In the fascinating interview below, produced by Deutsche Grammophon, conductor Christian Thielemann explores his difficult relationship with Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, the music of which threatens to overwhelm him at any moment. 'My task with Tristan is to say, "How do we get this tiger in our tank, or back into its cage?"' 

DG have recently released a DVD/Blu-ray of Katharina Wagner's staging of Tristan und Isolde at the Bayreuth Festival, conducted by Thielemann and starring Stephen Gould as Tristan and Evelyn Herlitzius as Isolde.

Thielemann's earlier recording of Tristan, released in 2004, featuring Deborah Voigt as Isolde and Thomas Moser as Tristan, was reviewed in Gramophone's pages by Alan Blyth: 'Every moment of the drama in Thielemann’s hands is very present, with orchestral detail seldom if ever so clearly delineated. Nothing escapes this conductor’s eager eye and impulsive baton...Thielemann makes every bar and scene vibrate with inner life.'