It was the start of my summer season wandering round Italy with a backpack. We’ve all finished that, haven’t we? It started with an affordable flight to London, nevertheless, the place I seen ENO was presenting Tristan someday across the finish of August. In English, like every little thing at ENO. However the forged! The forged was astonishing: Linda Esther Gray (a lot cherished however outdoors of England unheard), Felicity Palmer, Albert Remedios, Norman Bailey, John Tomlinson, Reginald Goodall within the pit. Properly, I bought a ticket excessive up in that unusual theater ENO used to carry out in. And had an finish level settled to my Italian months. I bitterly remorse just one factor about that summer season: I got here residence. However I needed to. There was that Tristan.
The Italian months did embody a Nabucco within the Enviornment in Verona, when Ghena Dimitrova entered on horseback and sang the bejesus out of it. Or ought to I say “beyahweh”? She had not but appeared in America, however she floored me, 1 / 4 of a mile away up within the stands.
However in the midst of time I did certainly return (through Paris — so helpful to have an ex-boyfriend settled in Paris — I bought 9 visits out of that earlier than he misplaced his flat in Montmartre) to London and that Tristan. The staging was dim and gray and Goodall was gradual, however the voices! I’ve heard higher singers on this half or that, however by no means all 5 of the leads as high of the road in a single efficiency, earlier than or since. A Tristan as ardent as his Isolde and as able to hovering phrases, an Isolde swooning between curses, although she was (like so many) a large determine. They recorded this forged in German, so all of the singers did KNOW the German, however on the recording they changed Bailey with Philip Joll, who’s horrible on it. I heard him as Wotan in Seattle as soon as — horrible in that too.
The one drawback with the efficiency was that I couldn’t perceive a phrase anybody sang. It was in Andrew Porter‘s English translation, which is fairly dependable — however I used to be used (although unable to talk German) to notes and leitmotivs falling on sure syllables with sure notes and which means simply what Wagner means in his music. You don’t want surtitles for Wagner. (They hadn’t been invented but anyway.) Wagner explains, musically, precisely what he’s speaking about. You simply need to hear. I listened, however the phrases have been contorted in some way, the which means imprecise or distant. I needed to hug the phrases to my ears and breast. English defeated the aim, the auditory reflexes of the rating.
So I departed with blended emotions. Lovely … however incorrect.
