On July 25, the Bayreuth Festival opens with a production of “Tristan und Isolde.” The new production will be directed by Roland Schwab and will star some of the great Wagnerians in the world. Among the stars is Catherine Foster, who is bringing her acclaimed Isolde to the Bayreuth stage for the very first time.

Foster made her debut at the Festival in 2013 and has since performed the role of Brünnhilde in productions of “Die Walküre,” “Götterdämmerung,” and “Siegfried.” She has appeared at the festival every year except in 2019 and 2020, which was a year when the festival was canceled. With Isolde, she will give Bayreuth audiences another one of her acclaimed roles which she has performed in Wiesbaden, Frankfurt, and Bologna, among others.

Of her Isolde, OperaWire noted that Foster “produced a vocally gripping performance. Singing throughout with a freedom which was tangible, she engaged fully with the character, whom she portrayed with a regal demeanor.”

Outside of her Wagner repertoire, Foster has also become well-known for her interpretations of Elektra and Turandot. She has become a regular performer in Hamburg, Berlin, Tokyo, Washington DC, Budapest, Amsterdam, and Liceu.

For audiences not in Bayreuth, the British soprano will reprise her interpretation of Isolde at the Staatstheater Cottbus in 2023 and is also set to perform at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf.

Recordings 

Here is a look at Catherine Foster in her acclaimed Isolde portrayal.

And here she is singing Gotterdamerung.