NZ tenor enjoys Covent Garden success

Congratulations to NZ tenor Simon O'Neill who in October stepped on to the stage at London's Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in the role of Siegmund for the first of three performances of Wagner's opera Die Walkure. A richly deserved success. The playbill is here. Reviews are here. The best is from Bloomberg's Warwick Thompson who says of the performance,

The singing varied from good to great. For my money, the star was Simon O'Neill as Siegmund. His tenor voice was heroic and burnished, and he looked young and virile. If he graduates to the role of Siegfried in the future, I hope I'm there to hear it.

Me too.

UPDATE: Singing Siegmund in the next three Covent Garden performances was Placido Domingo, whom Simon has been understudying in this role at The Met. So you can see what it's all about, here at YouTube is Placido and the stunning Waltraud Meier burning up the stage as Siegmund & Sieglinde (Wagner's 'Adam & Eve) in the 2005 Proms -- six minutes described by writer Chris Brodrick as "so hot I suggest you turn on your air conditioning or sit by the open fridge. Be careful you don't get blown out of your chair by the roar at the end. Absoutely stunning!"