Opera Japonica/Archives/Letters from Vienna, 2000

Jeremy Wance's Letter from Vienna 2000-2001

October 2000

Situated deep in the south of Austria is the city of Graz, capital of the state of Styria, it is an ancient seat of power that prides itself on its rugged spirit of individualism. Graz has escaped the superficiality of the tourist trade and provides a true glimpse into Austrian culture. All of this does not mean to imply, however, that Graz is in any way artistically backward. Rather, its University of Music and Performing Arts contains the only jazz department in central Europe, and its opera is known for innovative productions and the striking beauty of the house itself.

This spirit of innovation was certainly in full view as the season opened with Götterdämmerung, the final opera of Wagner's tetrology Der Ring des Niebelungen. Presented this season along with the penultimate work, Siegfried, it is meant to be a final run of the cycle, which began last season with Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, that will culminate in two separate presentations of the entire cycle this season.

The entire cycle is a new production by Gisbert Jäkel, with costumes by Anna Eiermann. Some complaints were heard from the public when it was premiered last season, for the simple reason that the old production was much-loved and not particularly worn. However, this new production promises to be interesting, at least, with its view of the ancient legend through more modern eyes, attempting to remove the epic grandeur of Wagner's work and replace it with a sense of humanity and relationships.

The audience see Siegfried and Brünnhilde in their sitting room. Hagen, Gunther and Gutrune inhabit a large conference room with the air of a family business, a sort of Gibichung, Inc. Hagen is seen as the stoic leader, with Gutrune the unintelligent sex object and Gunther portrayed as careless and egotistic. The real players in this drama are Hagen and Brünnhilde, with the rest stumbling blindly towards their fate. Alberich is also given a large stage present in this production, at times leading the action. It is he that takes Siegfried to the Rhinemaidens in the hope that they will be able to coax the ring from his finger.

With Hagen's murder of Siegfried, the roll towards fate is unstoppable. Brünnhilde takes her place at the center of the drama as she begins the Immolation Scene garbed in black. However, this version offers some interesting twists. At the line 'Vollbringt Brünnhilde's Wunsch!' ('Fulfill Brünnhilde's wish!') the aged and decrepit Wotan is wheeled onstage, still clutching the shards of his spear. Brünnhilde is allowed to address him directly, though he is completely unresponsive, until she finally pronounces 'Ruh, Gott,' ('Rest, god'). She orders Wotan removed and goes to Siegfried. Removing the ring from his finger, she tosses it across stage and, instead of leaping into flames, simply pulls the house curtains shut. Hagen enters on the House side and seeks a way in. Finally he crawls beneath the curtain as the music continues. The curtain opens to a completely bare stage, save for the body of Hagen with Alberich standing over him. A typical European cleaning woman enters upstage and begins to sweep up. Alberich takes the ring from the dead Hagen's hand and walks forward to edge of the stage, dropping it into the orchestra pit. He turns sharply and walks up the entire length of the stage, opens the great stage doors and walks out into the street beyond. The ending truly retains its power, even if the preceding drama seems at times somewhat trite. After the entire enterprise of the gods has collapsed and been destroyed, humanity is left with a clean stage with which to begin anew.

Musically, the performance was surprisingly strong. George Gray was uneven as Siegfried, but he possesses a voice of power and beauty that he can summon if and when he wishes. Otherwise the tone decays and the top notes are mere attempts. Gabriele Maria Ronge has a large spinto voice which she uses intelligently. Hopefully she will refrain from undertaking the heavy Wagner roles in larger houses. As Graz is small, it was always possible to hear her, though fatigue took its toll as the opera played on. This was her first Brünnhilde, so one would expect that given time the role will settle into the voice. The baritone Bjorn Waag handled the dual roles of Gunther and Alberich quite well, if the acting did at times seem a bit over-the-top.

Disappointments included Stefanie Kopinits as Gutrune. The unfortunate overacting required gave her little chance to simply sing, so her portrayal was chopped into small, frenetic bits. Also inexplicable was the casting of Ortrun Wenkel as the First Norn/Waltraute. There was simply no voice to speak of.

A real find in this production was Hans Sisa as Hagen. A dark bass-baritone voice of sizable proportions allowed him to command the stage through the thickest of Wagner's orchestration. Also, in the relatively small roles of the Third Norn/Woglinde, the audience was treated to the young Martina Unden. Hers is a sizable but bright soprano voice that should mature into a lovely instrument.

Ulf Schirmer presided over the Grazer Philharmonisches Orchester with great dignity and feeling. The brass section was particularly solid. A wonderful treat. The less said about the woodwinds, however, the better.

If it is a daunting task to stage a new production of Wagner's Der Ring des Niebelungen not all that far removed from the Master's home, then it must be exponentially more difficult to produce Mozart's Die Zauberflöte in an opera house not a kilometer from the house he lived in. Such was the task given to Marco Arturo Marelli by the Vienna State Opera.

Unfortunately, Signor Marelli has done nothing to aid Mozart or Schikaneder with this new production. While he is forced to yield to tradition at times, he seems surprisingly intent on stripping the masterpiece of its greater elements. The audience is given a stark, white cube to frame most of the action. The forces of evil are dressed in black, those of good in white. Despite clever stage machinery, the set projects neither grandeur nor exoticism. However, there are interesting aspects, including a very large and dramatically-pleasing dragon, as well as a backdrop that includes, at the right moments, the glowing eyes of the Queen of the Night. From a dramatic point of view, there is nothing new to comment on. Rather, one must comment on the singer's valiant attempts to overcome the obstacles provided them by the production. Indeed, the final scene is nothing but a free-for-all.

Musically the production worked better. However, the conductor, Dietfried Bernet, seemed excruciatingly intent on reducing the dramatic power of the music. Arguably, he produced a more detailed and accentuated reading of the score in tandem with the famed orchestra of the 'Oper', but the singers were never allowed to simply let loose and do what they have been trained for. Ensembles constantly met his upraised hand. Mozart is not Grand Opera, but this isn't a parlor production either. That hand could have been more effectively utilized to synchronize the singers with the orchestra, a problem that plagued the performance, or to allow the singers the freedom to shape a line.

Some of the singers did manage to make strong impressions. Not least of all was the bass Eric Halfvarson, who commanded the stage at his every entrance. His is a dark and mysterious tone, a Schwarzbass in timbre if not in the implied low reaches of range. The young Diana Damrau made her debut at the Staatsoper in the role of the Queen of the Night. She alone defied what seemed to be an edict against drama to portray the Queen as vengeful, bloodthirsty and slightly deranged. Frau Damrau is yet quite young, but her brilliant vocalism even elicited applause from some members of the orchestra.

The character that seemed to hold the opera together was Pamina, as portrayed by Ruth Ziesak. With a bright and attractive instrument, she lent great beauty of tone to her arias. Rainer Trost as Tamino displayed a clean and lovely lyric sound except in some occasions at the top of the voice, when the tone became somewhat pinched. Paul Armin Edelmann (nephew of the great Wagnerian, Otto Edelmann) acted the role of Papageno successfully. When he could remember to sing a legato line, he made a favorable impression with his light baritone. Otherwise, he allowed his vocal contribution to become more of a supporting role. Among the smaller roles, Reinhard Alessandri as the First Priest made a successful debut at the Staatsoper. Katalin Halmai gave a comical Papagena, and John Dickie an unremarkable Monastatos. The three boys of the Vienna Boys Choir did the best they could to handle a great deal of stage action and unfortunate placement to keep up with the orchestra. They didn't always succeed, but that's opera.

November 2000

Waltraud Meier as the Princess Eboli in Don Carlo at the Vienna State Opera

Photo: Vienna State Opera

In November I attended performances of Fidelio and Don Carlo at the Vienna State Opera as well as Le nozze di Figaro at the Grazer Oper. Each performance presented some wonderful young talent coupled with performances by tried-and-true singers.

At the Vienna State Opera production of Beethoven's Fidelio, the audience was greeted by the large, sonorous, dark-timbred, classically beautiful bass voice of Franz-Josef Selig as Rocco. Falk Struckmann, as Don Pizarro, embodied his role both vocally and dramatically. His voice is somewhat slimmer than that of Herr Selig. It has the color of a bass-baritone and the ability to slice easily through the orchestration with a sinister growl that makes his characterization even more believable. There was no doubt from the beginning that Don Pizarro is evil, though I was almost sorry to see him led off the stage in the finale. I would have welcomed the chance to hear more of him.

Gösta Winbergh as Florestan in Fidelio at the Vienna State Opera

Photo: Vienna State Opera

Gösta Winbergh's Florestan was a true delight. Although he doesn't appear until well into the opera, Florestan must immediately open with the challenging aria 'Gott! Welch dunkel hier'. The first word began as a tiny falsetto tone and crescendoed seamlessly into a full cry that embodied the character's suffering. His singing in duet with Leonore was also majestic. Finally, Geert Smits as Don Fernando, gave a solid reading of a small, but important, role. The Jacquino of Herwig Pecoraro was not particularly effective, though occasionally comic.

Last month I reviewed Gabriele Maria Ronge as she debuted the role of Brünnhilde in Götterdämmerung at the Grazer Oper. This month, Vienna audiences were given the chance to hear her debut the role of Leonore. Frau Ronge's voice is one that I am fond of and she is artistically and dramatically compelling. The voice is lush and at times powerful, particularly in the upper-middle and in the top register, where she can float some lovely notes. This was particularly in evidence as she unlocked the chains of Florestan, a beautiful and very moving moment. However, I have some trepidation over the number of dramatic roles she is now undertaking. I am not convinced that her voice is ready for them. This is not to say that she did not give fine performances as Leonore and as Brünnhilde in Götterdämmerung. However weakness in her lower register and through the passagio indicates that her voice is still to be considered more of a spinto than a dramatic soprano. I do not know what her future engagements are (apart from the coming Graz Ring Brünnhildes), but I hope that she is not making a complete transition into the dramatic fach.

The production was less than pleasing dramatically. The old and rather ordinary set design was by Günther Schneider Siemssen with emotionless staging by Otto Schenk. Nevertheless Struckmann and Winbergh succeeded in presenting believable and intriguing characterizations. The orchestra, directed by Leopold Hager, presented a reading of the opera that was subtle when called for and brazen when wanted. The Leonore Overture in the middle of the evening brought the performance to a halt when the audience demanded the recognition of the orchestra.

The performance of Don Carlo was similar to Fidelio in that it again presented a wonderful palette of male voices and some good, if not entirely pleasing, female characterizations. There are at least four different versions of this opera, each containing or deleting certain parts, or entire acts, of the opera. As performed here, the entire 'Fontainebleau' act is deleted, and therefore the action begins without some very important background details.

One of my chief reasons for seeing this production was to hear the young tenor Keith Ikaia-Purdy. He has recently been hailed by opera aficionados, some of whom hope to see him eventually graduate into the Wagner repertory. After hearing him in Vienna, however, I must say that I doubt that undertaking such heavy roles would be in the best interest of his voice. It is a very fine instrument of lyric-spinto force. This force is not contained in baritonal weight or color but rather the ability of the voice to cut through the orchestra. It is a svelte and compact voice that is bright and attractive, but the lower range is a bit weak, which would be a problem were he to take on the more heroic tenor roles. However, the top is powerful and impressive. He is a fine, musical and dramatic artist, and one that I hope to see much more of in the future.

The King Philip of Roberto Scandiuzzi was an excellent portrait presented by a fine artist. Vocally, he is perfect for this role, possessing a dark bass-baritone with good top notes. There were a few places in the middle of the voice where the sound became a bit wooly, but it was not due to a flaw in the voice but rather attributable to a momentary lack of intensity of production, and it vanished when the singing became more dramatic.

Equally majestic was the baritone Carlos Alvarez. Attractive and compelling onstage, he should be counted among the finest of the young baritones on the international scene today. Add the Frate of Goran Simic, and the Grand Inquisitor of Kurt Rydl, and there was a perfect male cast for this opera. I doubt it could be bettered by any other opera house in the world. The two female leads failed to truly impress in this performance. As Elisabetta di Valois, Miriam Gauci displayed an attractive lyric instrument that never seemed to come together. It is not terribly powerful, but a voice needn't necessarily be powerful to fill a hall with beautiful sound. She could take a lesson from Dame Kiri Te Kanawa in this aspect. The many floated pianissimi that are expected in this role seemed to drop at the foot of the stage.

Though greatly cheered by the audience, the Eboli of Waltraud Meier was marred. She had been forced to bow out of the previous performance due to respiratory problems, and a cloud still hung over her. Her vocal stamina was limited, and 'O don fatale' showed her to be near the end of her voice. Contributing to the problem may be her recent switch of fachs. In the space of a month she has been heard as Eboli, Isolde and Ortrud. Is she a dramatic mezzo or a dramatic soprano on a given night? She was still in a soprano mode during her performance of Eboli. The lower voice was weak for a dramatic mezzo and the upper notes were brighter than expected. A good voice possessed by a good dramatic actress, but frustrating to hear at this point.

The fine musical direction was under the baton of Janos Kulka. The production, by Pier Luigi Pizzi, was unremarkable with unattractive scenery and sometimes incomprehensible costuming. Vivid colored dresses were worn that would never have been seen in this opera's time period.

Graz is seen by many as a transition point for artists who have begun working in smaller houses but who are now advancing through the ranks to greater things, keenly aware that they are under scrutiny! The Graz production of Le nozze di Figaro was by Christof Loy, now enjoying a fast-growing reputation for insight and dramatic clarity. Having begun his work in the smaller houses, he is now being called upon by Covent Garden and the Bayerischen Staatsoper in Munich to direct productions. Together with fine costumes and economical scenery provided by Herbert Murauer, Loy presented a finely-honed, multi-faceted dramatic palette. The production was, by turns, magnificently comical, wonderfully tender, completely enraging, and always deeply-felt.

Loy was aided by the fine musical leadership of Wolfgang Bozic and by perfect choices in casting. Miguelangelo Cavalcanti, the Count Almaviva, is a fine young baritone who is building his repertory in preparedness for calls from larger houses. He has a fine baritone voice of some size and tonal beauty, and is very good looking. His Count was cunning and just a little sinister. Also stunningly beautiful onstage was Rosella Ragatzu as the Countess. Still obviously quite young, she has a lush lyric instrument that she uses beautifully. I would like to have heard more perfectly produced pianissimi, but I delighted in her tenderness. She is already enjoying success in houses such as La Scala, Bologna, Paris and Venice, which I expect will continue. Her Countess was both regal and despairing.

As Susanna, Oxana Arkaeva presented a voice of even beauty and a characterization that was both lovable and worldly-wise. Figaro, was the Bulgarian baritone Evgueniy Alexiev, who was called upon for numerous acts of physical comedy that left the audience wondering how he came out of it all alive. He has a slim and attractive baritone voice. The high-point of the evening, however, was the Cherubino of Mariselle Martinez who has obviously done her homework in this role and she was delightful to watch. Her 'Voi, che sapete' stopped the show with its tenderness and her comic misadventures were hilarious.

In the smaller roles, Manuel von Senden was a delightfully eccentric Basilio. Natela Nicoli a savvy Marcellina, Janusz Monarcha a beautifully-voiced Bartolo, Gerhard Hochschwendner a deeply confused Antonio, Camillo dell'Antonio a stuttering Don Curzio, and Sabina Cvilak a very cute Barbarina. All told, it was a fine cast.

Next month in Vienna promises the premier of Roberto Devereux with Edita Gruberova and Carlos Alvarez, Elektra with Gabriele Schnaut and Hanna Schwarz, and Die Frau ohne Schatten with the sensational American soprano Susan Anthony, while Graz will present Il barbiere di Siviglia.

December 2000

December in Vienna provided a large number of choices for Wagner and Strauss lovers, as well as the premiere of a new and controversial production of Donizetti's Roberto Devereux with Edita Gruberova in the role of Queen Elizabeth. With sets and costumes by Helmut Stürmer and stage direction by Silviu Purcarete, the production of Roberto Devereux, specially mounted as a vehicle for Gruberova, evoked strong reactions.

Donizetti's opera casts the aging Elizabeth I of England in a deep struggle between her duty to her country and her personal love for Roberto Devereux. The production team chose to highlight these struggles by creating a set in which the Queen could be viewed as either a performer in the unfolding drama, or as a spectator in its unfolding. The set consisted of opera boxes arranged tier-on-tier as an extension of the actual auditorium of the Staatsoper. These boxes, as well as the stage itself, were often populated with chorus members dressed as London businessmen, complete with black topcoats and bowlers, in contrast to the period costumes worn by Gruberova and stylized ones worn by the other characters.

The duty of the almost ever-present chorus was to heighten the feeling that the Queen's actions were under constant scrutiny by the court and the people. Thus viewed, Elizabeth's tension, anger and guilt follow naturally from her inability to escape what her most important role, that of a strong figurehead, highlighted by the appearance of ten exactly matched, extremely mechanical 'clones' of herself. This opera can be seen as a protracted mad scene, reaching its climax at the end as Elizabeth, having sentenced her beloved Devereux to death, strips herself of her jewels and wig, revealing a deeply disturbed, aging woman who declares that she no longer wishes to reign or even to live.

Meanwhile, the entire set splits, revealing an enormous glass and steel statue of Elizabeth as the royal sovereign. Stark indeed! In premise, this is a very vivid and meritorious concept. However, in practice, there were a number of completely inexplicable decisions made that provoked audible comment from the audience: for example, the appearance of SIX butchers in bloody smocks each wielding a large axe in order to carry out Devereux's execution. The ever-present chorus was also an irritant at times. Why exactly were they dressed in turn-of-the-century garb? Why did they function as one stilted, choreographed unit?

Edita Gruberova reigned supreme over the evening with a voice of great power, beauty and agility. Waves of refined sound poured into the auditorium, accompanied by lithely agile coloratura and supple piani capped by an E-natural which garnered a tumultuous wave of 'bravi!' from the audience. Stunning also was her characterization of the Queen as a strong-mettled, but very mannered , aging woman. At times the mannerism was a bit too exaggerated, reminding me of Bette Davis's performance in the movie The Virgin Queen, and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, which has a story similar to that of the opera. The problem was not that the characterization was wrong, but rather that it became so enveloping that it affected Gruberova's vocal production. Again, not a concept that I am opposed to, but I would not wish to hear a simple audio recording of this performance, because the auditory aspect could not be separated from the visual aspect in this production.

Another surprise was Enkelejda Shkosa as Sara, wife of the Duke of Nottingham and lover of Roberto Devereux. Hers is truly a magnificent voice which I resist classifying as simply a mezzo-soprano, as she effortlessly covered the entire vocal terrain and produced lush and powerful sound. Her acting was not as convincing, though hindered by the chosen cuts in the score. The Duke of Nottingham, Carlos Alvarez withdrew from the premiere due to illness, but attempted to sing this performance. However, from his first utterances it was clear that he was struggling. An announcement at the intermission explained that he had been seen by a doctor but he would attempt to sing the rest of the performance. He proceeded to do so and at times was able to make the audience forget his problems, though he found the demanding duet with the Duchess difficult and opted to transpose some sections down an octave. Nevertheless, he was received warmly by the Viennese, of whom he is a favorite by merit of his slim-but-velvety baritone and dramatic vigor.

Ramon Vargas, also recovering from a slight cold, took some time to warm up both vocally and dramatically. The audience was presented for part of the performance with a small, dry and somewhat nasal tone and uninspired acting. However, by the time he was to face his execution he was in possession of a fine liquid line and a svelte tone reminiscent of Alfredo Kraus. Among the opera's smaller roles, the slight Cosmin Ifrim presented a promising young tenor voice and David Cale Johnson a firm Raleigh. Hiroyuki Ijichi sang well enough as a page and a confidant of Nottingham, but his Italian diction was strongly accented.

Marcello Viotti was greeted with boos and shouts of 'Too fast!' in Italian from a few of the audience members, but also with a counter wave of bravi as he led the orchestra of the Staatsoper in what was to me a finely-paced rendering that showed the orchestra in good ensemble and playing with heightened precision.

When compared to the new production of Roberto Devereux, the aged production of Der Fliegende Holländer was serviceable, but not much more. It seemed to produce a sense of languor that plagued the evening, demonstrating itself in a restless audience and even the noisy dropping of a bow by a violinist. The cast and orchestra managed, at times, to surmount this stupor and put in some strongly-registering performances. Nevertheless, led by Peter Schneider the orchestra presented a searing interlude between the second and third acts that caused the audience to sit up and take note.

Kurt Rydl was one of the best aspects of this evening, and his powerfully resonant bass in the role of Daland was a true delight. He obviously inhabits this role and enjoys performing it with great jollity. Unfortunately, I spent most of the evening wishing that he were singing the Dutchman instead of Wolfgang Brendel, who sounded very weary. This could be taken as an aspect of the Dutchman's character, but missing was any powerful impression of desperation or deep desire, and the longer passages showed him tiring vocally. Overall, he sounded as though he was merely very depressed.

In stark contrast was the Senta of Susan Anthony. She was returning to the stage here after being forced to withdraw from a production of Die Frau ohne Schatten in Barcelona, due to a herniated disc in the neck. After a month of physical therapy, she decided that she was well-enough improved to take on the challenge of Senta. Too often audiences are forced to listen to full dramatic sopranos whose sheer weight of voice (if not physical weight as well) make their rendering of the difficult exposed high notes, particularly during her first monologue 'Johohoe. . . . Traft ihr das Schiff im Meere an,' very laborious and even painful. Anthony possesses a voice in the true Jugendramatisch fach, so she is well qualified to perform this role. Despite some lingering physical limitations, she displayed an easy and flowing line, a very difficult task in this opera, and fine focus of tone that cut through even the thickest orchestral sound, though the lower middle became a bit too dark as she worked for more power to match the ever-greater waves of sound issuing from the orchestra pit.

As Erik, Thomas Moser gave a variable performance. His vocal contribution was firm and powerful in the middle range but grew increasingly unsteady as the tessitura rose. It is difficult for me to conceive of him as a heldentenor taking on roles such as Lohengrin and Parsifal at the Staatsoper. However, in his confrontation with Senta in Act 3, he became more dramatically involved and gave a much better impression.

A somewhat more convincing production was seen in the widely-traveled Elektra of Harry Kupfer, with scenery by Hans Schavernoch and costumes by Reinhard Heinrich. The single set shows the lower half of a large but decaying statue with half of the statue's face lying to the side of the stage. A large ramp upstage runs from below to provide entrance and exit for the principals and the large silent chorus whose choreographed appearances provide action in this opera which consists mainly of dialogue.

In order for this opera to work, it must be strongly served by the three principle female roles. Hanna Schwarz was a fiery Klytemnestra, haunted by her misdeeds but indignant. She swept in with her coterie to deliver her lines from her perch on the top of the face of the statue of the husband whose death she had brought about. As Chrysothemis, Inga Nielsen displayed top notes of great size, but not enough weight in the rest of the voice to justify her assumption of the heavier roles of Wagner and Strauss. Why sacrifice the instrument and artistry by pushing the limits too far?

I had come to the Staatsoper expecting the worst from Gabriele Schnaut, whose critiques have become increasingly vociferous of late. Having heard her only on recording, my best estimation was that the voice was one of estimable size, but not particularly secure and lacking in beauty. That was basically what I found to be the case. However, in the role of Elektra, she is given the advantage, in that the singing required is not of a lyrical and tender quality, such as that of Isolde, but rather calls for passionate declamation. This she was capable of, though the lower-middle voice is practically non-existent but thankfully not reinforced with unfortunate amounts of chest voice. The top voice is surprisingly secure, though she is incapable of light effects in that range, but there was no hint of widened vibrato. Her German diction was surprisingly weak and 'mushy,' a shame in an opera that relies heavily on the text. To her credit, she has ability as a dramatic actress, though the stage direction did not assist her greatly in this. Her characterization of Elektra was that of a somewhat spoiled and pouting tomboy, instead of grief-crazed and psychotically vengeful daughter. Franz Grundheber was a strong Orest, and Kurt Schreibmeyer presented an Aegisth that seemed particularly unintelligent, being practically led to his death. Michael Boder led the orchestra of the Staatsoper in a reading of the score that was accurate, if not particularly moving.

The performance of the month that was to me the most satisfying, coupling a fine production with a strong cast was Strauss's Die Frau ohne Schatten. This production, which premiered last season, was by Robert Carsen who has chosen to remove the story from its mythic settings and transform it into a drama of the mind. This end was well effected through the ingenious set-design of Michael Levine, taking full advantage of the Staatsoper's capabilities. Extremely clever use of scrims and lighting produce two mirror-image bedrooms. One is that of the Empress, and one of the Dyer's Wife.

The two females almost always accompany each other in their dual realities, often miming the exact movements of the other. Each serves as the embodiment of the unconscious desires of the other, and often the havoc that is wreaked on the mind of one of the women is clearly depicted in the reality of the other. This duality can be very confusing to the audience member who is not both well-acquainted with the libretto and the language. Otherwise, much of the opera will be spent trying to decipher which woman is which and what it all means, since the removal of the obvious trappings of the myth makes an understanding of the complicated plot particularly difficult. Those who are solidly familiar with the story will realize that some details of the story do not survive the re-thinking of the setting very well. To the less-educated viewer, the magnificent set design and the deep musical beauty are certainly enough to hold attention.

It would be impossible in this short report to describe thoroughly the visual production, but the Empress's dream scene was particularly striking, in which the audience seemed to view her from above her bed. This effect was produced by replicating the bedroom in vertical form on a drop. The Empress, who looks to be lying in bed, is actually standing strapped in to it and raised into position. The audience gasped audibly at the marvel of the concept.

Vocally, this cast was without a weak link. In the role of the Nurse, Jane Henschel delighted the audience with a voice of great dramatic power and vitality that matched her stage presence. She covered the wide range of the role with ease and great excitement. It is rumored that the audiences of the Staatsoper will be seeing more of her in coming seasons. Wolfgang Bankl was a very Freudian Spirit Messenger, who gave solid voice to his role. Also deserving mention in one of the smaller roles as the Voice from Above was Mihaela Ungureanu, who was required to sing from the catwalk between the ceiling of the auditorium and the roof, in a lighting well above the house's great chandelier. She was quite literally a 'voice from above'.

As the Empress, Susan Anthony presented yet another solid performance that could scarcely have been bettered. As in Der Fliegende Holländer, she was easily able to pierce through the seemingly solid wall of sound produced by the enormous orchestra, but also capable of tossing off the light coloratura in her first monologue and delivering other fine vocal effects, capped with a fine high C at the finale. Dramatically, she traversed the range of emotions from terror to triumph.

As her counterpart the Dyer's Wife, Deborah Polaski was vocally secure, demonstrating why she is the dramatic soprano most in demand in Europe. Also very fine were the two male leads. As the Emperor, Johan Botha hurled his silvery tenor into the house with great assuredness. Growing in reputation, the South African tenor will be seen increasingly in the Staatsoper as well as the other great houses of the world.

Before the third act it was announced that Falk Struckmann was slightly indisposed. The announcer claimed for some reason that the following act was most difficult for the baritone (a curious statement, as the Empress does the greatest share of the singing, followed closely by the other female leads). In the event Struckmann gave no evidence of illness, but rather presented a well-sung and dramatic Dyer.

Simone Young has met with great public disapproval at the MET and recently with a production of La Traviata at Covent Garden. However, she frequently conducts the almost-exclusively male orchestra of the Staatsoper with success, and seems to be regarded as a young conductor of Wagner and Strauss to be nurtured in her development as an artist. Though there were moments in the opera when the large orchestra seemed in danger of spinning out of control, she somehow she kept it all together and gave a strong, lyrical reading of the dense score. The violin solos of Act 3 were a disappointment. Played by the concertmaster, they began sweetly but careened into bungled pitches. This would have been unexpected from any player of this orchestra.

In January in remembrance of the 100th Anniversary of the death of Giuseppe Verdi, the Staatsoper will present all 12 of the Verdi operas currently in its repertory. I will write about these next month!

January 2001

The Month of January brought a special run of performances to the Staatsoper commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the death of Giuseppe Verdi. The company undertook to perform all twelve of Verdi's operas that are currently in the company's repertoire. This was an enormous task, obviously, only to be undertaken by one of the world's leading opera houses. Even then, quality performances could only be guaranteed by rigorous planning and rehearsal. But it was a task appropriate for this company, a descendant of the original Kaerntnertortheatre, in which the world, outside of Italy, was first introduced to Verdi and his operas in 1843.

Alas, the Staatsoper was only partially successful at the attempt. The sheer amount of rehearsal normally needed for a single production was not provided for, and the productions suffered as much from this factor as from the obviously deteriorating condition of some of the sets and the dramatic instruction. Indeed, many of the best known artists simply arrived in town and were given only the most basic of rehearsals before being pushed out on stage to perform. All of this led a local newspaper to proclaim following the first two productions that 'the Staatsoper has proved what has been known for 100 years: Verdi is dead.'

But despite the sometimes dismal standards, there were some extremely exciting evenings to be enjoyed. Perhaps the most even and musically-pleasing production of the month was I Vespri Siciliani. This recent production was brought back with an almost identical cast, preserving the original life of the staging and musical direction. Johan Botha sang an absolutely solid Arrigo, next to the equally impressive Guido di Monforte of Renato Bruson, who had just recently celebrated his 65th birthday. Viennese favorite Ferruccio Furlanetto returned wonderfully to the role of Giovanni da Procida. Eliane Coelho gave the evening's most intriguing performance as the Duchess Elena. Her essentially lyric voice has a quick vibrato and a very distinctive timbre, and manages to cut through the orchestration with agility and musicality.

If the Staatsoper excelled in this lesser performed work, it did not acquit itself so well with other works that are considered staples of the repertoire. But, as always, failure was mixed with triumph. This was most notable in Il Trovatore, in which Larissa Diadkova tore up the scenery with her impassioned dramatic mezzo-soprano in the role of Azucena. Janez Lotric seemed to snooze through the beginning of the opera, only to really awaken at his aria, 'Ah, si ben mio.' He progressed into 'Di quella pira,' and ended with top C's that provoked a roar of approval from the audience. As di Luna, Leo Nucci sang a solid performance with fewer attempts to steal the show, though he stepped out of character to acknowledge the applause following his aria, 'Il balen.' The real disappointment of the evening was found in Maria Guleghina. Lack of preparation showed most tellingly as her voice came apart onstage. This is a wonderful voice that is greatly loved around the world. However, her practice of singing too many of the heaviest roles is beginning to tell. Wonderful sounds could be found in the middle of the voice, and even up through the passagio. But this excess vocal weight has conspired to make notes above the staff a precarious problem. If she launches into them with full voice, she is able to reach them. But any attempt for effects in the top register fails with a crack, or worse. The evening was truly painful to the ears.

Guleghina was in slightly better form for her performances in Aida. Here again, work above the staff was risky, at best, but with better results. The evening, however, belonged to Sergei Larin as Radames. He presented a flawlessly sung performance in this very difficult role. The Amneris of Waltraud Meier was rather less successful. As this singer switches frequently between dramatic mezzo roles and dramatic soprano roles, her performances give greater evidence of vocal confusion. Here, she had neither the timbre nor the weight to really hold her own in the role. Franz Grundheber was wonderfully dramatic as the Ethiopian king.

Finally, we come to Macbeth, in a production that is terribly dated and scheduled to be replaced very soon. Here again, the Staatsoper called upon Maria Guleghina, and here again, she produced wonderful sounds despite failing to reach the famous D-flat. But what a wonderful, intense sound she can produce! It really has the essential quality that audiences have come to expect in Verdi roles. Lush waves of sound all through the middle and thrillingly steely top notes. Again, her partner was Leo Nucci, who succeeded reliably as Macbeth despite some ineffective dramatic choices. The orchestra of the Staatsoper was presided over by Fabio Luisi, who dutifully attempted to hold the production to tempo.

In all, January was a month of very mixed performances. Yes, Verdi may be dead. But somehow, his operas live on.

February 2001

Bo Skovhus as Billy Budd at the Vienna Staatsoper

Photo by Axel Zeininger

The month of February provided one of this season's most-anticipated events. After long years of neglect, the Vienna Staatsoper had finally mounted a new production of Britten's Billy Budd. This was to be the Austrian premiere of the opera, and it was given in its original form. The premiere on the 12th of the month was a special event, with the Staatsoper filled to capacity and many people left without tickets. The cast was headed by three of opera's top names. The conductor was San Francisco's Donald Runnicles and the production team was led by Willy Decker.

Mr. Decker's concept for the staging of the opera centered on the interaction of the three main characters, with very little scenically to distract. Wolfgang Gussmann's set was an extremely stark, sloped stage, suggesting the prow of a ship. Showing the action that took place in the Captain's quarters was achieved by simple sliding walls, which gave the effect of a more private space. Lighting was almost always in stark white, coinciding with the whitewashed deck of the ship. All of this works well enough. Billy Budd is an opera that doesn't need outrageous scenery in order to make it intriguing. What is most important in any production of the piece is a clearly thought-out characterization of each of the three main characters, and the way in which they are linked.

First to consider is the Claggart of one of today's most important basses, Eric Halfvarson. He has recorded this role and has begun to develop a real hold on the psychological conflicts that propel the character. These insights could be seen in an occasional turn of a phrase sung so that it achieved a subtle importance. His stage presence, as ever, is commanding, and vocally he leaves nothing to be desired. His dark bass can achieve all of the menace and power necessary, but can also be lightened for effect. However, I feel that his characterization was hampered by the director's concept. At one point near the end of his monologue 'Oh beauty, oh handsomeness, goodness', he was shown in a fetal position on the stage floor. Yes, his character is psychologically conflicted, but he is hardly a weakling. Such a stage movement was excessive, and simply too easy. It is important to fully develop the psychological battle he undergoes, but overly-simplifying it in such a manner is counter-productive.

Neil Shicoff as Captain Vere

Photo by Axel Zeininger

The other truly complicated character is Captain Vere. I believe that the entire drama truly hinges on his struggles with what he perceives to be his duty as a captain, and the conflict with himself that it engenders. Thereby he becomes the most important of the three characters. After all, he opens the opera with a prologue and closes it with a powerful epilogue. In speaking with Neil Shicoff after the performance I came to understand that he feels instead that Captain Vere is not the most important of the characters, but rather is more involved from the sidelines. This is his debut in the role, however, and he stated that it is most definitely a work-in-progress. Despite Schicoff's feelings, he presented a Vere that was, nevertheless, deeply conflicted, and thereby almost satisfied my expectations. Vocally, Shicoff was wonderfully commanding. Hearing a more 'conventional' tenor in the role takes a bit of getting used to after the legendary performances of Peter Pears and, more recently, Philip Langridge, both of which have a very singular quality to their voices. Shicoff handles the vocal demands with authority and finesse.

Finally, we come to the performance of Bo Skovhus as Billy. Mr. Skovhus has been greatly hailed in seasons past for his characterization of Billy. Vocally and physically, he is perfectly suited for the role. His lyric baritone is suave but masculine, and his youthful good looks fit the role. I had only small quibbles with his singing in the all-important monologue. It was at this point that his English diction betrayed his nationality, but it is much better than his recorded rendering of the piece. I also objected to the use of falsetto on the final note of the monologue, with the word 'enough'. Yes, the note lies a bit high for a baritone to reach securely in a piano dynamic, but it is by no means impossible, and when properly achieved, it is very powerful. However, these are two very small matters.

The main disappointment of the evening came in Skovhus's characterization. Gone was Billy's simple boyish excitement and loyalty. Instead his character was an embarrassingly clumsy, immature and stupid nincompoop who almost seems to deserve what he gets in the end. Skovhus spent the evening bounding across the stage with little dramatic purpose and in the monologue, surely one of the opera's most profound moments when Billy comes to grips with the truth of human life, Skovhus ended with an almost insane smile on his face. Billy seemed to be almost anticipating the thought of being hung from the yardarm. In short, the characterization undermines the opera's serious dealing with the basic human struggle between good, evil and the search for a way of dealing with the two.

In smaller roles, Alfred Sramek was a lovably rugged Dansker, Robert Bork was an impressive Mr. Redburn, and Cosmin Ifrim a fine Squeak. The chorus of men was well-rehearsed, with almost perfect English diction--the opening 'heaves' aside. Under the baton of Donald Runnicles, the orchestra of the Staatsoper gave a fine reading of the score, with delicate nuances where they are called for. However, the two greatest pitfalls of the opera were not avoided. The search for a piccolo player who can play the cadenzas during Billy's monologue goes on. They were most horribly mangled. And the very difficult but important 'Judgement' chords were ragged and sometimes out of tune.

March 2001

The best production of the past month in Graz was of Richard Strauss's opera Salome, in a production by Martin Kusej, with sets by Martin Zehetgruber and costumes by Heidi Hackl. It provided one of the finest evenings at the opera that I have ever enjoyed. The production was very well-conceived, without any real conceptual flaws, placing the ancient tale of the Princess Salome in a turn-of-the-century insane asylum. While this is no longer a particularly original concept, it still provided a particularly effective twist shedding new light on the story.

As Salome, the soprano Sylvie Valayre presented a princess of searing sexuality and characterization. She is relatively young, petite, with long dark hair. As Salome, she was by turns sensual, pouting, enraged, violent and wildly demented. Her famous dance ended in an almost orgasmic seizure at the edge of the stage. The audience was both fascinated and slightly shocked by the intensity of her performance. Vocally, however, she displayed the limits that one would associate with a singer of her size and relative age. Hers is not in any way a dramatic voice. It is, at most, a normal lyric. She uses it intelligently by almost speaking as many of the lower-lying phrases as possible, while opening the voice at the top as far as possible. However, she was not always audible, even in this small theatre, though she was not helped by the poor acoustical design of the set. While her memorable performance, worked because of her amazing dramatic intensity and attention to the text, it wouldn't have worked in a larger house.

More successful was baritone Miguelangelo Cavalcanti as Jochanaan who continues to enlarge his repertory and develop his artistry here in Graz. His half-naked, animalistic portrayal of the prophet was vocally solid, though a bit underpowered. However the top notes were good as was his dramatic conviction. The Herod of Michael Pabst was also one of the evening's strongest portrayals. His penetrating tenor was always used in conjunction with excellent acting skills. As the spoiled king, he underwent lightning-fast changes of temper, effectively spanning all of the emotions from high comedy to deep fear and disgust. In his hands, the role came alive. Somewhat less successful was Lani Poulson as Herodias. Her mezzo tended to be a bit muffled and her acting, even as the haughty queen was a bit over the top. Walter Pauritsch as Narraboth was not terribly interesting vocally, or even dramatically, save a few successful moments when left to his own onstage. In the smaller roles, special recognition goes to Hans Sisa as the first of the Nazarenes and also to Konstantin Sfiris as one of the soldiers. Both possess resonant bass voices that are usually utilized in larger roles. Here they were luxury casting.

The overflowing orchestra pit was presided over by Wolfgang Bozic, who led the orchestra bravely through Strauss's dense score and tricky rhythms.

Somewhat less successful was the new production of Verdi's Falstaff conceived by Peter Konwitschny with set design by Joerg Kossdorff. This marked the last of Konwitschny's productions for the Graz Opera. Some suggested it was none too soon. Whatever or not that was the case, this production used as its basis the theme of farewell.

The entire opera house was bedecked with construction material from the entrance into the house itself, with a giant wrecking-ball swinging at the back of the stage. On the stage itself was placed a large dumpster, into which items from Konwitschny's previous productions were loaded. Among the first of the items to go was the traditional padding worn by singers playing Falstaff. As a sign of manhood and virility (!), it was fought over by the characters, floated mysteriously over the production, and was finally set on fire. Towards the end of the opera, everything was halted by the arrival of a group of architects who announced that the opera house was going to be turned into something more profitable: a spa! Konwitschny's conception had some merit, but it fell short of real success, the director having turned the comedy against itself.

From a musical standpoint, the production was also a mixed bag. Perhaps the loveliest singing of the evening was from the young Sonia Zlatkova as Nanetta. Also attractive was the voice of Natalia Biorro as Alice. Less of an impression was left by the Meg of Ulrike Pichler-Steffen and the Quickly of Ildiko Szoenyi. Among the male voices, the Ford of Miguelangelo Cavalcanti was rich-voiced and charismatic. As Sir John Falstaff, Jacek Strauch displayed a strong and attractive voice, if not a particularly Italianate one, with a certain talent for comedy.

April 2001

Stig Andersen as Siegfried and Susan Anthony as Brünnhilde, in Act 3 of Siegfried in Geneva

GTG/Nicolas Lieber

During the month of April, many European houses find themselves set for another round of exciting operatic productions before the traditional close of the opera season at the end of June, giving way to the celebrated summer festivals. Having had time to regroup following the festivities surrounding the New Year, the companies debut new productions and fill other productions with fine singers that had previously been busy in other parts of the world.

The most exciting event in April was the Geneva premiere of a new production of Wagner's Siegfried, part of a completely new Ring Cycle which will culminate next year. Geneva's Grand Théâtre is magnificent, surrounded by stately marble and rich gold décor. Unfortunately the inside of the theatre itself, has been drably modernized, though the renovation is to be thanked for a fine acoustic and unobstructed sightlines.

Siegfried was a production for the ages, refreshingly free from so-called 'Eurotrash,' the unfortunate penchant of some European directors for attempting to update or re-evaluate operas, often with disastrous results. This production leaves a certain feeling of eternal timelessness without at the same time being too spartan. Full use has been made of the modern stage and special effects capabilities, with an almost frighteningly life-like dragon.

The direction was by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser with wonderful set design by Christian Fenouillat. Afterwards, Leiser explained that he didn't see any need to 'improve' on Wagner, but believes insteadthat Wagner's operas are most successful when they remain true to the composer's own stage directions, inviting disaster when someone tries to superimpose a set of outside values on the music.

Armin Jordan conducted, and made a magnificent case for being considered one of the last great masters of his generation. The first act was a bit too restrained, as Jordan tried to pace the orchestra and the singers, but by the end of the opera he and the orchestra dropped their guard and produced powerful tones with their French sounding mellow brass, leaving the audience completely satisfied at the end of the evening.

As Siegfried, Stig Andersen was a qualified success. He doesn't possess a true heldentenor voice. It falls much more strongly along the lyric lines defined by Siegfried Jerusalem. That said, he was able at times to produce ample sound, particularly in the final act when forced to match the voume of his Brünnhilde. He was underpowered in the Forging Song, but Andersen looks the part of Siegfried and he is a fine actor who plays the young hero to perfection.

Thomas Harper was a wonderful Mime who, instead of producing an ugly character voice, showed that he possesses a voice with color with acting ability to spare. Albert Dohmen, as the Wanderer, displayed a voice that I would liken to the proverbial 'iron hand in a velvet glove', and although there is some uneasiness about the top, it has a wonderful plushness that wraps around a metallic core which allows it to cut through the orchestration at times. As Alberich, Franz-Josef Kapellmann showed that he is a fine actor with a sizeable voice. Unfortunately it is sometimes raw at the top and it has a vibrato that can be too broad.

As Fafner, Alfred Reiter appeared on stilts when he came out of the cave after being stabbed and, although his bass is somewhat thinner than the traditional schwarzbass, he produced some wonderful vocal effects. Brigitte Fournier was a lovely, silver-voiced Waldvogel. Jadwiga Rappé, as Erda, used her attractive mezzo-contralto to fine effect.

In her debut as Brünnhilde, Susan Anthony, an American who has made her way through the ranks of the European houses, showed once again why she is in increasingly great demand. She is a true jugendlich-dramatisch, with a bright, slim voice that is able to cut through the densest orchestrations., it It is always nice to see someone who can effectively communicate the physical presence of a maiden-goddess. This was her first appearance as Brünnhilde and she promises to inhabit the role with splendor.

In Vienna, the Easter season was marked by a traditional presentation of Wagner's epic Parsifal. Conducted by Donald Runnicles, the orchestra of the Staatsoper showed why it is considered one of the most important orchestras in the world. The playing was flawless and deeply dramatic. The fine production is by the late August Everding and it enhances the opera with simplicity that does not distract from the drama of Wagner's music and allows the audience to transcend the passing of time while this classic tale unfolds.

As Parsifal, Thomas Moser sang very well, although his acting was somewhat stilted at times. I understand he is preparing to add Tristan to his repertoire and I look forward to hearing it, but I fear it may be too large a role for him. Deborah Polaski sang and acted a Kundry of great power and passion and the rest of the cast could scarcely have been bettered.

Covering Gurnemanz for the indisposed Franz-Josef Selig, was the wonderful Kurt Rydl. Need I say more? Gorgeous plush sound is the trademark of this very assured artist. Walter Fink, as Titurel, displayed a dark bass of astounding size and beauty. Franz Grundheber was an audience favorite as Amfortas. He always brings a great dramatic fervor to his roles along with his rich voice. Wolfgang Bankl sang a fine Klingsor. In this elegant performance, even the chorus was perfect.

Finally at Graz, headlines were made by the great diva Anja Silja as she performed the role of die Frau in a new production of Schoenberg's Erwartung, coupled with Bartok's A Kékszakállú herceg vára (Duke Bluebeard's Castle), separated by a new ballet to Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht.The productions by Jenny Erpenbeck with sets and costumes by Malve Lippmann do not, in my opinion, merit any particular praise. Erwartung has little need for sets and props, as it is an opera sung by only one person. In the case of the Bartok, the concept was unclear and uninteresting, with Bluebeard sitting motionless in the middle of a wading pool, surrounded by variously-dressed ballerinas who seem perhaps to represent the obstructions that lay between Bluebeard and Judith. The evening was dominated by the electrifying performance of Silja and by Elizabeth Laurence as Judith in Duke Bluebeard's Castle. Also satisfying was the ballet, in which the corps distinguished itself in the eclectic style choreographed by Richard Wherlock.