Bayreuth Festival 2011

Stephen Charitan, Hudson, OH

REGIE RAGE: DIE MEISTERSINGER (Aug. 24, 2011) TANNHÄUSER (Aug. 25, 2011)

I had a wise history professor in college who would often say "in life you do what you can." His words came back to me when I was deciding to attend the 2011 Bayreuth Festival - a year that promised relentless regie, no Ring, and with a few exceptions, "B list" casting. As things worked out 2011 Stephen Charitan, Bayreuth 2011 became possible and I thought I would follow my professor's advice. If all else came up a cropper, I could still rely on that magnificent acoustic, the superb orchestral playing, a grand chorus, and the magic of being in Wagner's own theatre. Things got off to a rocky start with Katarina's "upside down" Meistersinger, my second go at this shock schlock. Who would ever think to be discussing masturbation, defecation, and full frontal nudity in conjunction with a performance of Die Meistersinger, but all could be had for the price of a ticket. Worse than any of that nonsense however was the fact that not one character was directed to show any human emotion towards another - this in one of the most warmly human works in the repertory. Strangely enough, what kept this directorial Hesperus from being a total wreck was the singing. Though too young in both voice and appearance, James Rutherford sang Sachs with a rich, rolling baritone. He retained those qualities through to the end of a long evening. Norbert Ernst brought a strong, almost stentorian sound to David but still managed a fluid, cantiblie line. His was one of the finest musical interpretations of this role I've experienced, and fortunately the production couldn't find a way of working him into the concept so the character was more or less left alone. Michaela Kaune unfortunately played an Eva who was not beloved of any of the other characters, or more accurately, "concepts" passing for characters, but she sang "O Sachs, mein Freund" with passion and soared with purity though the quintet. The Walter was Stefan Vinke substituting for Burkhard Fritz. Vinke has a clear, ringing, not unpleasant sound that functions at two dynamic levels - loud and louder. Adrian Eröd brought a lean sounding comprimario’s voice to Beckmesser, but carried the bulk of the “concept” on his shoulders. Though it made no sense given the archaic sound Wagner created for Beckmesser’s music the conceit of the production was to turn this arch conservative into a non conforming revolutionary. Eröd did yeoman work in trying to consistently sell this character twist within the jumble of irrelevant stage business swirling around him. Sebastian Weigle's routine conducting couldn't compete with the shenanigans on stage, but the band played beautifully for him, as it did the remainder of the week. Next day's Tannhäuser trumped Meistersinger for offering a production which had virtually nothing in common with the details of the libretto at hand or the sound picture created by a German composer of the mid 19th century. The Venusburg was a cage that contained, in addition to a pregnant goddess, a variety of hairy, humping, humanoids, several outsized tadpoles, and one other creature of indeterminate species that looked like a cross between an ambulatory flounder and a turtle standing on two legs. I suppose this whole set up was some sort of metaphor for the baser animal instincts - nothing sensual or voluptuous about this Venusburg, including the Venus herself. Stephanie Friede gave what was arguably the worst vocal performance of the 5 opera set. When this mess sunk into the floor boards we were assaulted with Wartburg® - a waste recycling facility where at one point the “employees” were dumping excrement (tilted towards the audience so it was impossible to miss the point) into some sort of pressure vessel. This ghastly factory, filled with a robotic chorus was Tannhäuser’s alternative to the equally unappealing Venusburg which probably explains Elisabeth’s “assisted suicide” in the 3rd act. After Camilla Nylund delivered a beautifully poised prayer, momentarily eclipsing the dreck around her, she climbed the stairs surrounding a large circular tank followed by Wolfram who helped her into its steaming belly. Again making sure to club the audience over the head with shock value, Elisabeth tries to push her way out of the tank / gas chamber, but Wolfram shoves her back in and closes the door. Michael Nagy, a handsome young artist with a smooth, caressing voice and a lieder singers feel for nuanced phrasing goes on to address his hymn not to the Evening Star but instead to the pregnant Venus. Tannhäuser himself gets rather lost in all of these goings on. Swedish tenor Lars Cleveman had the requisite weight of voice and strength of technique to sing, not bark the role right through the Rome Narrative but what he lacked was an ability to connect with the character and his dilemma. He could hardly be held accountable since subtext and sub sub text were what concerned director Sebastian Baumgarten, not the inconsequential trials and tribulations of the title character. Conductor Thomas Hengelbrock has had some experience as an Early Music specialist. Possibly for that reason I was more aware of a certain “rum ti tum” quality in this early Wagner that I think more experienced conductors of this repertory know how to balance or smooth over with greater effectiveness. With the boos still echoing in my ears from these two performances, I was looking forward with some trepidation to what would come next – would Lohengrin, Parsifal, Tristan and Isolde rise above this relentless regie? Stay tuned for Part 2.

REGIE REDUCED: LOHENGRIN (Aug. 26, 2011)

Day 3 promised Lohengrin and his rats. After more than 30 years of opera going I’ve found one maxim to be generally true – A genuine star performer can usually trump his or her surroundings – marginalizing regie, compensating for inadequate colleagues, and though a particular challenge in Wagner, offsetting a routine conductor or orchestra. Over the past few years Bayreuth has been very lucky in capturing the commitment of one of these rare creatures – Klaus Florian Vogt. First off is a singularity of voice. Once heard it is impossible to mistake the clarion purity and almost choir boy cleanness of his sound for anyone else’s. He began his career as a horn player which might also account for the beauty and sensitivity of his phrasing. Add to this a handsome stage presence quite in keeping with the heroes of his current repertory. In short, the man “looks like” the voice. I’ve seen Lohengrin many times – this for me was the standard bearing performance of the title role. The audience at the August 25th performance awarded the leading man with a standing, stomping ovation.

Fortunately Bayreuth provided an appropriate setting for Mr. Vogt in terms of cast and conductor. Annette Dasch is a vivid actress with what could be described as “Bette Davis eyes.” I imagine she effectively registered to the back of the house without implying there was anything of the caricature about her Elsa. Vocally she lacked the ethereal float to make “Euch Luften” and the tender sections of the bridal scene the time stopping moments they can be but her strong, clear sound and urgent delivery brought the determined obsessiveness of the character front and center. Petra Lang was diminutive in stature but supersized in voice as Ortrud. She was a delicious fairy tale witch from top to bottom though I suppose a lack of subtlety might be argued. One of the memorable visuals in this production was to see Elsa and Ortrud in their big feathered ball gowns maneuvering around each other like white swan vs black. Tómas Tómasson, Georg Zeppenfeld, and particularly Samuel Youn as Telramund, Heinrich, and the Herald respectively all offered noble support. Andris Nelsons conducting was the most dramatically compelling of the 5 performance set.

I leave the regie til last because it had the least to do with the success of this performance. On the credit side were many striking visuals in terms of simplicity of image, and use of brilliant color. The staged prelude boded well. In it Lohengrin is seen pushing back a stark white wall as if this archetypal outsider somehow wanted to get in. Did he want in to rescue and reform or did he want in to conform and be accepted? Unfortunately, as with the Tannhäuser travesty the plight of the main character is saddled with an artificially inflated subtext that leads me to the rats. Unlike the choruses in for example, Boris Godunov, Khovanschina, Aida, and Turandot where they play a real role in the unfolding of the drama, the chorus in Lohengrin is largely there to comment on the action, not drive it. Here by dressing them as rats, sometimes white, sometimes black, and pink for the babies (twee comes to mind…), they immediately signal in large semaphoric gestures that they are bearing “the director’s message.” The rats are obviously in some sort of laboratory setting and first they seem to respond to the Hearld who is acting as a sort of proxy for, or is it more of a Martin Bormann / Dr. Morrell type to, a demented and confused Heinrich. Later on they switch their allegiance to Lohengrin – wearing uniforms with a capital “L” on their belts long before he reveals his name and heritage. Is it all about fascism (again…) and who is controlling the people / rats – Lohengrin, Heinrich, or - why not - even the Herald ? Perhaps they should graft on the Steersman or Mary from Dutchman just to mix it up a bit more? Thanks to the transcendence of Wagner’s music, the glorious vocalism of Klaus Florian Vogt and an accomplished cast and conductor I think the rats and their message became largely irrelevant.

REGIE REDEEMED: PARSIFAL (Aug. 27, 2011)

If you've followed me up to this point you might think I was violently opposed to "Regie" of any kind. That is not the case because Bayreuth's "Parsifal" courtesy of Stefan Herheim represents "Regie in excelsis." Maybe libretto and "concept" are not completely in sync in terms of minute details, but as to the bigger themes there is a tangible and direct connection that truly ignites the relationship between the music, the libretto, and the director's point of view. From a production standpoint, "Parsifal" was the pinnacle the 5 opera run - and adding to the triumph, the music making was nearly on as high a level. Herheim's concept is to equate the birth of Germany as a unified nation (1871) with Wagner's composition of Parsifal (music begun in 1877 - libretto 1857). The firm underpinning that brings these two milestones into confluence is the fact that both the country and the character are on a journey. Despite the degradation and shame each protagonist accumulates on that journey, the outcome is ultimately survival, reconciliation, and even progress through lessons learned. I saw this production in '09 and was so completely taken by its cumulative impact that I was blind to what I now see as an excess of ideas in Act 1. As if in an expressionistic dream, the prelude starts with a dying Herzeleide trying in vain to reach out to Boy Parsifal in Villa Wahnfried. As the act proceeds, this is mixed up with images of the Wittelsbach monarchy (both Amfortas and Boy Parsifal wrapped in the iconic blue ermine trimmed coronation robes of the dynasty) , intimations of an Oedipal relationship between the hero and his mother, and finally a mute Klingsor dramatically appearing out of a picture above a Wahnfried fireplace as a harbinger of a sensual corruption that would reach its apogee in a Weimar inspired Act 2. By the end of the first act depicting soldiers of WWI vintage gathered outside of Wahnfried, through the unfurling of Nazi swastikas, and the destruction of Wahnfried at the end of Act 2 the production gains a force, focus and momentum that never wavers until the breathtaking finale in the modern Bundestag that ends Act 3. Quite frankly experiencing the brilliance of Herhiem's "thought through" vision for Parsifal only emphasized the amateur, sensationalistic, and all too facile efforts of K. Wagner, S. Baumgarten, and H. Neuenfels for Meistersinger, Tannhäuser, and Lohengrin respectively. Of the 5 productions of this year's set, only this Parsifal would be worthy of Wagner's dictum: "Kinder, schafft Neues!" As to the musical performance, Simon O'Neill as Parsifal had something of the clear, focused sound that Klaus Florian Vogt brought to Lohengrin but unlike Mr. Vogt, the "nap" was gone and the voice lacked the spin of youth. Susan Maclean, though listed as a mezzo, brought a bright voiced soprano like timbre to Kundry. She was an intense, committed actress and made the most both vocally and dramatically of her big moments in Act 2. I would welcome the opportunity to hear her in this role again. The vocal standout of the 2011 Parsifal was Kwangchul Youn as Gurnemanz, just as he was in2009. The smoothness of his voice and the fluidity of his phrasing makes you appreciate why Wagner valued an Italianate / cantabile sensibility for singers of his operas. Would he have the same effect in one of the Big Barns typical in the U.S? In the Bayreuth acoustic as well as the greater world outside The MET such questions hardly matter. Thomas Jesatko as Klingsor channelling Marlene Dietrich can be as proud of his "gams" in a garter belt as he can be of his vocalism. Detlef Roth was a dry voiced, but dramatically effective Amfortas. It is so easy to become spoiled by luxury casting in this role remembering George London or more recently Thomas Hampson. Finally tying all together for the most successful totality of the 2011 run was the leadership of Daniele Gatti in the pit.

REGIE RECONCILED: TRISTAN UND ISOLDE (Aug. 28, 2011)

If my perception of the Bayreuth / Stefan Herheim “Parsifal” was “Regie Redeemed” than my second viewing of the Christoph Marthaler “Tristan und Isolde” might be called “Regie Reconciled.”

When I first saw this Tristan in 2009 it reminded me of something that might have been designed in the former DDR and outfitted from IKEA seconds. With its peeling wallpaper and dirty furnishings it still remains one of the most physically ugly settings I’ve seen vomited up on any stage. Three things however made this year’s experience significantly different and much more satisfying than ’09’s:

Visually I knew what I was in for, so there was no shock or surprise element when the curtain went up. I approached the work as if I were going to a concert. Assuming a great musical performance Tristan und Isolde is one opera where stage setting can be immaterial because so much of the "action" is internal.
My friend and I were sitting in row 7. From there it was much easier to focus on the expressions and body language of the individual singers without having to take in the whole bloody mess that I was forced to deal with when sitting further back. Because of their proximity, the singers themselves became the mise-en-scène.
Most important of all, the eponymous characters were both on fire for what was the last performance of this season.

This “Tristan und Isolde” brought home to me once again the obvious fact that singers carry their instruments in their bodies. They are therefore subject to a variety of natural influences that impact a result that is not so much definitive, but rather that is a moment in time. We live for those nights when all the essential elements for something transcendent are in alignment - this was one of them. In ’09 Irene Theorin’s Isolde was loud, unsubtle, and seemed to have no warmth in the all important (for this role) middle voice. Her 2011 performance was a revelation, powerful, nuanced, and deeply felt. I was struck again and again throughout the evening by the sheer beauty and richness of her sound from hushed pianos to blazing, raging highs. I’ve heard many a fine soprano falter at Isolde’s final “Lust…” Theorin absolutely nailed it. This is an essential phrase that can leave the theatre with you and color memories of all that went before. In ’09 Robert Dean Smith rather saved himself through Acts 1 and 2 and then went on to deliver the finest Act 3 in my experience. Here his performance was more of a piece and proved in the right surroundings the traditional heldentenor heft is not a prerequisite of success in this role. His lean, youthful sound and almost “everyman” demeanor somehow made the character more heroic and certainly more poignant than many of the gruff, barking baritenors I’ve heard in the part. Mr. Smith also SANG beautifully right to the very end.

Colin Bayliss
Clemens Bieber
Bea and Alec Bobotek
Stephen Charitan
Jerry Floyd
Diana Herbst
Hildegaard Arnold Kiel
Walter Meyer
Anne Midgette
John F. Runciman
Per-Erik Skramstad
Julia Thornton
Mark Twain

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While its an added plus to have Brangäne, Kurwenal, and especially Marke cast from the “A” list the work does not pivot on their contributions.

Bayreuth had a solid cast of what might be termed “house singers” in these roles - Michelle Breedt, Jukka Rasilainen and Robert Holl respectively.

Peter Schneider has a long history of conducting at Bayreuth going back to 1981. Because he is not one of the glamorous names often associated with this repertory it would be easy to dismiss him as a routinier. Never once did he overwhelm his cast yet there was no sense of stinting or damping down. His long experience with the unique acoustic made for some gorgeously blended sound pictures. A lingering memory for me will be the Act 2 Liebesnacht when Schneider, the orchestra, Theorin and Smith all caught the pulse of the music, suspended time and magically became one entity.

In the course of 5 nights I went from Regie Rage, to Regie Reduced followed by Regie Redemption, and finally Regie Reconciliation. All of that however is incidental to why one would take on the time and expense of a trip to Bayreuth. The reason remains what it always has been and probably always will be – the ability to hear some of the most intellectually complex, spiritually enhancing, and emotionally satisfying music ever composed in an acoustic uniquely designed for just that purpose.