"There is a serious outbreak of Wagner in the southern counties this summer, with Glyndebourne opening its season with Meistersinger, Longborough's Ring due to reach Siegfried, and Grange Park presenting its first staged Wagner"
"No Tristan will ever be perfect, but this bold venture builds into something wholly exceptional".
"The pair possess the sheer stamina to see them through the long evening, with Mellor's fleshy-toned Isolde sounding amazingly fresh as she soars through the climactic Liebestod. Berkeley-Steele, too, has plenty in reserve for the existential firestorm of the third act."
Stephen Gadd's noble Kurwenal – a moving character study in unstinting loyalty – and Clive Bayley's King Mark, the raw vulnerability of whose epic lament is one of the evening's high points.
"Sara Fulgoni's Brangäne – a more active participant in David Fielding's self-designed staging than in many others – is equally striking, while Andrew Rees's embittered Melot leaves an indelible mark"
"...conductor Stephen Barlow, who finds a viable balance between stage and pit"..Full Review Here: