By Anna Picard [The Independent, 20 May 2007]

Of the many scores that suckled at the bleeding breast of Tristan und Isolde, Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande is the most alluring and enigmatic. Though Stanislas Nordey's Salzburg Easter Festival production was widely criticised when it opened, this had little effect on advance bookings for its Royal Opera House run.