Montserrat Caballe tried hard to master the demands of Isolde now that her voice has become stronger and more dramatic, and in Tristan und Isolde (February 22) she almost succeeded, doing well in the first two acts in spite of letting some phraseends drift in an Italianate way. She surprisingly sang a rather confused `Liebestod’, which has long been part of her recital repertory, later explaining that the long rest between the end of Act 2 and her entry in Act 3 affected her vocal form. Rene Kollo was a mainly steady and ringing Tristan, though strained in Act 3, and Brigitte Fassbaender was a first-rate Brangane, whose mellow singing in the Love Scene was a memory to treasure. Matti Salminen was a warm and moving King Mark, with Franz Grundheber a devoted Kurwenal who moved about in a strange way. Peter Schneider’s conducting made the Liceu orchestra sound beautiful. The Madrid production began brightly but became tiresome before the end.

ROGER ALIER | October 1989