Tannhäuser

"Jenkins seems intent on extending the city's Wagnerian reputation by adding further productions to the company's repertoire—a process that may have happy results, if the quality of the new Tannhäuser is any indication."

—Melinda Bargreen, Musical America,
    "Report from Seattle," March 1985

"One of the more interesting features of operatic life in Seattle is that each production is given with two, quite different alternating casts... To find a pair of tenors capable of handling merely the vocal demands of a role like Tannhäuser is not easy these days, and it argues well for the management's astuteness that in Edward Sooter and, especially, William Cochran, it offered two tenors who combine intelligence with stamina."

—Dale Harris, The Guardian,
    "An uneasy blend of stars and stripes," December 21, 1984

"Hermann Michael, in his American debut, was in the pit—a notable performance Saturday and Sunday."

—R.M. Campbell, Seattle Post-Intelligencer,
    A Tannhäuser worth the wait," November 5, 1984

"While many have come to associate Seattle Opera with Wagner because of the decade of summertime Ring cycles, the current production of Tannhäuser underscores the connection.  When it comes to Wagner, Seattle Opera apparently can't be beat."

—Will Stuivenga, Jounal American,
    "Seattle Opera produces a stunning Tannhäuser,"
    November 6, 1984