ROH Season 2014-15

[Barbirollians]

I'm afraid not. I've heard all his Wagner and he was only satisfactory in Meistersinger, the least 'Wagnerian' of the late works. He does not get the long paragraphs, just picks up on the punctuation. It's odd because his Berg as as good as I have experienced, and his Ariadne was sublime (looking forward to hearing that again in the summer). He speaks very eloquently on Wagner, but it just does not translate to deeds.

That being said, the standard of the orchestral playing under his Directorship has never been better.

I do not agree . I thought both live and in the EMI recording his Tristan was terrific . Not as ecstatic as Kleiber but a great experience .

[gurnemanz]

I suppose one could always put one's fingers in one's ears when Tomlinson sings, & King Mark isn't on very much. DO you not rate Pappano in Wagner?

I must say Stemme is very tempting - she sang Acts 1 & 2 Isolde in Glasgow with the BBCSSO under Runnicles; unfortunately I had a dreadful cold & had to miss Act 2, but she was superb in Act 1 (even though she had a cold.

We saw her marvellous Isolde at ROH last time round and I also relished her Lunchtime concert from Wigmore on Monday which included Schumann, Wagner Wesendonck and Kurt Weill.

[Flosshilde]

From what I saw of her Isolde at Glasgow, in a concert performance, she totally inhabited the role. I don't think Monday's announcer's description of her as the greatest Isolde of our time was in any way an exageration.