Robert Buckland Weblog

After an unexpectedly daunting lecture at the Law Society offices in Cardiff, I found myself at the Wales Millennium Centre (aka the armadillo) ready to settle in to over five hours of Wagner, including breaks. My slow torture at the hands of some judicial guests over my interpretation of a newish provision of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act was nothing compared to Tristan’s agonising wound sustained late in Act II and borne with a degree of equanimity through much of Act III. The staging was simple, but I was not keen on the large concrete ramp in the final act, which opened to reveal Tristan (John Mac Master) lying wounded underneath it, a bit like Fred Roberts after a lorry crashed into the Rovers Return in a memorable Corrie cliffhanger of some years ago. Whilst I am sure that John Mac Master’s voice is infinitely superior to that of any soap opera actor, in appearance he was more Stan Ogden than Celtic hero.

The ramp made it difficult for any of the protagonists to gain a clear purchase. Isolde (the tremendous Annalena Persson) had to tread carefully, whilst Bragane (the excellent Susan Bickley) didn’t even try to walk upon it. Kurwenal (Robert Hayward, strong as usual) was able enough to make light of the alarming camber, but King Marke (the passionate and forceful Alfred Reiter) wisely kept towards the bottom of the gradient.

Having said that, I was captivated by this production. The orchestra of the WNO was measured, largely ensuring that we could hear the singers over the music, which I know is not an easy task in Tristan. Miss Persson excelled, and my opinion was that her voice was stronger by the Liebestodt than she had been at the beginning, contrary to the experience of the “Spectator” reviewer at the ENO. Both she and Alfred Reiter made the strongest impression upon me.

There were few dry eyes in the house by the time the beautiful, ebbing finale was reached. Love transcends death, once again, and a story about an angry Irishwoman, a proud boast by a hero, a disobedient servant and a silly potion is elevated by some of the greatest music ever written. Words fail me, and I am not of this world as I listen again to Tristan Und Isolde.