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Wagner Siegfried ENO at The Coliseum 3 December 2004 We attended the last performance of this production, which has been thoroughly reviewed by all the critics (see The Opera Critic)*, and will just add a short note on this typical 'night at the opera', one which will be remembered for the conducting of Dominic Wheeler, who enthused the orchestra very positively and to our great satisfaction, and for the division of the hero's part between a voiceless Richard Berkeley-Steele, miming on stage like a pop-star to his latest single, whilst a sedately suited Stephen O'Mara sang his part (rather well) from a score on a music stand to the left (the same corner from which Wendy Ebsworth, signing for the deaf, often distracts us so pleasurably from ENO excesses). Despite all that we enjoyed this Siegried better than previous encounters with Phyllida Lloyd's Ring. The only serious disappointment was the final love duet, well staged but not sustained for its length with a silent Siegfried emoting to Kathleen Broderick, who understandably seemed under-parted vocally. For a full, and fully illustrated, web review, go to Seen & Heard.
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