Robertson shows a deep understanding of Wagner, but opera stars fall short of expectations.

Concert Hall, Sydney Symphony Orchestra
20 June, 2015

Where Wagnerian opera is concerned, size is everything, but it’s not just the scope of the gargantuan orchestral forces, brawny, ironclad voices, and herculean stamina required for his epic operas that’s big. The philosophical and emotional exploration at the heart of these stage works is on a cosmic scale, and justifiably craves an equally sizeable backdrop to effectively communicate. It’s little wonder therefore that Wagner’s operas rarely have an outing on the diminutive stages of the Sydney Opera House, and indeed it’s been eight years since Sydneysiders have had the chance to see one of the composer’s music dramas, fully staged, on home turf. However the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s magnificent concert presentation of Tristan und Isolde is an admirable – if not completely flawless – demonstration of how to deliver the titanic power and drama of Wagner when space is in short supply.

With virtually every inch of the concert platform occupied, not forgetting the auxiliary ensembles, off-stage players and male chorus shoehorned-in around the Concert Hall’s auditorium, SSO Chief Conductor David...