|
Back
The Danube’s Gold Vienna
Staatsoper
05/28/2025 - & June 20*, 2025, May 19, June 6, 2026
Richard Wagner: Das Rheingold
Iain Paterson (Wotan), Martin Hässler (Donner), Jörg Schneider (Froh), Daniel Behle (Loge), Ilya Kazakov (Fasolt), Kwangchul Youn (Fafner), Jochen Schmeckenbecher (Alberich), Michael Laurenz (Mime), Monika Bohinec (Fricka), Regine Hangler (Freia), Anna Kissjudit (Erda), Ileana Tonca (Woglinde), Isabel Signoret (Wellgunde), Stephanie Maitland (Flosshilde)
Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper, Philippe Jordan (conductor)
Sven-Eric Bechtolf (director), Rolf Glittenberg (sets), Marianne Glittenberg (costumes), Friedrich Zorn (videography)
I. Paterson, D. Behle (© Wiener Staatsoper/Michael Pöhn)
A vocally excellent, scenically modest Ring seems to be the order of the day. Given that copious productions of a finite number of operas are presented worldwide at any given time, it follows that innovation, or even a fresh take on an old storyline, is rare. However, for the cerebral operas of Wagner, there are enough creative possibilities to inspire even moderately creative stage directors. Unfortunately, visual beauty and revelatory ideas aren’t in abundance for German director Sven‑Eric Bechtolf staging of Das Rheingold.
The opening scene featuring the three Rhine maidens was pleasant enough, given the lush green and blue dresses of the sirens in the not‑so‑tantalizing green waters of the Rhine. Gold‑coloured blocks of graphite starkly contrasted with the slippery rocks on which they stood. Jochen Schmeckenbecher, as Alberich, portrayed an appropriately greedy and unpleasant Nibelung. His gauche movements conveyed the slippery condition of the rocks. Likewise, his baritone was appropriately more harsh than beautiful. His clear diction was impressive; one could easily understand each word.
Scottish bass-baritone Iain Paterson is one of today’s leading Wotans. Admired last season as Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde in Vienna, Paterson’s voice is still impressive, though slightly diminished compared to earlier days. What little is lost vocally is more than compensated for dramatically. His Wotan immediately conveyed arrogance and dominance.
Heard last season as Mistress Quickly in Falstaff in Vienna, Slovenian mezzo Monika Bohinec impressed as Fricka, both vocally and dramatically. The modest dwelling of this divine couple, basically slabs of rocks, easily ascertains their desire to upgrade into Walhalla. Even a subsidized flat would have been a huge improvement.
The other gods, clad in white, looked like guests at an afternoon cocktail party. The only one who made an impression was the demigod Loge, aptly interpreted by German tenor Daniel Behle. With long reddish‑blond hair, he looked like Legolas, the Elf Prince, from The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001‑2003). Unlike the other gods, this Loge is as physically agile as he is crafty. Behle was by far the most charismatic of the royal household. He perfectly conveyed Loge’s cynicism through excellent acting and delicious phrasing. Regine Hangler had the required lush lyric soprano for the role of Freia. Her timbre was refreshingly beautiful and well‑suited to the role. She convincingly conveyed her terror of the Giants who held her hostage until Walhalla was paid for.
The descent into Nibelheim was done through a mine shaft, hardly an original image. The only striking image in Bechtolf’s Rheingold was his portrayal of Nibelheim. Michael Laurenz, who sang Mime, appears terrified atop metallic shelves, where the enslaved Nibelungen amass the gold they have mined. The gold is in the shape of a mannequin’s gold‑coloured body parts, an effective metaphor for enslavement. An exceptional actor, Laurenz was possibly the performance’s most striking character, so intense was his terror. Vocally, he had the perfect timbre for the role, a whining character tenor, which he used to perfection conveying Mime’s many flaws.
The transformations of Alberich, tricked by Loge and Wotan, were underwhelming. The transformation into a giant dragon was achieved by projecting a magnified black and white film of a snake, which was decidedly unspectacular. Transforming into a toad was represented by a frog on the head of Alberich, an entirely forgettable image.
Despite the brevity of the role, mezzo Anna Kissjudit made an impression as Erda, a role she had sung a few days earlier in the follow‑up of the Norse fairytale Siegfried in Milan. Heard a few months earlier as the witch Jezibaba in Rusalka in Berlin, the twenty-nine-year-old Kissjudit is a vocal phenomenon, reminiscent of Marilyn Horne in her prime. Like Horne, her tone is honeyed and her range vast; her low notes produce shivers and her high notes delight. As the role of Erda is entirely low lying, one could appreciate the mezzo’s rich Lowe register. Watch out for this young lady, she will be this decade’s leading mezzo/contralto.
The giants Fasolt and Fafner were ably sung by Russian Ilya Kazakov and South Korean Kwangchul Youn, both excellent basses with the requisite low notes. The giants were made tall using high sandals. Their supposedly terrifying appearance was achieved by using black rocks as outer shields. This awkward outer shell made them look like Bibendum, the Michelin Tire Man, more droll than terrifying. Kazakov managed to convey Fasolt’s tenderness whenever he referred to Freia. When paying the giants for building Walhalla, the gold brought by the Nibelungen was assembled into a giant golden mannequin that looked like Giorgio de Chirico’s take on Venus de Milo, a memorable image.
The passage of the gods to Walhalla was purely allegorical, simply achieved by changing the background colour into the colours of the rainbow. Those unfamiliar with the story would not have known that the gods had upgraded the house.
Despite a visually forgettable staging, this was a terrific orchestral experience. It’s true that few orchestras can compete with the Wiener Philharmoniker in Wagner. Though all the voices were either good or outstanding, the uncontested stars of the show were Philippe Jordan and his orchestra. The passage to and from Nibelheim, and the final passage to Walhalla were sublime moments of utter pleasure.
Ossama el Naggar
|
