Bill Viola

Bill Viola: Love/Death, The Tristan Project is a story of how a trio of California-based creatives pushed boundaries to reimagine a radical new Tristan und Isolde for our times. It details how the inventive merging of media art, music, and staging resulted in a pioneering production of a revered Wagner opera that continues to be performed internationally.

The book includes compelling insights from the three main collaborators: Esa-Pekka Salonen, music director, Los Angeles Philharmonic; Peter Sellars, opera and theater director; and Bill Viola, media artist. It also features a fascinating behind-the-scenes look, through the eyes of Kira Perov, wife and collaborator of Bill Viola, at how Viola created three and a half hours of video as a visual complement to the profound psychological drama that unfolds onstage. Additionally, a complete catalogue documents the major body of artworks by Viola that were derived from the opera video and are consistently exhibited in museums worldwide to critical acclaim.

Included are 120 beautiful illustrations of the artworks, production stills, and scenes from the opera performances.