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Wagner Society in NSW Inc
The Prague Ring 16, 18, 20 and 22 May 2005 The presentation of a Ring Cycle in Prague , the first since World War II, was eagerly anticipated. The advance publicity did not make it clear, however, that it would be an imported production from Deutsche Oper am Rhein, acquired through a cultural agreement between the German and Czech Governments. The Czechs seemingly supplied the orchestral players, comprimario singers and chorus. The production concept was that Wotan had bankrupted the 'state' and himself, morally, in the construction of an extravagantly large castle. Remember that this production was being staged in a region acquainted with the scale of Schloss Schonbrunn with its 1440 rooms. At almost every turn, the audience was reminded of the folly of the investment in Valhalla . Wotan's machinations to secure the future of the gods were frequently conducted within its innumerable chambers; and many external scenes contained vestigial architectural elements. Complementing this Galsworthian accent on property was an emphasis on Victorian/Edwardian social morality, personified in Fricka. The devious and deviant behaviour of others contrasted with the values that she projected. Renee Morloc's interpretation of the role was one of the stronger features of the production. No shrew or nagging housewife, she urged the cause of marital fidelity with the quiet certitude of a woman imbued with mid-Victorian respectability. (Ms Morloc returned to sing Erda in Siegfried and Waltraute, but was not so effective in either of those roles despite her lovely voice.) A feature of the production was a number of delightful stage-pictures. The dawn lighting the river surface in Das Rheingold s cene i was one of these. The gods first appeared in Sc.2 camped precariously on an exposed mountainside, bestrewn with furniture and furnishings intended for the new house. Fricka appeared in profile as an imposing Seurat-like figure holding a parasol during a light snowfall. From the outset, she was a stand-apart figure. Hunding (Johann TiIli) and Sieglinde (Therese Waldner) occupied a house that could well have been a wing of Valhalla . Within one of its rooms, a long empty dining table, suggestive of guests who are never welcome, nestled under the ash tree. The tree's green crown brought colour to the all-white dining room and, while unusual, was in keeping with the aspidistras and palm courts of the late nineteenth century in which the production was set, as well as Wagner's direction. The Norns' web was a thread that tied together parts of the castle: things began to fall apart when it broke. The Gibichung's hall was likewise part of the castle, draped in black crepe portending the Cycle's denouement. The Vassals were in deep mourning. The wedding ceremonies that they had been summoned to witness were no cause for celebration, and they sat in banks along the back and one sidewall like burghers in a Dutch painting, observing Brunnhilde's (Linda Watson) struggle to prevent the ceremonies taking place. Other scenes were notable for their staging. The first act of Siegfried was performed superbly, possibly the best of the entire Cycle, and drew spontaneous applause even as the curtain fell. Siegfried (Alfons Eberz), the Wanderer (John Wegner) and Mime (Torsten Hofmann) were in excellent voice and acted very well. The forging scene was particularly convincing as sparks flew from the sword with every blow of the hammer. When the dragon was slain, its floating image collapsed and the mortally wounded Fafner staggered out of the forest to utter his final words. And Erda's return in Siegfried was to the castle where Wotan, at home and in his normal guise, displayed subtle hints of residual attraction for his former partner. Other scenes were less convincing. The Valkyries brought dead heroes to their meeting place, and propped them up around the walls of yet another of Valhalla 's rooms. Thereafter the sisters stood about screaming, a far cry from the imaginative staging at Adelaide . At the appropriate time a catafalque arose from the floor of the room to serve as Brunnhilde's rock. There she lay, separated only by fire from mortal heroes. The lifeless bodies were still in place when Siegfried entered the necropolis. Their presence on the 'rock' was an unnecessary distraction. (So immobile were they that it came as a surprise to many when the presumed mannequins rose for the curtain call at the end of Act 1 of Gotterdammerung.) Perhaps the greatest disappointment, to one whose introduction to the Cycle included the Metropolitan Opera's flexible staging of the transition scenes, was the closure of the curtain for scene changes. Not only was this interrupting, it revealed a weakness in Kurt Horres' s staging. Time an again the singers would exit the stage just before the final musical passage and the closure of the curtain, destroying the dramatic tension. The most egregious example was the departure of the gods for Valhalla . There was no rainbow bridge. They danced off-stage, holding hands, leaving Loge (Udo Holdorf) alone, laughing at the foibles of gods, giants and dwarfs. The musical direction was under the command of an American, John Fiore. He shaped the Cycle well and drew commendable playing from the orchestra of the National Theatre. The orchestra was not, however, as good as that which performed in Adelaide and some exposed passages, such as Siegfried's horn, were uncertain. Nevertheless, it provided solid support for the principal singers, all of whom were in good voice. Mr Wegner trended to rumble in the more reflective passages, but produced a clear stentorian sound for the climaxes. Ms Watson has a clean, unforced, and seemingly untiring, soprano. Her Brunnhilde was an authoritative figure determined always to get her own way, conveyed in part by her regal stature. Two Siegfrieds partnered her. Mr Eberz in the younger role, managed to be boyish, energetic and irrepressible. His fine heldentenor remained focussed to the end, matching Ms Watson in power and excitement in their grand duet. Wolfgang Schmidt, who also sang Siegmund, sang the elder Siegfried. Mr Schmidt also possesses a powerful heldentenor voice and is a capable actor, though a preference is expressed for Mr Eberz in the role of the hapless hero. Hans-Peter Konig was a dominant figure as Hagen, a huge man with a huge voice; Ms Waldner showed, as Sieglinde, promise of a considerable Wagnerian career. Ms Morloc was the best Fricka I've ever seen. With so strong a cast and musical direction, and so coherent a production (quibbles aside), the Prague Cycle was an undoubted success. The international community of worshippers around me all wanted to come back tomorrow to see it again. [Dr Douglas Sturkey – member No 902] Back to Society Home Page
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