TRISTAN UND ISOLDE – SAN FRANCISCO OPERA (REVIEWS)
Performances on October 19, 23, 27, November 1 and 5, 2024
Here are the most relevant quotes from reviews in the German and international press.
This selection does not claim to be complete.
48hills by Charles Lewis III
At SF Opera, a ‘Tristan and Isolde’ that’s hardly a tragedy
…Assembled to do the bloviating are a fine cast of performers (with Schlicht’s turn as Brangäne being especially captivating),…
Classical Voice North America by James L. Paulk
Conductor Eun Sun Kim, Emerging Wagner Star, Leads Dazzling ‘Tristan’
…German mezzo-soprano Annika Schlicht was very strong as Brangäne, her voice clear and rich…
cordellreportsdotcom by cordellreports
Tristan and Isolde
…Solid performances by Annika Schlicht as Isolde’s attendant Brangäne and Wolfgang Koch as Tristan’s attendant Kurwenal should also be noted…
Opera Today by Michael Milenski
Tristan and Isolde in San Francisco
…Brangäne was sung by German mezzo soprano Annika Schlicht. Of similar bright voice to Isolde she was as much Isolde’s alter-ego as she was Isolde’s maid. The opera’s opening scene was the sparring of two shöne madchen in this production’s demystification of the Tristan legend, not a scene of an interior, personal, philosophic, heroic battle…
parterre box by Michael Anthonio
It’s Brittany, bitch
…San Francisco Opera continued their recent string of hiring incredible artists that were making their US and house debuts with German mezzo-soprano Annika Schlicht. (This is her US staged debut as she appeared as the soloist for Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde at Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival last August.) An ensemble member of Deutsche Oper Berlin who has sung various Wagner roles there, her Brangäne moved with poise and determination, making the role something closer to Isolde’s sister than her maid. Schlicht’s gorgeous voice, with a velvety middle register and assured top, further established that authoritative perception, particularly when Brangäne warned Isolde about Melot (“Der deiner hart”). In this staging, Brangäne was placed far back for the repeated warnings “Habet acht!” that interrupted the love duet in Act II, but Schlicht’s ringing voice impressively could be heard across the hall!…
San Francisco Classical Voice by Lisa Hirsch
SF Opera Taps Into the Transcendent Power of Tristan and Isolde
…Mezzo-soprano Annika Schlicht, in her U.S. opera debut, is an ideal Brangäne, Isolde’s companion who substitutes the potion for the poison. Schlicht’s sterling breath control lets her marvelously float her character’s distant warnings during the love duet…
Seen and Heard by Harvey Steiman
Magnificent orchestral work under Eun Sun Kim elevates SFO’s Tristan und Isolde
…Among the vocal standouts in the rest of the cast, Annika Schlicht as Brangäne (Isolde’s servant and companion) fielded a resonant and fluid mezzo-soprano, her steadiness playing against Kempe’s impetuousness. Making her U.S. opera debut, she floated mellifluous warnings beside the Act II tryst….
Cast:
| Conductor | Eun Sun Kim | |
| Director | Paul Curran | |
| Production Designer | Robert Innes Hopkins | |
| Lighting Designer | David Martin Jacques |
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| Chorus Director | John Keene | |
| Fight Director |
Dave Maier
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| Tristan | Simon O’Neill |
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| König Marke | Kwangchul Youn | |
| Isolde | Anja Kampe |
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| Kurwenal | Wolfgang Koch | |
| Melot | Thomas Kinch | |
| Brangäne | Annika Schlicht |
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| Ein Hirt | Christopher Oglesby | |
| Seemann |
Christopher Oglesby
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| San Francisco Opera Orchestra |
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| San Francisco Opera Chorus | ||
