Amongst all the operas I have never seen live, this is the one that I have most wanted to see. Hardly a rarity, nevertheless performances do not happen frequently. And on Friday, I achieved my ambition.
The new production opened nearly two weeks ago and has been dogged by controversy. I shall return to this controversy later.
The evening was an almost unqualified success, almost totally enjoyable. So many elements worked so well.
But I have to single out Ben Heppner as the one element that really did not work. I want so desperately to like Ben. He comes across so likeable in interviews (not important) and I believe that the basic voice is heroic.
He's an ungainly man, even 'slimmed down' he's seriously overweight. Nevertheless, he moves well around stage, and his body language is eloquent. His portrayal of Tristan 'the hero' was not strut and bombast, but a young emotionally vulnerable man.
All reports I had read suggested that in previous performances he had started well before audible deterioration. I thought his Act I vocal performance was impressive, despite isolated incidences of strain or lack of breath control. He started to fall apart in Act II. In the Love Duet (O sink herneider) he strained, he missed the pitch of several notes, he wobbled precariously, he lost volume in alarming and random ways. He repeated this in his extended solo in the final scene of that act.
Before the start of Act III there was an on-stage announcement from a member of staff that 'Mr Heppner has an allergic reaction and will continue to sing but begs your indulgence blah blah blah'.
I really wish he hadn't. I am generally forgiving of singers who try to carry on despite indisposition, but I'm afraid I don't buy it this time. I have now heard Ben Heppner as Otello and Tristan and on each occasion he has gone into vocal meltdown. These are not isolated incidents, judging by reports from the current run and from appearances elsewhere. I paid what I consider to be a lot of money to hear Tristan und Isolde and I don't believe I got what I paid for. Fool me once, etc. I simply can't afford to have Ben Heppner ruin yet another much-loved tenor role.
Thankfully we had an Isolde to die for! Nina Stemme was superb. Simply to get through that role without any hint of wobble, strain or screech is commendable in itself. She did so with a strong steely voice which projected well and did not rely simply on being stentorian; even better.
That voice is gorgeous to listen to, and expressive in colour and use of emphasis. She sounds like she fully understands what she's singing (and I don't just mean the literal translation of the words). She looks good on stage, she moves well, she responds to her fellow actors. I hesitate to use the word 'perfect' if it means 'cannot be improved upon', but if it means 'flawless and thoroughly satisfying', I will use it.
I spent some time at the weekend listening to the version of Tristan und Isolde I have on CD; sadly, the soprano on this set simply cannot match the sheer utter stupendous of Nina Stemme's live performance - the soprano on disc being Nina Stemme, recorded five years ago, at least a couple of years too early perhaps! (Still, the tenor's worth a listen, and, sensibly, declined ever to do the role live because of the damage it would inflict on his voice).
Sophie Koch was splendid as Brangäne, a role I have never really paid much attention to either on DVD or CD. She has a rich creamy tone at the bottom of her range and a very impressive top that many sopranos would love. Her sound penetrated through the orchestra. She brought the character to life, no doubt aided by the production. She, too, looked good and moved well.
I was a bit disappointed, though, that they stuck a ginger wig on her. They obviously decided that Nina Stemme's shade of blonde is sufficiently red not to need to be ginged-up, even though the colour is nothing like Irish ginger, but it's way too much of a cliché to portray Irish people as ginger. Think of Irish people and, surely, you think of Liam Neeson, me and Roy Keane, with our dark hair. Admittedly Tristan und Isolde predates the Spanish Armada but it is nevertheless a sort of lazy racism that assumes that all Irish people are ginges.
Sophie came across as a developed and convincing character but never dominated and always complemented the principals. At first I considered Michael Volle as Kurwenal to be too dominant, and, to be honest, a little bit full of bombast. But after a dubious opening he settled down into a convincing dramatic and splendid vocal portrayal.
All the other roles were satisfactory. I can't say I care for King Marke's part - it's one of those bass roles that just doesn't do it for me. However, I have no fault with Matti Salminen, who looked majestically Ustinov-like and used his walking stick to add regality to his role. It was not until the curtain call that I realised that the stick was for real as he walked with a limp and needed assistance in crossing the step/gap to the back of the stage, which is why John Tomlinson had substituted for earlier performances.
I thought highly of the orchestra under Maestro Pappano. My biggest criticism of the CD set is the massive difference in dynamics which makes listening difficult in a small semi (And even more difficult on headphones however good quality). This flaw wasn't apparent in this hearing, and despite one or two slightly strange notes coming from the brass, it was on the whole a strong rendition. A neighbour remarked that she thought that the orchestra were being reined in to mitigate Heppner's woe, and I thought that quite possible.
I could go on at length about phrases and passages that thrilled me with delight, but, apparently it's bad form to discuss an actual opera too much in a report on a performance.The write assumes that you the reader knows the work intimately. You do not need to be told of the difficulties I had in staying still and not reacting physically to the orgasmic writing. Nor do you need to be told the synopsis or philosophy behind the opera, or be reminded that Richard Wagner was a genius.
There was controversy about the sets and the physical production. Some complaints that it is non-traditional - for example, Act 1 lacks a ship with full rigging and legions of galley slaves; that Tristan and his men are not dressed like the knights who say 'ni'; and the Ladies don't wear 3-foot-tall conical hats. I have little patience with people who demand a visually literal interpretation of an opera, even if it obscures the story or the characters.
I was more concerned by the reports that much of the action is simply not visible from seats on the left of the house (that is, seats that face directly opposite seats on the right, rather than those merely at an obtuse angle).
For me that is simply unacceptable. People buy those seats knowing they are 'restricted view' and they will miss some of the action. Nevertheless, I feel strongly that house management have a responsibility to ensure that the loss of view is proportionate.
I have seen too many productions where entire scenes, or crucial action within a scene, happen at the extremes of the stage for example Macbeth and Don Carlo. I understand that directors do not want to be forced to stage everything dead centre, but I have seen other productions - Cyrano de Bergerac, Carmen, Fleigende Hollander, where I have missed a little bit of action on the side of the stage but have considered it a fair compromise for a cheaper seat.
I had a seat that was fairly central - on the left, but on the front row just by the aisle, so these issues did not affect me. A significant aspect of the production was a curtain halfway down the stage which was often closed but sometimes opened partly or wholly to reveal the gentlemen of the chorus participating in a dinner party, quite separate in time and space to the main action down stage. Often they were shown motionless, as if in freeze-frame.
Subsequent to the performance, a friend explained that this represented a different psychological space. I can't say that had occurred to me, but it's an explanation I can accept. I suppose I thought it represented that the love affair between the two eponymous characters took place - induced by love potion - occurred quite separately to reality, that they were oblivious to the world around them, except when the supporting characters - Brangäne, Kurwenal, King Marke etc - moved from the world backstage to the world of T&I. I loved the bloody and gory ending, too.
I think I was particularly enthused by the set, large, white, light and airy. I cannot identify the period of the architecture, but it reminded me of a restaurant I visited by the beach in Valencia which itself reminded me of these vast white buildings with large windows in Old Havana. I suppose from the 20s or 30s. The costumes were understated elegance; indeed it was a very beautiful production to see. And with the chorus largely confined to the rear of the stage, it gave a lot of room for the main characters to inhabit.
As the seconds counted down to the grand finale, the Liebestod, I heard a door bang from across the auditorium. I hope it was an usher following the musical cue to open the doors and prepare for prompt departures. There are some operas you can get away with leaving early if train timetables permit - such as Don Carlo last week, I thought. But it is absolutely horrendous to leave Tristan early. You are left with an unresolved chord, and, surely, that must be as bad as sexual frustration.
Overall an excellent night. Together with Don Carlo, it gives the ROH 2/2 so far this season, whereas for ENO I've had one miss and one okayish (but of course ENO gave us Dr Atomic and Peter Grimes earlier in the calendar year). If only we had had a tenor who could get through the role unscathed!
NB I bought my ticket with my own money. I did not receive it - or anything else - free from ROH or anyone associated with them.
