Siegmund      Kim Begley
Sieglinde     Rita Cullis
Hunding       Matthias Hoelle
Wotan         John Tomlinson
Bruennhilde   Hildegard Behrens
Fricka        Michelle DeYoung
Gerhilde      Vivian Tierney
Ortlinde      Virginia Kerr
Waltraute     Anne Wilkens
Schwertleite  Catherine Wyn-Rogers
Helmwige      Cara O'Sullivan
Siegrune      Jane Irwin
Grimgerde     Gillian Knight
Rossweisse    Penelope Walker

Conductor     Bernard Haitink

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

As before, but even more so....

There were even fewer material traces of Richard Jones' production in Die
Walkuere tonight (only Wotan's sunglasses-eyepatch obviously). But the
performance worked again in the way only a thoroughly conceived production
can.

I have to admit I didn't have a programme and somehow got the idea that I
was watching Anne Evans as Bruennhilde. I was amazed to discover afterwards
that it was Hildegard Behrens. She doesn't have a huge voice, but her
singing was elegant and her performance was rich and often moving, changing
from an affectionate girl whose heart belongs to daddy to a confused but
still brave tragic heroine. (I can see why Behrens does Elektra, not just
because of her Fach.) I assume that she has on and off days, since she
seems to excite extreme responses. I was also surprised because she's a lot
more beautiful than any of the photographs that get used. Initially, she
looked very young and fragile, though it became obvious that she isn't
either.

Michelle DeYoung was very impressive again as Fricka. She, in contrast to
Behrens, must be quite young and has a wholesome, jolly face at rest. But
she's very big and tall, in a real-life way, and has enormous presence and
authority well beyond her physical presence, because of her powerful acting
and very big, quite beautiful voice. John Tomlinson's Wotan knows that it's
tough being a god, but he's not the sort of god to be scared easily and
he's believably scared of Fricka.

Tomlinson was sounding a bit rough by the end (after singing Rheingold last
night), but a slight catch in Wotan's voice doesn't do any harm at all at
the end of Walkuere. The orchestral playing in the final scene was
breathtakingly beautiful.

Rita Cullis as Sieglinde seemed insecure, and often lost in the orchestra,
but the rest of the singers were exemplary, including a premium
school-party of Valkyrie in black dress pant suits.

Bernard Haitink also looked very tired indeed by the end. I did wonder
whether he should have done it, but was very glad indeed to have been there