By MICHAEL KIMMELMAN [NY Times, 30 July 2008]
BADEN-BADEN, Germany ó Waltraud Meier topped a remarkable cast in Wagnerís ìTannh‰userî here the other night, although the current talk of the opera season in Europe is the promiscuous new production of Wagnerís ìParsifal,î not too far away, that opened the Bayreuth Festival on Friday: it comes a jackboot shy of ìSpringtime for Hitler,î but its ambitions soar, and so do many of the voices.