After the Covid-19 outbreak, I was waiting for the re-opening of three theatres. One was the Teatro Real, which opened in July 2020 with a glorious Traviata, and the other ones were The Met (opening in September) and Bayreuth, which opens after a 2-year pause. Last summer, the Covid prevented the 2020 Festival, so a little concert was played on July 25. It supposed a terrible blow for Wagnerites worldwide, since to many of us, Summer means Wagner. And since its re-opening in 1951, after a 6-year pause due to the horrors of World War II, it has never been closed. So this return has something of historical too, even when the artistical level is not glorious at it used to be in '51. And to me, is a honor to celebrate my blog's 4th Anniversary commenting Bayreuth. Once again, thanks to the generosity of BR Klassik, 3sat and Deutsche Grammophon, the magic of the Festspielhaus' opening day has a global reach due to the live streaming, taking its magic to millions of homes worldwide. For the 2021 edition, Bayreuth returns with a new production of Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman), 120 years after its premiere in the Festival in 1901.
For this occasion, the Russian Dmitri Tcherniakov is the director. Known as the enfant terrible of the operatic stage, Tcherniakov takes Wagner's original story to turn it into a modern drama. The Dutchman is an accursed man, wandering since ages all over the world in the search of a woman who can redeem him. A tragic outlaw. In this occasion, the sea, an important element in the story, is not seen, but felt by the blue lighting suggesting it, as well as the fog. Familiar or friendly reunions in front of a table, and life in small communities, a constant presence in Tcherniakov's work, are visible here, since we see on stage the main square of a small town, whose houses move to recreate the streets, and chorus and characters sit into a table in most of scenes.
In this version, Dutchman is a modern outlaw, as the son of a woman having an affair with Daland. The Overture, shows the title "The strange and recurrent dream of H.", in which this story is shown: for having this affair, the woman is disowned by the community, and she kills herself in the presence of her son. Many years later, the Dutchman returns to his former village, now a mature man and determined to take his revenge.
Act I shows a bar, in which the sailors sing and drink, having a great fun. The bar shows a blackboard with the menu, and "No wi-fi" written in capital letters. The Dutchman, wearing sneakers, appears on stage, to be recognised by Daland. He sings his terrible aria having a drink with the few remaining sailors, listening overwhelmed his story. Nevertheless, Daland relents and gives him Senta in marriage, with the Steersman joining the celebration, but Erik has listened everything of it. Act II shows the main square, but the Spinning chorus is now an amateur singing one, no spine machines seen there and no knitting activity. Mary is the director of the chorus, conducting with a score in hand, like the female choristers. Senta is a rebel, unsociable, maybe spoiled young woman, ignoring everything around her. However, she has the hope to redeem the Dutchman, maybe an acquaintance from Mary as his portrait is and old photo taken by Senta from her bag. Erik appears as a cute, but clumsy character. The Senta-Dutchman duet is a dinner at Daland's house, and they sing it in the same table as Mary and Daland, who listen the couple while eating. Mary, in fact, seems more and more worried as the duet goes by. Act III show a big square, with a few houses in the right corner, suggesting we are in a boulevard close to the sea. The sailors celebrate the upcoming marriage and their arrival, but when Dutchman and his men appear, serious, menacing, unnoticing the party, they try to interact with them, but the mysterious crew answer with agressivity, even the Dutchman shooting two men. At the end, the houses burn, as Dutchman tries to leave Senta. The marriage may have been a farce to dishonor Daland as he did with his mother. At the end, Mary shoots the Dutchman to death, and after a nervous laugh, Senta comforts Mary as the curtain falls. Maybe, Mary guessed the Dutchman's intention and tried to prevent any suffering for Senta.
This performance is historical for another reason: for the first time, a woman conducts at Bayreuth. Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv, who had conducted this work in Barcelona years ago, has done an accomplished work. Her rendition is agile, vivid, with dramatical tension, and at the same time elegiac. The overture was brilliantly conducted, specially in the most intimate moments, like in the trombone solo after the fagot's one, with a slowness conveying a great sadness. The interludes were in some cases rapidly conducted, specially the one from Act 2 to 3. Some roughness could be noticed in the Ballad, in the style of Slavic conducting, like Gergiev last year in Tannhäuser. The redemption theme, both at the overture as in the finale, was a great moment, a beautiful rendition from the flute and then the strings, in slow tempi, showing the passage in all its beauty.
The chorus led by Eberhard Friedrich were at his usual high-class level. The Dutchman's crew was the best of all of them, singing off-stage. In their scary line "Ewige vernichtung, nimm uns auf (Eternal annihilation, take us with you)" they sang in a piano voice which gave real goosebumps. And they were powerful in their Act 3 scene. The rest of male and female sections were also excellent, both in the funny Spinning chorus and the great Act 3 scene.
Asmik Grigorian was the big star of this cast. Her Senta has been incredibly successful, due to her great singing and acting. Her lyrical voice, with a powerful sound and dramatic tone, linked to her extraordinary beauty, convey this production's portrait of Senta: an unfriendly teen, but with an interesting psychological profile, since she reveals a fragile side when moving in the duet with the Dutchman. Even when her voice could be lighter for Senta (showing some nasal sound in high register during the Ballad, as heard in the broadcast), her performance is brilliant.
John Lundgren is the Dutchman. A giant with impressive presence, his voice has a deep, dark remarkable tone, but also is able to sing almost in a recitative, soft way some of the lines, sometimes seeming unlistenable, conveying the most fragile, tormented side of the character.
Eric Cutler is Erik. His voice has a baritonal tone, but also able of a quite high register, but the voice seems light for the role, even weak, which deprives sometimes the character of his romantic charisma, being overshawed by Grigorian in the Act 2 duet. However, in this duet the singing was excellent, singing beautiful high notes though. A good actor, in Act 3 he sang well his aria.
Georg Zeppenfeld is a great Daland, exquisitely sung, with a beautiful and deep low register, as the amazing bass he is. Marina Prudenskaya is also an excellent Mary, with a velvet-like sound and beautiful low voice during her short role. Attilio Glaser sang and acted well the Steersman, a voice with a little touch of baritone sound in low register, but still a nice, lyrical tone, and portraying a funny character.
At the end, the audience burst in an outstanding ovation, they wanted to return so much. Nevertheless, the scenical team was booed, specially when Tcherniakov take a bow alone. Wagner's music needed to return to his Festspielhaus, and independently of the results, we Wagnerites are in a great luck to have Bayreuth Festival back. Let's hope the excellence is restored, not to leave again.
My reviews are not professional and express only my opinions. As a non English native speaker I apologise for any mistake.
Most of the photographs are from the internet and belong to its authors. My use of them is only cultural. If someone is uncomfortable with their use, just notify it to me.
Any reproduction of my text requires my permission.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario