Tristan in Weimar

Franco Farina turned his Tristan adventure into a major success. How could you expect this to happen? He has a thing for heavy Verdian roles, but Tristan is a whole different 'beast'. And yet he managed to sing it through as if it was a piece of cake -- with incredible vocal freshness in Act-3. Definitely one of the most compelling Tristan we were able to listen to in years.
Like everyone else Farina too was struggling with "piani" in the middle of Act-2, but what he was able to pull in Act-3 was beyond astonishing!
It remains to be seen if he can sustain this level of singing for a longer period of time. In any case for his first take on Tristan he deserves a huge BRAVO!  Marion Ammann's Isolde didn't lack stamina either: very powerful performance by this mighty lady in this humanly-sized theater!

Triumphant Marion Ammann and Franco Farina

I'm unsure what to think about Karsten Wiegand's show: there were good (Act-1), bad (Act-2) moments, and a bit of both in Act-3 (I liked his loopy Faust in Berlin with Poplavskaya, Castronovo and Pape, and I loved his Stuarda - which I thought was a lesson of audacity! Tristan is maybe just too big?)

Will post more about the last night's premiere tomorrow... Now I have a train to catch.