Germany Wagner, Das Rheingold: Soloists, Bayerisches Staatsorchester / Vladimir Jurowski (conductor). Nationaltheater, Munich, 31.10.2024. (ALL)
There was a special atmosphere at Munich’s Bayerische Staatsoper even before the opera began; the house was packed with an international audience discussing at length the merits of Ring productions in Zurich, Milan and Berlin, as well as previous productions in this very theatre. More than in Bayreuth or maybe everywhere else, Wagner’s music really matters in Munich.
We will see only the Prologue of this Ring this season, with the final three operas to be staged in following seasons and completed in 2027. But the tone is set by this fascinating Das Rheingold performed by the team of Vladimir Jurowski and Tobias Kratzer, who gave us such a strong reading of Mieczysław Weinberg’s The Passenger last season (review here). Just as last time, this is an original conception executed with great care and skill, and with genuine harmony between the dramatic staging and musical conception.
The Gods in this Rheingold are quite tired, materialistic, immature and lacking confidence. Alberich is presented as an apostle of nihilism, displaying Nietzsche’s aphorism ‘God is dead’ on the front of Cologne Cathedral. He appears weak before the Rhinemaidens, despised by the Gods and humiliated in a scene of striking violence when, returning defeated from Nibelheim, he delivers his curse stark naked.
But Kratzer also knows how to find unexpected and effective comedy counterpoints. One should not reveal them so that the spectator can enjoy the surprise, but just be aware the journey to and from Nibelheim does not happen as one might expect at all. Also, the Rhinemaidens are transformed in a truly unexpected and delightful way. (And likewise, I do not want to describe what happens during the quite magical appearance of Erda (Wiebke Lehmkuhl), but it is a superb idea that fits so well with the story and the music.)
There are many ‘conversations’ in Rheingold and numerous exchanges between all characters. The acting is subtle and the action is highly readable with a manipulative Fricka (Ekaterina Gubanova), Fasolt (Matthew Rose) and Fafner (Timo Riihonen) in clerical costumes both obsequious and dangerous, and many other nice touches.
There might be a few drawbacks. The stage is quite dark, and some important details are hard to see. Loge, such an important figure, feels under-characterized compared to the others (and did he really need to smoke that much?). But most importantly, the Nibelheim scene lacks grandeur. It takes place in a hangar where Alberich (Markus Brück) and Mime (Matthias Klink) pile up banknotes and automatic weapons. Certainly, Alberich is the only human, but the power he has gained through the Ring and the renunciation of love should be stronger. This is played down somewhat.
In the orchestra pit, Vladimir Jurowski surprised us in a repertoire which he is not yet known for in Munich. Certainly, he has shown his affinity with the music of Prokofiev or Shostakovich, and to a lesser degree to Mozart. His direction was full of care and without excessive haste. The orchestra, while knowing how to find great dynamic range, was careful not to overshadow the singers, reminding us of how he did the same in Die Fledermaus (review here). But most importantly, there was genuine attention to the score and woodwinds passages that revealed numerous details in a work we thought we knew well. His is a profoundly surprising, very convincing, and quite modern Wagner reading.
There are many role debuts in this production. If you love Wagner’s music and have not had the opportunity to hear Nicholas Brownlee, believe me, you will have many opportunities to appreciate him. He is probably the next great Wagner baritone of our generation. His voice is powerful with a beautiful line and excellent German. His performance was a revelation. Sean Panikkar has the vocal dimension that Loge requires. He may have less experience in this role but will undoubtedly deepen his understanding later. Markus Brück lacked a bit of power in the very difficult part of Alberich but compensated with an impressive theatrical performance. Wiebke Lehmkuhl was a wonderful Erda, her singing magical. The rest of the cast was of the highest quality overall – after all, we were in Munich.
This was an evening opera of the highest order, announcing a thrilling Ring which we await impatiently. Wagnerians near and far, you would do well to gather in Munich again next season.
Antoine Lévy-Leboyer
Featured Image: Bayerische Staatsoper’s Das Rheingold © W. Hösl
Production:
Director – Tobias Kratzer
Assistant Director – Matthias Piro
Set and Costume designer – Rainer Sellmaier
Lighting designer – Michael Bauer
Video – Michael Bauer, Jonas Dahl, Janic Bebi
Dramaturgy – Bettina Bartz, Olaf Roth
Cast:
Wotan – Nicholas Brownlee
Donner – Milan Siljanov
Froh – Ian Koziara
Loge – Sean Panikkar
Alberich – Markus Brück
Mime – Matthias Klink
Fasolt – Matthew Rose
Fafner – Timo Riihonen
Fricka – Ekaterina Gubanova
Freia – Mirjam Mesak
Erda – Wiebke Lehmkuhl
Woglinde – Sarah Brady
Wellgunde – Verity Wingate
Flosshilde – Yajie Zhang