Daniel Barenboim’s close collaboration with both La Scala and Staatsoper Unter den Linden has resulted a joint venture, which is a new production of Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen, apparently at the rate of one opera every season both in Milan and at the Schiller Theater. Although the production is going to be one for both theatres, casting differs. For example, Nina Stemme and Waltraud Meier sing Bruennhilde and Sieglinde in Die Walkuere in Milan, while Berlin will feature Irene Théorin and Anja Kampe.
Barenboim’s almost Furtwaenglerian large-scaled approach to the Ring is known through his Bayreuth performances released both in CD and DVD and it seems that the conductor tried to justify his second visit to the Nibelungs with a whole new different approach. Although Furtwängler himself has conducted a Ring at La Scala, one would believe that the maestro inspired himself in another German who has also tried his tetralogy there: Wolfgang Sawallisch (1973). This time, large scale are hardly the words that come to mind – the orchestral sound is rather chamber-like and clear, with beautiful textures and rather detailed phrasing in more lyric moments, especially when soft dynamics are involved. In more purely “Wagnerian” passages, things tend to lack some finish. Curiously, the performance is dramatically rather blank and, in spite of the lightness, tempi rarely flow. Probably because of the light-voiced cast, restrain seems to be the keyword, what impared many of the opera climaxes, especially Alberich’s curse, which really misfired here.
The main source of curiosity in this performance is René Pape’s first Wotan. The Dresdener bass has made a reputation out of Wagnerian roles such as King Marke in Lohengrin and the King Heinrich in Lohengrin, but, if I am not mistaken, this is his first Wagnerian Heldenbariton emploi. Although the tonal quality is noble and the attitude is stylish and knowing, Pape’s velvety voice does not seem really cut for the part. In this tessitura, his voice does not really sound large and his high register sounds a bit bleached, what gives a more tentative than commanding impression. His Alberich, Johannes Martin Kraenzle, is similarly out of his sort. He seems to know what Alberich should be like and is also a good actor (even if he looks old for the part), but he cheats in every high note and is often overwhelmed by the orchestra, even in its light-toned version. Stephan Rügamer is also light-toned for Loge – and his nasality is often bothersome – but this imaginative tenor sings with amazing tonal variety and an almost Mozartian dulcet quality that makes his character particularly insinuating. As always, he is a most gifted actor – certainly the singer who made most of the mechanical stage direction. Curiously, Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke’s voice proved to be more penetrating than his in the role of Mime. Maybe it is a bit late for Doris Soffel to tackle the role of Fricka – her vocal production is now a bit raspish. She is a subtle artist with intelligent word-pointing and some effective use of mezza voce, but one wants more vocal comfort. Anna Larsson lacked firmness as Erda and Anna Samuil (Freia) was rather metallic in tone if quite hearable in her flashy Slavic voice. The remaining minor roles were all ineffectively taken. Truth be said, the only singer truly at ease in this performance was Kwangchul Youn, whose Fasolt outclassed the remaining members of the cast.
To make things even less exciting, Guy Cassiers’s production is a series of misconceptions. The omnipresent ballet dancers making their distracting steps all over the place would make Wagner turn in his tomb. In any case, it made me feel like kicking them and their clueless choreographies off the stage. From a certain point on, all effects described in the libretto were replaced in a most unconvincing way by dancers doing their routines. Enrico Bagnoli’s sets are quite unsensational and oversimple. The whole concept turned around the use of water in the first scene, for a rather awkward impression, and, since it is not simple to dry the whole set, it remained wet to the end, the attempts to make that make sense even more pointless. The audience’s reaction was quite cold and it made me wonder if some things are going to be changed for next season’s prima, Die Walküre, which is going to need something more consistent than this.
I HEAR VOICES 
I was at the same performance on Saturday and there was more excitement on the streets outside than in the theatre.
I wonder whether the simplicity of the sets and conception is something to do with what presumably be the lack of stage facilities when the the Staatsoper will be temporarily in the Schiller Theater. Why has La Scala tied themselves in to such a compromised project?
Given some Regie productions narrative clarity is no bad thing but the basic Personenregie was often so inconsequential with the theft of the ring and Fasolt’s murder going for nothing. Froh and Donner just wandered around looking lost.
I found the balletic commentary very superfluous. Do we really need two dancers head butting each other to know that Fricka and Wotan were having a domestic row?
Pappano in London has demonstrated that a transparent finely balanced orchestra need not be at the expense of the overall span and drama. Barenboim presumably picked the cast and I wonder how his approach will work with the larger voices such as Stemme, Tomlinson and O’Neill in Walkure.
You know I couldn’t agree more about the disgraceful production, my friend… and to answer your doubts about Walkuere, well I wish they could sack the director.
Youn sang Fasolt, I assume. He was wonderful when I went to the dress rehearsal.
Have seen O’Neill in Rome’s Lied von der Erde in January, a bit overrated, and not such large a voice indeed.
Saw the production as a live telecast today in New York. Agree with your assessment entirely, though I think you were, if anything, too kind about the horrors perpetrated by the ever-present “dancers” (they looked far more like refugees from a bad Las Vegas revue). The director of the telecast seemed horrified by them as well, and did his best to minimize their presence and concentrate on the singers (which was a novel idea in this thoroughly overwrought and misconceived production).
Another advantage of the telecast was that its inevitable intimacy enhanced the characterizations and the drama in a way that made the “light” qualities of the orchestra and singing that you note seem far more acceptable. Ruegamer’s Loge, in particular, was captivating–and he seemed to have a special ability to understand the power of the camera.
I’m hoping this “Showgirls” approach to
Rheingold will disappear in time for Die Walkure, but I suspect this is Cassier’s grand statement about something whose meaning entirely escaped me.
I’ve never felt more like taking a shotgun to anyone as I did about the irritating and distracting ballet dancers. Without them, it would have been an extremely satisfying production, mainly musically. But the dancers spoiled it for me. At one stage Fricka pushes one of the dancers away. Pity she didn’t kick her. The whole point of the musical interludes was to allow the audience to listen to the descriptive music. It certainly didn’t need a group of ballet dancers waving their arms about. In a way, it was as if, as in Ariadne auf Naxos, two different productions had been booked at the same theatre at the same time. Wagner resisted ballet, but was forced to put ballet into the Paris production of Tannhauser. I hope that this is not the start of a Ring with the same director who continues the same concept throughout. Booo.
I hope that La Scala/Staatsoper Unter den Linden realise that the dancers did more than not pleasing every member in the audience, but in fact they infuriated every one of them. I wonder how the Tarnhelm scenes in Siegfried and Götterdämmerung are going to be staged… Brünnhilde will probably have the impression that Gunther is actually a group of people!
And Davide, yes, FASOLT. Thanks!
I have to say I liked the ballet dancers, or the idea of them at least. Although I have to admit, the opportunities for enacting symbolic gestures alluding to the characters subconscious (or whatever) were few and far between. Still, given that Wanger’s music drama’s do focus on the workings of the minds rather than superficial storylines, this type of idea should not be entirely discouraged.
Hallo, Torsten! I have to admit they I have a prejudiced view about ballet and Wagner operas, It is my _opinion_ that Wagner’s musical style and theatrical style do not fit what we normally refer to as “ballet”. First I must confess that I understand absolutely nothing about ballet. Second, ballet always suggests me something gracious. When it tries to suggest anything vigorous or violent, it always looks unconvincing to my untrained eyes, basically because the fact that there is a group of people performing similar steps together always seems to my eyes too neat and organized to be anything other than gracious.
The problem about ideas in performing arts is that they have no value if they do not work as performed. Maybe someone else could use this idea and make it work, but, as long as it is not working, it is just not a scenically valid idea and an experienced director would just know to tell the chaff from the wheat. As you said, the idea per se does not have to be discouraged, but one must work far harder than this “creative” team to make it work. Otherwise, they should just stick to what effectively works.
I would like to make an observation – I am not saying that there should no DANCE in a performance of an opera by Wagner, but I doubt that BALLET should be it, be it classical or modern ballet. For example, the Rhinemaids. They are supposed to be swimming and dance movements may suggest that. If I am not mistaken, the Karajan ring in Salzburg had dancers suspended by ropes while three singers were hidden somewhere else. A friend of mine saw it and found it effective – I would rather have singers themselves performing their movements, because, for my untrained eyes, their untrained movements seem more believable than professional ballet dancers’ studied steps. I will give you an example – I believe that Stephan Rügamer did a terrific job out of his dance-like movements. He is definitely not clumsy – they were finely performed – he integrated them into his acting and singing and the whole thing was helpful to create a sinuous, wayward impression of Loge, who is supposed to be different from the soon-to-be Walhalla gods (technically, Loki does not belong anyway to the “family” of which Wotan, Fricka and Donner are members).
The dancers aren’t ballet dancers, but comtemporary dancers… and so is the dance they are performing.
Of course you’re right, Anna. I used “ballet dancer” half as irony and half to show readers that they were not dancers as in Friedrichstadtpalast/Las Vegas casino-dancers.