WAGNER NEWS Wagner News Is Published by the TORONTOWAGNER SOCIETY
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
MAY 2016 - SEPTEMBER 2016 WAGNER NEWS Wagner News is published by the TORONTOWAGNER SOCIETY TWS web site: www.torontowagner.org INSIDE E-mail: [email protected] TRISTAN UND ISOLDE Berlin Philharmonic, Concert Performance Richard Rosenman RICHARD STRAUSS Phillip Ens -Fafner WEEK - Deutche Oper Berlin: Richard Rosenman -SALOME -ELEKTRA Wolfgang Ablinger-Speerhacke Mime -DIE ĀGYPTISCHE - HELENA Christine Goerke - Brünnhilde -DER ROSENKAVALIER NEWS and COMMENTS Alan Held - The Wanderer WAGNER ANTISEMITE, book review Pierre Couture WAGNER ON STAGE TANHÄUSER IN HAVANA - Hans Jürgen Lötzerich Christopher Purves- Meredith Arwady- Stefan Vinke- Jacqueline Woodley - Alberich Erda Siegfried The Forest Bird Toronto Wagner Society Roundtable, held at the Arts and Letters Club, was co-sponsored by the Canadian Opera Company. It hosted the ensemble of COC’s SIEGFRIED. Moderator was our vice-chair, Barry Hood Photo - Veronika Roux 2 TRISTAN UND ISOLDE Opera in Concert - Gesamtkunstwerk minus a few; opera as music without the furniture. Berlin Philharmonic, April 3, 2016 by Richard Rosenman There was a noticeable difference in animation of the In theory, at least, GKW places equal emphasis on principals. Our Tristan/Stuart Skelton, was reserved all its components. The history of recorded music in his movements, and so were Brangäne/Sarah disagrees. Shellac, vinyl and CD, shorn of all but Connolly, King Marke/Stephen Milling, and both music, seem to disagree. Kurvenal/Michael Nagy and Melot/Roman Sadnik. Opera in Concert, similar to the above in its Isolde/Eva-Maria Westbroek, on the contrary, was exclusion of all but music, does mix in, sometimes not recognizable after her physically tepid Elisabeth unconsciously, vestiges of other components with in the Met Tannhäuser. Here she exteriorized her varying degree of success. The singers often do enact emotions in an intense, unforgettable performance, what they are singing, convey emotions by their so much more affecting because unexpected of her. body language, especially if the ensemble of a One could not help but compare her positively to previously staged version is singing. (see YouTube Evelyn Herlitzius’ Bayreuth Isolde of similar video of Meistersinger at the Royal Opera House, intensity but with an unpleasant stridency. Eva-Maria 2010) Westbroek’s Elisabeth of the Met revival of For those offended by the irrelevant, or simply Tannhäuser put into evidence her shortcomings. wrong interpretations of the story, Opera in Concert There, her unsure handling of the heroine’s double is an ideal vehicle. Where music is the exclusive personality, a saint if not a sinner then a woman in ingredient together with the vocal and orchestral love, was palpable. Here, in contrast, she was in interpretation, they have all they need, the charge, stood up to the orchestra and to my delight, immediacy of performance without distraction of the characteristic beat/tremolo in her voice, then so such frequently irrelevant staging. Tristan and annoying, was no more of consequence. However, on Isolde, in particular, is a psychological thriller where a negative side, I did miss in her performance the most of the action takes place in the mind and/or the despair and the uncertainties of an Isolde of divided psyche of the participants so staging is often static by loyalties. Perhaps the lushness of the orchestra definition and should not be difficult to dispose of. condemned her to it. Stuart Skelton, unbowed to the end, commanded The April 3rd Tristan concert performance with the effortlessly every nuance the score demanded. His Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle once measured delivery unhesitating, sure, exploded with more was a revelation to such as I who never saw a feverish madness in Act 3. He showed his sure staged performance without being at odds with at command of the nuances, comfortably coursing from least some of the decisions of the hapless director. In piani to stentorian outbursts, from hope to the this gem of a concert hall, the Berlin Philharmonic highest pitch of despair. hall, a not sufficiently appreciated masterpiece of the Skelton’s Act 1 was an attempt at a stance which early sixties by East German architect Hans Sharoun, came out more as a stiffness and lack of ease than the Sir Simon gave us a symphonic - passionate, role’s built-in reluctance to give in to his emotions. romantic and extroverted-reading of a work that is In Act 2 again it is but a token, his expected passion rather introverted and often drowned in a melancholy seriously hampered by self imposed brakes and, of darkness. On this well illuminated stage in full view course, the ambivalence of concert performance - of the audience the orchestra, elsewhere most often how far to go in enactment that is, essentially, a buried in a pit, became part of the show and where “stand and deliver” kind of a show. Here show up the the individual singers, dressed in black would sit difficulties - it can be done when it is a dialogue but while idle, standing up to sing, were not the only not possible as in the example of the Melot - Tristan elements to command our attention. aborted duel, and so much more so in Act 3, when meant to be agonizing, Tristan is standing there hale 3 Photos - Berlin Philharmonic if tired. And, here in Act 3 the Sir Simon’s music making was full animation and passion come in to of crescendos, often too loud and make the suffering, both physical with too long pauses. The and emotional, so vivid and solos of English horn and oboe, to affecting in a man standing in a name just two, merited a special plain black suit. and separate applause at the end. Stephen Milling’s King Marke’s This was one of a two monologue which sometimes performance finale to a tour on defeats ones stronger than him, which Sir Simon took the sustained tender desolation and Philharmonic and the same singing disappointment. Stephen Milling ensemble to Baden-Baden for the continues to be one of the very few Easter Festival. These were fully owners of this role. staged performances, directed by Sarah Connolly was a supporting Mariusz Trelinski and received Brangäne in Act 1, however, the with less enthusiasm, than what I Eva-Maria Westbroek warning call in Act 2 lost much of saw in Berlin. its mystery and sense of A standing ovation is not as foreboding in the bright lights of common in Germany as it is here, the stage. She was level, calming nevertheless the Philharmonic and clearly articulate in Act 2 and orchestra received it. I joined them desperate in Act 3. without hesitation. Stuart Skelton Orchestra facing backstage part of auditorium Sir Simon Rattle, Stuart Skelton, Stephen Milling and Photos: Richard Rosenman Michael Nagy, taking a bow. 4 RICHARD STRAUSS WEEK * Deutsche Oper Berlin, April 6 -10, 2016 In one week, on five consecutive evenings, Deutsche Oper presented five Strauss operas, three of them, Salome, Elektra and Rosenkavalier, well known and frequently staged, and the remaining two, Die Liebe der Danae and Die Ägyptische Helena, rarely seen on world’s stages. All of the performances were revivals from the rich library of Deutsche Oper’s past performances, and most, if not all, not showing their age or loss of relevance. Following are accounts of four of them. by Richard Rosenman SALOME * April 6, 2016 When I embarked on this Strauss extravaganza, stand-ins for the living - e.g. Herod and Herodias this being Germany I expected a healthy dose of and mannequins for the secondary characters, Regieoper. I even devised ad hoc a Regie-meter to fitting extras in the horror film of her mind. Salome assign a degree in which a work hovers between the is a victim, beset by nightmares and innermost two extremes, a yawn inducing 1 among the terrors crowding her head. We meet the younger mayhem bent and 5 which would bring the Salome of nightmares in six stages of her life traditionalists into a state of near apoplexy. represented by six Salomes, ranging from small to To my surprise only one among the five works grown up, of increasing height and similarly might qualify and only for a 3 in my opinion, for dressed. They appear singly or in varied groups Salome does not really descend, or ascend with the mature Salome aside quietly watching. (depending on whose side you are) to that level. Salome, Allison Oakes, who replaces Catherine The reason? Granted that some elements have no Naglestad, is frail in body but strong in character. logical reason to be there but the director’s vision Towering Jochanaan, Michael Volle, in a forceful was clear to me from the beginning, not like some and unforgettable rendition, initially naked and other visions that have to be explained in detail to unyielding, flabby but impressive. It is a make sense or never do in the end. confrontation of innocence with the certainties of a prophet. He is central to the plot and in this revision Of the five works presented, Salome is the only of the original he certainly is seen, if naked in the one that could be considered controversial. The beginning to return later in a business suit, original play by Oscar Wilde only insinuates a past indistinguishable from all the others, including into which Claus Guth, (CG), the director, proceeds Herod, a point important to Mr. Guth. to delve. For CG, Salome is a parable of abuse, a Herod, Thomas Blondelle, is lanky, wiry, too young study of hysteria. And, his argument rings true, for for the mature Herodias, Jeanne-Michelle the music is not so much erotic (as is generally Charbonnet. He does not fit our image of him, of considered) but “monstrous and carnally obese, dissolute, morally corrupt.