Dependable singing solely partially redeems Stuttgart’s disappointing manufacturing of Götterdämmerung – Seen and Heard Worldwide

Germany Wagner, Götterdämmerung: Soloists and Refrain of Staatsoper Stuttgart. Staatsorchester Stuttgart / Cornelius Meister (conductor). Stuttgart, 16.5.2024. (DM-D)

Manufacturing:
Director – Marco Štorman
Set – Demian Wohler
Costumes – Sara Schwartz
Lighting – Henning Streck
Dramaturgy – Ingo Gerlach
Refrain director – Manuel Pujol

Solid:
Siegfried – Daniel Kirch
Brünnhilde – Christiane Libor
Gunther – Shigeo Ishino
Gutrune – Mandy Fredrich
Hagen (and Alberich) – Patrick Zielke
Waltraute – Christa Mayer
First Norn – Nicole Piccolomini
Second Norn – Linsey Coppens
Third Norn – Christiane Kohl
Woglinde – Eliza Increase
Wellgunde – Linsey Coppens
Flosshilde – Martina Mikelić

I got here to this efficiency with excessive hopes and expectations. Götterdämmerung was the spotlight of the various cycles of the magnificent early Eighties Ring at Deutsche Oper am Rhein, carried out by Peter Schneider. Berit Lindholm and Manfred Jung as Brünnhilde and Siegfried made the plot of obvious betrayal underneath the affect of Hagen’s poison so shifting it was nearly insufferable, and plenty of spectators had been in tears. I had seen Marco Štorman’s spectacular Bremen productions of Parsifal some years in the past, and of Tito fairly not too long ago (see evaluate right here). And I had attended Die Walküre in Stuttgart, carried out by Cornelius Meister, earlier than his Bayreuth look (he was scheduled to conduct Tristan und Isolde however stepped in for indisposed Pietari Inkinen for all the Ring in 2022). My expectations and hopes had been disillusioned.

The body for the manufacturing consisted, actually, of plenty of framed work impressed by Sascha Schneider (1870-1927), who grew to become recognized primarily for the work used as cowl illustrations for the novels of Karl Might. These work had been modified so as to add motifs from the Ring cycle, and relying on the scenes they had been utilized in, they modified dimension. They had been introduced on by the Norns and later the Rhinemaidens in packing containers usually used for props and carried round randomly by the characters roughly on a regular basis. Brünnhilde and Siegfried inhabited a big however crumbling constructing with just a little veranda by the entrance entrance. The place the place Hagen, Gunther and Gutrune lived appeared like a plenary corridor, with microphones and seating in a semicircle. We noticed this with a frontal view and from the again for various scenes. The Norns appeared just like the Rhinemaidens, in gray, ill-fitting physique fits. Brünnhilde wore a timeless tunic, Gunther a cheap-looking, pink go well with, along with a blonde wig. Siegfried placed on this outfit to turn out to be Gunther’s lookalike and didn’t grow to be his actual self by way of garments till after his loss of life.

The Siegfried of this manufacturing was under no circumstances heroic, in any attainable manner. He was not childlike, or infantile both. He was persistently imbecile and annoying, even earlier than he modified outward look to turn out to be Gunther. How may any girl love this creature? What was Brünnhilde’s love for this particular person meant to inform us about her? Their love was an altogether unromantic, arbitrary, inexplicable thriller. In consequence, the risk to that love, central to the opera’s plot, by no means existed. Daniel Kirch was very courageous to play Siegfried on this manner, thus exhibiting loyalty {and professional} dedication. He sang his 2022 Siegmund with nice warning; his voice has developed properly since then, however just a little an excessive amount of of the carefree nature of the characterisation in all probability spilled out to the singing: whereas supported by a sound center vary, for the upper vary, representing a lot of the exuberance of the phrases and the motion,  Kirch resorted too incessantly to crossing the bridge between singing and shouting.

Christiane Libor coped properly with the large a part of Brünnhilde. Her voice was sturdy throughout all registers and pitch. At occasions it took only a second too lengthy for her to gauge the present quantity of the orchestra and to regulate her voice to it in order to attain steadiness and concord. As soon as she had achieved that steadiness, she maintained it till the tip of the part at hand – solely to need to reengage in the identical course of once more for the following of her passages. That remark reveals a significant disadvantage of Meister’s conducting for this efficiency: he appeared to have a lot to do to get his concepts throughout to the orchestra and to maintain their enjoying in stream that he didn’t have the capability to attune his music to the wants of the singers as properly. The orchestra’s enjoying, particularly among the extra uncovered materials from the brass, steered an off day on a bigger scale. As within the 2022 Walküre, Meister relished the large sounds, which sounded broad, grand and spectacular. For Götterdämmerung, subtlety was missing, as was differentiation, for instance of the motifs within the Immolation Scene.

Christa Mayer had arrived on the day of the efficiency to face in for an indisposed colleague as Waltraute. She sang the half very convincingly, drawing on her huge expertise, together with Bayreuth. Shigeo Ishino and Mandy Fredrich made probably the most of their roles of Gunther and Gutrune. Oddly, Meister interpreted the fermata regarding Siegfried’s query ‘Gunther, wie heist Deine Schwester’’ / Gunther, what’s your sister referred to as’ not merely as a caesura, however as a request for the orchestra to cease enjoying altogether. Gunther scratched his chin, shook his head, thought lengthy and laborious and when the orchestra lastly resumed enjoying, he had fortuitously remembered his sister’s identify and replied ‘Gutrune’

Patrick Zielke sang each Hagen and Alberich – whose voice Hagen hears in his sleep. A intelligent directorial concept, this, and Zielke was capable of distinguish between the 2 characters each in the best way he performed Alberich as a part of Hagen’s dream, as if possessed, and by singing in distinct baritonal mode for Alberich – and with a very darkish bass voice for Hagen.

For the ultimate curtain name, the orchestra had come on to the stage. Oddly, the curtain was not raised correctly, solely among the orchestra had been seen, orchestra and conductor acquired some booing, Meister walked forward to the entrance of the stage lifting the curtain up himself to get by, the curtain was raised abruptly for an additional few inches, then stopped, there was hardly any stage mild on the orchestra for all this, the curtain fell and the home lights got here on fairly quick and absolutely, ending the applause there after which. I think this was not an act of sabotage however a real tools failure, although it was according to among the issues of the manufacturing on this night.

Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe