Tristan und Isolde, Royal Opera House - opera review

Nina Stemme returns, supreme as Isolde, blazing in anger, gloriously lyrical in love. But Tristan is now Stephen Gould, not quite her match for controlled nuance, though his thrilling heroic delivery never grates on the ear
Barry Millington4 January 2015

"But where was the ship?" was a much-voiced complaint about Christof Loy’s Tristan und Isolde, when it was new in 2009. This thought-provoking production returns, still without the ship that carries Princess Isolde to her betrothed, King Mark, and Loy's highly intelligent, if sometimes counter-intuitive, approach seems more rewarding than ever.

At the rear, Loy and set designer Johannes Leiacker locate, behind a frequently pulled-back curtain, the sphere of the real world the lovers despise. Here first we see the wedding breakfast dreaded by Isolde; later further scenes of dissipation and violence.

To the left, a starkly lit wall represents the existential dimension negotiated by Tristan and Isolde. Initially this suggests the realm of Day (Schopenhauer’s realm of phenomena) so crucial to Wagner’s conception. The noumenal world of Night manifests itself here, though sometimes bathed in bright light even during the intimate love scene — the dichotomy is subtler than at first appears.

The cast for this revival is stronger than ever. Nina Stemme returns, supreme as Isolde, blazing in anger, gloriously lyrical in love. But Tristan is now Stephen Gould, not quite her match for controlled nuance, though his thrilling heroic delivery never grates on the ear. Sarah Connolly’s Brangäne and Iain Paterson’s Kurwenal are both superbly accomplished. John Tomlinson marshals his attenuated vocal resources and unparalleled stage presence alike to delineate a King Mark devastated by the suffering of himself and others.

Antonio Pappano’s conducting ideally fuses the lingering quality of yearning with a sense of momentum. The glow of orchestral sonority in the Liebestod set the seal on an unforgettable evening.

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Until Dec 21 (020 7304 4000, roh.org.uk); Radio 3 broadcast Dec 29

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