Although I had bought Mark Elder’s Ring with the Hallé Orchestra when it was released, I actually only listened to it when a friend asked me my impressions of it in comparison to Jaap van Zweden’s set from Hong Kong. This was fortunate because I could read what I wrote then before Mr. Elder’s Siegfried’s act 3 in concert this evening with the Sinfonieorchester Basel featuring the same soprano and tenor as on CD.
At the time of its release, the Hallé Ring was singled out for its lack of connection to the world of theatre, and one could notice how much the conductor treated the orchestra as the main soloist, highlighting details and shaping perspectives in an almost finicky and not always dramatic way. This evening, the Basel Symphonic Orchestra too played with remarkable attention to detail, with beautifully articulated passagework from the violins, unusual balance between sections, even in the loudest moments and a sense of unrushed yet forward-moving pace. The brass section has its glitches, but all in all this was exciting, big, hallmark late romantic orchestral playing in extremely warm acoustics, what made it difficult for every singer to pierce through in their middle registers.
In a way, the fact that the conductor did not lighten the orchestral sound for his singers made this evening still more compelling. There was a sense of healthy “competition” between voices and instruments and their combination in climaxes was often thrilling. As mentioned above, one could miss the flair of theatre here too – and yet this felt refreshing in this music often abused in the name of drama (and maybe fatigue after two acts of athletic singing and playing).
I have an undying curiosity about Rachel Nicholls, whom I first saw singing Bach with Masaaki Suzuki in Kobe and then as Isolde with Daniele Gatti at the Théâtre de Chamos Elysées. In Paris, I found her singing youthful and effortless and even used the name of Frida Leider as a model (not as a comparison, for the legendary German soprano was incomparable). A friend commented that I was exaggerating, and that Ms. Nicholls distorted her vowels and lacked body in her middle and low registers. He wasn’t entirely wrong, but I thought I had reasons to be enthusiastic. Her singing in the Ring recording showed me a different story. There, I found some of her singing rather tremulous. Today in Basel, yes, one has to acknowledge that the voice is now quite vibrant (a bit too much so around a high f) but that’s less disturbing in the hall. It is now a basically very full sound though the whole range, the middle and low registers less exuberant yet true in color and high notes easy and ringing. In this concert, I thought her readier to soften the tone and produce some beautiful mezza voce than she would in the CDs. She capped the evening with a flashing high C and probably got the greatest share of applause among all soloists.
Simon O’Neill was very consistent with his work in the recording. The tone is Mime-ish, yet he doesn’t need to muscle up for the acuti due to the very brightness of the tone. Some of the most exposed high notes were actually quite exciting in natural radiance. While Ms. Nicholls tends to sing with a legato-ish line, Mr. O’Neill is a bit choppier and clearer in diction. He doesn’t go for the full-macho approach, what is always a relief in this music.
Wiebke Lehmkuhl was in excellent voice this evening, offering rich, dark, never harsh sounds in the contralto-end of her voice, and she delivered most of the higher-lying part of the music better than most. Derek Welton is not the most voluminous-voiced Wotan in the world, but his bass-baritone is focused and forceful, the phrasing clear. A highly commendable performance.
I HEAR VOICES 
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