Daniel Barenboim

“ As for the long awaited debuts of Meier and Jerusalem, the audience was ecstatic, so much so that Jerusalem excitedly hugged and kissed his partner several times during the curtain calls” (Herald Tribune)

“This is a fine an intensely moving account of a supreme masterpiece of musical theatre. Müller's conception of the work is austere… and on the whole he has managed a difficult assignment with flair and conviction. …Meier's contained, richly nuanced approach to both acting and singing is ideally suited to this production. Her Tristan Siegfried Jerusalem, is not less impressive, with a poised demeanour avoiding the woodenness that afflicts so many Wagner tenors. Add a marvellously sonorous Marke in Matthias Hölle, no weaknesses in the other roles, and in the virtues stack up to something special.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2008

Wolfgang Wagner’s timeless staging of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg is “exhilaratingly conducted” (Gramophone) by Daniel Barenboim. Alongside him is Robert Holl as a Sachs of “innate wisdom” and Peter Seiffert’s “glorious Walther” (Classics Today)

“The staging is the undoubtedly loving work of a cultured man who knows the piece inside out and wishes to represent it faithfully but whose other duties have prevented his developing any especially distinctive style of his own. The wonderful women, Mesdames Magee and Svendén, however, get there on their own and their dignity and detail are worth watching. Apart from them, and the sexy aeroplane choreography of the "girls from Fürth"... the main attractions of the release lie in Daniel Barenboim's beautifully limned and paced account of the score.” Gramophone Magazine, 2008 Awards Issue

"...Barenboim's large scale, committed and deeply moving interpretation..... . ... An overwhelming achievement." (Gramophone, May 1997)

“Multi-faceted musician and now courageous political figure, Daniel Barenboim’s star burns more brightly than ever” Gramophone Magazine

“…Berlin Staatskapelle respond to Barenboim's every nuance like true chamber musicians, and the ensemble is extremely impressive. The visual presentation is free of gimmickry and captured all the excitement of a live event.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2008 *****

“Explaining to the audience that he was born a few minutes' walk away, Barenboim wisely doesn't try to impose himself on the players, content to help shape solo melodies and determine the overall, fairly relaxed pacing while letting the players present rhythm and feeling as they know best.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2008 ***

“With Johanna Meier’s unusually powerful Isolde and René Kollo’s resplendent, expressive Tristan, a better cast is hardly imaginable today” Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung

“For a supposedly 'difficult' opera, there's a fair choice of DVD Tristans… But this 1983 Bayreuth version, reappearing at last here on DVD, remains the finest. Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's staging steers impressively between the Romantically naturalistic and the poetic: a gnarled tree trunk doubles as ship and castle, and Isolde is symbolically isolated by her encircling robes. René Kollo and Johanna Meier don't have huge voices, but sing and act with unusual expression, and even look good. Matti Salminen as King Mark and Hanna Schwarz as Brangäne are heartbreakingly intense...” BBC Music Magazine, December 2007 *****