photograph of an early production of Wagner’s opera. Photograph: Alamy

A 2009 revival of Nikolaus Lehnhoff’s “supremely intelligent” 2003 production for Glyndebourne. Georg Zeppenfeld as King Marke, Anja Kampe as Isolde and Torsten Kerl as Tristan. Photograph: Robbie Jack/Robbie Jack/Corbis

Bill Viola’s video images, Peter Sellars’ production and the Philharmonia and Esa-Pekka Salonen made this radical rethinking of Tristan und Isolde a worldwide hit. Violeta Urmana sang Isolde, Gary Lehman Tristan. Photograph: Photographer: Benjamin Ealovega/ © Bill Viola Studio

Katarina Dalayman and Peter Seiffert sung the title roles in this 2006 production conducted by Daniel Barenboim and designed by Herzog & De Meuron at the State Opera Unter Den Linden, Berlin. “There was no room left for the opera”, found this reviewer. Photograph: Alamy