Chichi -

I suspect if you go to Photobucket and copy the fourth box under the image (the IMG tag) it should work.

Let me try...

Guess which is which

Don B, you are a star!

I quite agree, Don Basilio.  In fact it's quite hard to think of valid reasons to boo - perhaps in extreme cases where you suspect someone is taking the audience for fools, making no effort etc.  I found JT less than wonderful, except in Act I of 'Siegfried' (maybe he lacks stamina?) but it never occurred to me that he was giving us any less than his best.  I wouldn't have dreamed of booing him, and I didn't hear any booing at the previews.  But then I've never booed anyone except at pantos and team sports.  The furthest I ever go is failing to applaud and I doubt I've done that more than half a dozen times in my life.  I suppose it's just a cultural thing because we read of other times and places where it was/is very common; but I was brought up to believe booing a genuine artist just because you're not happy with their performance is very rude indeed.

You describe it well, Chichivache, though I thought there were more than ‘a couple of times’ over the two evenings when he lost power.  That’s what I meant when I said he might be a bit short on stamina.  I’m no expert on voices either – I’ve been to quite a few performances but lack formal knowledge; but a fading voice is pretty noticeable, and one of my companions – a complete newcomer to Wagner – commented on Treleaven’s waning strength straight after the end of ‘Siegfried’.  But, as I understand it, the demands of the role on a tenor are pretty fearsome.  I remember hearing S Jerusalem in the Haitink ‘Ring’ absolutely strangle the "Sieg" of “so schneidet Siegfrieds Schwert!” on the night I was there – and then I heard him do exactly the same on the Radio 3 broadcast, which was a different cycle.  I’ve still got it on cassette somewhere in the loft.

I’m pretty sure that a tenor getting through ‘Siegfried’ and ‘Götterdämmerung’ without the odd slip is the exception rather than the rule, so booing a performance like Treleaven’s is just silly.  I don’t know what problems people had with Pappano.  I thought there were some funny sounds coming from the pit at times in the previews.  The woodwind in particular sounded as if they were a separate band within the orchestra.   But it wasn’t that bad; and my postion right at the back of the amphitheatre probably didn’t help.  And why anyone would want to boo Lisa Gasteen, I don’t know.  She’s shaping into a very good Brünnhilde.  After the Proms I have to pronounce them guilty of not being Runnicles and Brewer but that’s hardly a damning criticism.  I’ll leave my views on the production until the run is over.