WAGNER Die Walküre Thielemann
WAGNER Die Walküre
Christian
Thielemann, cond
Peter Seiffert
Siegmund
Georg Zeppenfeld
Hunding
Vitalij Kowaljow
Wotan
Anja Harteros
Sieglinde
Anja Kampe
Brünnhilde
Christa Mayer
Fricka
Staatskapelle
Dresden
C MAJOR
742904 (Blu-ray: 235:00) Live: Salzburg: 4/5–17/2017
Buy from:
This Walküre
was staged at Salzburg in 2017, but harks back to an earlier era. That year
marked the 50th anniversary of the Salzburg Easter Festival, and to commemorate
the occasion, the first production in the event’s history was re-created. So
what we have is the Karajan/Schneider-Siemssen with some slight adjustments for
modern times by director Vera Nemirova. The sets are essentially those of 1967,
with the glass screen backstage effects now achieved though computer
projections. The costumes have changed though (the new designs by Jens Kilian),
with the strictly abstract, neo-Bayreuth style of the original replaced by what
seems to be 60s mufti. So, for example, Vitalij Kowaljow wears a huge fur coat
as Wotan, but beneath is a 1960s business suit. Given the highly acrimonious
state of aesthetic politics when it comes to opera staging these days,
especially in Wagner, the whole project seems dubiously regressive, and if the
60s additions are designed to bridge the gap, they are a token gesture at best.
For act I, Hunding’s house is formed by the roots of
the ash tree, an impressive and imposing piece of stagecraft dominating the
Festspielhaus stage. Acts II and III have a more abstract setting, a ring set
on the stage and broken at the back with one arm raised—so that’s the mountain
peak on which Brünnhilde (Anja Kampe) is exiled at the end. The glass
paintings-turned-computer projection backdrops consist of a lot of smoke
effects in the first act, and later on a huge eye looking down on proceedings.
Beyond that, the physical props are minimal. The valkyries have impressive
feather-crested helmets, but ride hobby horses. Fricka (Christa Mayer) is flanked by two
rams—men with ram skull helmets—but her chariot is a beige easy chair that they
carry on for her. Once that has gone, there is very little on the stage for the
remainder of the opera. The Magic Fire follows the inner rim of the ring on the
stage, which isn’t very impressive, but is supplemented by a torchlit
procession of fallen soldiers over the final bars.
The musical side is more impressive, and the festival
has assembled a world-class cast, most of whom are on top form throughout. The
two leading ladies, both Anjas, give the finest performances, Anja Harteros as
Sieglinde and Anja Kampe as Brünnhilde. Harteros has a rich, sweet tone and
excellent vocal support, which Thielemann exploits for his steady tempos and
long lines. Kampe has a brighter sound, which is perfectly even, right up to
the top. The musical highlight here is act III, scene 1, for the Brünnhilde/Sieglinde
interactions, the two voices equally accomplished and both perfectly cast.
Peter Sieffert is on his way down—but from what
heights! He was 63 when this was filmed, and he still has all the vocal power
of his younger years. But the tone is more husky and lacks bloom. There is also
a wobble in the most taxing passages, like the act I finale. Even so, this is
still an impressive performance, and one that few of his younger rivals could
match. Georg Zeppenfeld is a reliable Wagner bass, but he seems miscast as
Hunding. Maybe I’ve just seen him too often as Pogner, Marke, and Heinrich, but
it is difficult to take him seriously as a bad guy. Nemirov has him groping
Sieglinde to demonstrate his menace, but the aggression in his voice is more
effective. Christa Mayer has an appropriately mature sound for Fricka, and
plenty of character in her voice. She is a good balance to Kowaljow’s Wotan,
whose voice is sufficient but not huge. All the words are there, and all the
emotions, but he can’t compete with Kampe, who completely dominates the final
scene.
Thielemann delivers a typically excellent account of
the score. His tempos are generally slow but always fluid, and skillfully communicated
to the singers. One big difference from the Karajan days of the Salzburg Easter
Festival is that the Berlin Philharmonic has decamped, now spending its Easters
at Baden Baden. But given the beautifully idiomatic performance here from the Staatskapelle
Dresden, few are likely to complain. The woodwind solos are particularly
elegant, though every section of the orchestra excels.
Given the huge stage, it is understandable that the
camerawork is mostly close-ups, but, apart from a few arty slow zooms, the
cameras are usually static, with unobtrusive editing. The surround sound on the
Blu-ray is good, giving a sense of space and depth to both the stage and the
pit. Subtitles are provided in German, English, French, Spanish, Italian,
Korean, and Japanese, suggesting that C Major are reaching out to a wide
audience with this release. It should find a receptive audience in all those
regions, though more for its musical virtues than its recycled visual
conception.
This review appears in Fanfare magazine issue 41:4
No comments:
Post a Comment