Tristan und Isolde - Welsh National Opera - Cardiff Millenium Centre, 19 May 2012
Ben Heppner’s heartening return to form was one of the best things about the revival of WNO’s 20 year old Tristan on Saturday night. His expressive way with the words was built on the sensitive control of every vocal colour in his palette. A minor crack in the second act and some tiring in the third were forgiveable blemishes. His ungainly appearance only underlined his anti-heroic, supremely human portrait.
Tristan und Isolde - Nationaltheater Munich, 27 July 2011
A superbly-executed Festspiele performance of one of Munich's great productions. Covent Garden's older Wagner efforts are so embarrassing they're practically unrevivable. But thanks to Peter Konwitschny, the Bavarian State Opera has several that can be reliably resuscitated year after year, each time gripping/fascinating/provoking a new audience.
Peter Grimes - Royal Opera House, 21 June 2011 (first night)
Willy Decker's 2004 production of Peter Grimes takes the Britain out of Britten and places the story somewhere far less specific. The sets are dark and spare and Expressionistic; the sombre costumes are vaguely 19th century. A swirling backdrop vaguely evokes storm-tossed waves, but that's as much seaside as you get.
As predicted way back on opening night, Big Ben Heppner has pulled out of Covent Garden's Tristan und Isolde.
His place at tomorrow's performance will be taken by Lars Cleveman, who did a decent if rather low-volume job as Siegfried in the Halle Orchestra's recent Götterdämmerung.
It's not clear at this stage whether he'll also take over for the last show of the run on Sunday.
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