By STEVE SMITH [NY Times, 24 March 2008]

The latest chapter in the continuing saga of the Metropolitan Opera’s star-crossed “Tristan und Isolde” arrived on Saturday afternoon as Robert Dean Smith, an American tenor who has spent much of his recent career in Europe, became the third singer to take the role of Tristan in this run of six performances. Ben Heppner, originally scheduled for the entire run, is now listed on the Met’s Web site only for the final performances, on Tuesday and Friday. At this point even those seem dubious.