The starry trio of Davidsen-Hilley-Mälkki saves Tristan und Isolde

Lise Davidsen (Isolde)

Lise Davidsen (Isolde) and Clay Hilley (Tristan)

Brindley Sherratt (King Marke)

By Maria Sánchez, 13 January 2026

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“Mälkki's reading maintained dramatic pulse, accommodating the details between score and singers”

Reviewed at Gran Teatre del Liceu: Auditorium, Barcelona on 12 January 2026

Wagner, Tristan und Isolde

Gran Teatre del Liceu

Susanna Mälkki, Conductor

Bárbara Lluch, Director

Urs Schönebaum, Set Designer, Lighting Designer

Clara Peluffo Valentini, Costume Designer

Orquesta Sinfónica del Gran Teatre del Liceu

Coro del Gran Teatre del Liceu

Lise Davidsen, Isolde

Clay Hilley, Tristan

Brindley Sherratt, King Marke

Tomasz Konieczny, Kurwenal

Roger Padullés, Melot

Ekaterina Gubanova, Brangäne

Albert Casals, Shepherd, Young seaman

Milan Perišić, Helmsman

Mauricio Sotelo-Romero, Assistant conductor

Pablo Assante, Choirmaster / chorus director

Àlex Ollé's La bohème gets an unfair reception at the Liceu

Maria Sánchez, 14th June

Contrasting sensations at the Liceu, where the audience punished a production of La bohème with boos and gave rapturous applause to a cast that performed at half throttle.

*****

Aleu's video brilliance powers a dystopian Liceu Turandot

David Karlin, 8th October

Fine musical performances blend with staggering video artistry in Aleu's spectacular science-fiction setting.

*****

Thomas’ Hamlet in concert at the Liceu

John Marten Barnard, 10th March

Ambroise Thomas’ Hamlet in concert in the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona is enthusiastically conducted by Daniel Oren.

****1

Vocal sparkle but a dull staging in the Liceu's Puritani

John Marten Barnard, 11th October

I puritani returns to Barcelona’s Liceu with Annilese Miskimmon’s production. Javier Camerena and Pretty Yende lead the inauguration of the season with a fine example of romantic bel canto.

****1

A forlorn Manon Lescaut arrives in Barcelona

John Marten Barnard, 7th June

Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu stages Puccini’s first great success as an operatic composer, Manon Lescaut with the stage direction of Davide Livermore.

***11

Radvanovsky y Álvarez triunfan en la noche de Kaufmann

Juan José Freijo, 9th March

A spectacular cast makes this Andrea Chénier the great event of the Liceu's opera season.

****1

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Maria Sánchez

Nacida en Barcelona, se formó musicalmente a una edad temprana y de manera autodidacta. Graduada en Historia del Arte (Universitat de Barcelona) y posteriormente formada en el máster Música como Arte Interdisciplinar (Universitat de Barcelona / ESMUC / Universitat Rovira i Virgili), se especializó en el estudio y creación de nuevos lenguajes escénicos y musicales. Ha llevado a cabo la creación de proyectos dramatúrgicos en torno a la reformulación del mito clásico en las artes escénicas contemporáneas, eje vertebral de sus estudios. En la actualidad, continúa proyectando nuevos discursos y planteamientos sobre la supervivencia del mito en lo social y lo artístico.

Sonic irradiation from Tristan und Isolde at the Gran Teatre del Liceu