Rachel Nicholls triumphs as Isolde in Paris

Rachel Nicholls enjoyed a personal triumph at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris in the new production of Tristan und Isolde which opened on May 12 and continues to run until May 24. Writing for Bachtrack, Mark Valencia commented:

‘The eponymous pair are so well matched that it’s hard to believe Rachel Nicholls was only brought in as a late replacement when Emily Magee withdrew after three weeks of rehearsal. You’d never know it. She and Heldentenor Torsten Kerl complement each other with unforced vocal beauty: they sing the score with a complete absence of excess baggage. There is no squall or big vibrato or weighty ‘monster’ singing, just unflagging power and, where needed, reserves of volume produced with astonishing clarity… Nicholls marks her ascent to the Wagnerian top table with singing of a limpid ecstasy that recalls Margaret Price in the Carlos Kleiber recording (although Isolde was a role Price never dared assume in live performance). Their erotic duet in the second act is ineffably moving – a highlight of the year in music.’

Rachel will also sing Isolde in Stuttgart on June 11, 3 and 9 and in Karlsruhe on May 29 and June 26.

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