WAGNER Siegfried Jaap van Zweden Hong Kong PO
WAGNER Siegfried
Jaap van Zweden, cond; Simon O’Neill
(Siegfried); Valentina Farcas (Forest Bird); Heidi Melton (Brünnhilde); Deborah Humble (Erda); David Cangelosi (Mime); Matthias Goerne (Wanderer); Werner Van Mechelen (Alberich); Falk Struckmann (Fafner); Hong Kong PO
NAXOS 0069 (Blu-ray audio: 241:58)
Live: Hong Kong 1/6–25/2017
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Jaap van Zweden’s Hong Kong Ring cycle continues apace, a flagship
project for Naxos and a boost too for the Hong Kong Philharmonic’s
international standing. When the project was launched, with Rheingold in 2013, it was a victim of
bad timing, coinciding with a far superior version, also from concert
performances, from Simon Rattle and the Bavarian Radio Symphony (BR Klassik
900133). But no cycle followed from Munich, and since then, Ring recordings have been few, at least
audio versions. The Naxos cycle also has an almost unique selling point of
being in high-definition surround sound—in Blu-ray audio, the preferred format
of Naxos over SACD—and the results fully justify the technology. The
interpretation and casting are good, although neither stands comparison with
the historical best, and views on the lead singers are likely to come down to
personal taste.
Everything about this
performance speaks of careful preparation and investment of time. German opera
house orchestras have dominated the recent Ring
discography, especially on DVD, but the Hong Kong Philharmonic is clearly a
different ensemble. They don’t have the burnished string tone or the warmth
from the woodwinds of a Central European Ensemble, though the brightness and
clarity they offer instead is a bonus, even if it leads to a slight sense of
detachment from the drama. The string sound, while usually secure in ensemble,
can be thin, especially with the violins in the top register, leading to a
transparency in the tutti textures—impressively clear but occasionally
uninvolving. Zweden, for his part, gives a measured but fluid reading. Tempos
are generally mid-range to slow, though he always builds impressively to climaxes.
He communicates well with the singers, offering generous supporting textures,
but also reigning in any rubato excesses. All round, a real ensemble
performance then, meticulously prepared and well presented.
The cast is a curious mix of
Wagner veterans, relatively new names, and, in the case of Matthias Goerne’s
Wanderer, a Lieder singer branching out into pastures new. In fact, Goerne has a reasonable track record
with Wagner, having sung Wolfram, Amfortas, and Kurnewal onstage, but he still
sounds like a Leider recitalist seeking for the vocal weight and dramatic
presence required to bring the role off. His sound is more volume than heft,
big on character but lacking in gravitas, and with a hazy quality that you
either love or hate. His diction is excellent though, and he fits well into the
ensemble. Simon O’Neill is a similar case as Siegfried. For all his undeniable
musical qualities, the most apparent trait—or flaw, depending on your
perspective—is his plumy English accent (though he is actually a New
Zealander). He is a very lyrical Siegfried, too lyrical perhaps, as he often
sounds Italianate in his rounded, florid phrasing. But he has plenty of Wagner
on disc already, so buyers will know where they stand.
The rest of the cast is less
controversial and generally very fine. David Cangelosi is an articulate Mime,
mildly sinister and certainly not caricatured. Werner Van Mechelen is a little
hollow-sounding as Alberich, but hardly to a fault. Falk Struckmann probably
counts as luxury casting here as Fafner. He is not as profundo as some, but he’s still ominous. Deborah Humble has a very
young-sounding voice for Erde, and struggles with some of the lower notes. She
has a heavy vibrato too, that sometimes sounds labored. Brünnhilde isn’t a huge
role in this opera, but Heidi Melton makes the most of it. Her tone is a little
thin at the top, but all the notes are there, and she and Simon O’Neill bring
the third act to a suitable passionate conclusion.
The surround sound is
involving, though it does the orchestra more favors than the cast. By accident
or design, the anvil in the Prelude appears at the back left of the soundstage,
just as the libretto specifies. There are some thunder effects, which seem pasted
on, though they probably worked better live. The timpani dominates the center
channel and sounds more closely miked than most of the orchestra. The singers
occasionally seem distant: Siegfried, for example, seems to begin offstage,
coming towards the microphone for his first entry, and, as the Forest Bird,
Valentina Farcas, seems to be positioned behind the orchestra or in some other
remote spot stage left. She sings well, but the recording doesn’t do her
justice. The orchestra, however, is afforded a spacious setting, all the more
welcome given that most DVDs of staged Wagner operas don’t explore their
surround sound capabilities for the back of the pit. The Hong Kong Cultural
Centre Concert Hall seems to have a fairly dry acoustic, so there isn’t much
going on in the rear speakers.
An impressive, if not
exceptional, Siegfried then, from
Jaap van Zweden and his Hong Kong forces. Unless you’re a diehard Goerne fan, you’re
unlikely to seek it out for the cast, but Zweden’s detailed reading, along with
the quality of the orchestral playing and the audio elevate the project, and auger
well for the Götterdämmerung to come.
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