THE principal set for English National Opera's new Tristan And Isolde is a massive wall designed by Ian MacNeil. Built of weathered brick, it had a medieval doorway at one side, a neo classical archway across the front and, at the other side, a gilded niche clearly intended to hold a statue.
The director, David Alden, says he feels that tension is lost when the lovers touch, so he keeps them well apart during Act II, even removing one from the stage while the other is singing. To be sure, Isolde creeps back on to assume a Madonna like pose in the gilded niche, but she does not achieve and embrace with her beloved until the dreadful moment of discovery. After this, it is perhaps natural that she should ignore him altogether in Act III, singing the Liebestod without so much as a glance towards his defunct form in the background.
Following an uneven first act in which neither of the principals hits consistent musical or dramatic stride, Wagner and the conductor, Mark Elder, win out decisively over the nonsense on stage, while Elizabeth Connell deploys her immense vocal resources to create a profoundly moving study of Isolde.
