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SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBER 2015 WAGNER NEWS Wagner News is published by the TORONTOWAGNER SOCIETY TWS web site: www.torontowagner.org TWS CALENDAR E-mail: [email protected] Die Walküre in Munich - Monday, September 28 Jim Warrington, Pierre Couture; pages 2, 3 8.00 p.m. two perspectives A VERY SPECIAL EVENT The Regieoper controversy - OPENS OUR SEASON Video extracts from the new two opinions Joseph So, Michael and Linda Hutcheon; pages 4-6 Katharina Wagner directed Tristan and Isolde at Bayreuth Kinder, macht Neues!- will be shown. Regieoper and Wagner Richard Rosenman; page 7 TWS members who attended the Bayreuth Festival will Scandal at Bayreuth, Frances Henry; page 8 provide commentary. Festival days in Berlin - Monday, November 16 2015 Hans-Jürgen Lötzerich, Kassel Wagner Society; page 8 8.00 p.m. Stephan Bonfield will speak on: Munich Tristan und Isolde; Siegfried: Identity and July 8, 2015 Richard Rosenman; page 9 Memory in the Nineteenth Century Bayreuth Tristan und Isolde; August 2015 Frances Henry; pages 10, 11 Meetings at Arts and Letters Club, 14 Elm Street Where is Bayreuth going? Richard Rosenman, page 12 unless indicated otherwise Aubrey Beardsley, from the cycle Le Mort Darthur 2 Die Walküre in Munich; one performance, two perspectives... Battle of the Brünnhildes Jim Warrington The COC set design and lighting is still aria, but overall, an excellent performance Or, how two distinctly annoying, but this time around it didn’t get for a stand-in. in the way, it seems. The Valkyries in Act different role interpretations III were outstanding; singing, acting and Other leads were excellent, and the stage presence/movement that took full Valkyries sang well, despite the awkward and performances underline advantage of one of opera’s greatest tap-dancing entrance of Act III. (A good 5 the importance of concept and feminist ensemble pieces. minutes of tap-dancing meant to represent galloping horses, even before the Ride craftsmanship in two recent Heidi Melton was a soaring Sieglinde, and music starts, led to boos and audience Die Walküres. Dimitry Ivashchenko, a malevolent talking and mumbling, portent for the Hunding. Janina Baechle was a dramatic troubled Act III to come). Fricka. Clifton Forbis, under the weather The day after we saw the COC Walküre in health-wise the night we saw Walküre, was So what happened the only cast member not up to the February, we set off for a family visit in ensemble’s exciting magic. His strong with Brünnhilde? France, and hopped over to Munich in early acting and commanding presence were March for the same opera at the Bayerische solid, and compensated. Evelyn Hertlitzius is, simply put, not a Staatsoper. What a great opportunity to Brünnhilde. She is youthful in form, she compare two productions in less than three So, to Munich. dashed about a lot and was stern-faced weeks! when serious events were taking place. Over the top acting, in my view. But the There is good There were a lot of wonderful things going voice demands of the role got to her, and by on as the Staatsoper orchestra, under the news and bad news. Act III, she was rasping at the high end and able direction of Kirill Petrenko, company hesitant in her lower range. It was as if her Music Director, soared through the wonders Bad? The Andreas Kriegenburg Munich battery was low. There was also little of this score with strong, energetic pacing production is the original Walküre from the chemistry coming from her towards Dad and superb understatement when needed. new 2012 well-reviewed Munich Ring, with (Wotan), making Act III less convincing They continue to be world-leading Wagner a couple of cast changes. The excruciating and a disappointment. Her gap in interpreters, and this aspect kept us under-performance of Evelyn Herlitzius in performance made me question the casting enthralled, at least until Act III. the title role clouded any chance for this to decision here. When you add the all white be a memorable evening. There were great box, boring look of the Act III set to the In Anja Kampe, you have the best things happening here; she just got in the static, face-the-audience directing, it was a Sieglinde I have ever seen or heard. Her way. huge disappointment. The saving grace was nuanced acting took us from child to the imaginative magic fire sequence, wonder woman as needed, convincing and Good? In both cases, the orchestras shone, incorporating Valkyries as part of engaging in every movement and the score won the day and, in the case of Brünnhilde’s “imprisonment.” COC, the thorough re-think of the third expression. Her stage presence was locked up with a glorious, strong sound, both sharp time around Atom Egoyan production The production soared in Acts I and II. and fluid throughout her range. She sang created a breathtaking night of Wagner, The sets were imaginative and timeless. the role in 2012, and is obviously at ease world class. And in Christine Goerke, we The tree in Act I with its branches of bodies and excited to be back. have the next Nina Stemme or Birgit set the scene for the god and mortal battles Nilsson as Brünnhilde. Nice! to come. Lighting was crystal sharp, almost Thomas Mayer as Wotan is also back for Much has been written about the COC’s halogen and definitely strategic and integral this 2015 Ring. He was regal, strong of run of this Walküre. Auspicious stage to the unfolding story. Act II’s dominant voice and nuanced as his character debuts for Goerke, Siegmund understudy office picture becoming a set within the set progresses from absolute god to absolute Isaacah Savage, and a rare ensemble was absolutely brilliant. In this staging father. He channeled power, despair, love singing and acting cast that clearly loved aspect, Munich’s Walküre wins the Battle and anger as appropriate. Stoic, but solid. the journey. There was huge chemistry and with the COC version. it showed, particularly in Act III as the Siegmund was Christopher Ventris, replacing Stuart Skelton who had bowed acting and singing by Christine Goerke I wished we could have stayed for the rest out. He is a strong Parsifal (I saw him in distinguished her as the next great Wagner of the Ring in Munich. Maybe next time. Paris in the role several years ago), and his actress and soprano. She met her match in Meanwhile, we have a Siegfried with sweet, higher range voice suited the Johann Reuter as Wotan; they projected the Christina Goerke to look forward to in demands of Act I well. His Winterstürme ultimate father/daughter crisis Wagner had Toronto. intended. Kudos to Mr. Egoyan for wresting was lyrical and heartfelt. The Petrenko fast- pacing was a tad speedy for this touchstone such touching, believable performances. May the Battle of the Brünnhildes continue! 3 cappella", without singing and music, where the dancers, dressed very similarly to the Walküres, ...can both be right? stomped in a rhythmic gymnastic style. Needless to say, this intense display did not please everyone and drew some strong booing from dissatisfied patrons shouting "Wagner", but obviously pleased others who applauded loudly Revisiting Munich every time a negative reaction was heard. Ring Götterdämmerung shows a whole different aspect Pierre Couture of the Ring; Kriegenburg replaces nature, heroes, and gods, with certain aspects of the self- destruction of the world coming to an end as a In 2015, the noticeable difference between result of excess of greed. There is a very busy Andreas Kriegenburg's revival of the Munich stage with mobile phones, and cameras, the Ring cycle and the opening production back in representation of nuclear disaster, financial 2012 lays with the conductor Kirill Petrenko. collapse, and the abuse of capitalism by a gold Kirill Petrenko Although the Kent Nagano reading was far from euro-symbol-shaped rocking horse, leading us to problematic, his approach was more distant, cool, some sort of apocalyptic disintegration. tight, competent, yet rich and at times complex. Gibichung Hall is represented by a large living- This time around, I managed to see Die Walküre room where Gunther (Alejandro Marco- ( 28 February 2015 ) and Götterdämmerung ( 2 Buhrmester) manages to satisfy his sexual April 2015 ) only; whether it is the quality of the needs. The curtain opens Act II as he receives oral Bavarian State Opera Orchestra or the musicians' sex from one of the maids, and he hides behind obvious respect for their admired maestro the bar shortly after having sex with another Petrenko, some of the sounds that emerged from servant; I don't remember ever hearing about an the pit were simply incredible and hauntingly "oversexed" Gunther before, but I suppose this is beautiful. My unforgettable Bayreuth 2014 part of the overall "end of the world" concept experience with Maestro Petrenko prepared me behind this production. Anna Gabler's strongly Evelyn Herlitzius for that. Some silences and soft passages are sung Gutrune has gained in vocal authority and riveting, and the sound of this gorgeous music stage presence since 2012, and the same applies can easily give you teary eyes. to our powerful Siegfried, Stephen Gould, who Besides Petrenko who always receives the sounded more relaxed and less forced than three warmest and loudest applause of the evening, years ago, building on his strong Tristan heard at Klaus Florian Vogt and Anja Kampe both got a the Royal Opera House last December. tremendous reception from the cheering crowd. The 2015 revival of the Kriegenburg Ring Vogt's very lyrical Siegmund was well supported featured three different Brünnhildes - Catherine by Petrenko's approach to the score.