Die Walküre at Zurich
One of two reviews by the globetrotting Wagner reviewer: Jim Leigh
See also: Der fliegende Holländer
in Zurich
I saw the new production of Die Walküre
on Friday 22 June 2001. This is the latest part of a new Ring and
was premiered on 27 May 2001.
Zurich is a small traditional house with many boxes, but is of very
high quality and has a large orchestral area. I had a first row box
front right with near unencumbered view of the stage and excellent
view of the all-important Die Walküre woodwind band. The variety
of woodwind use in this work is truly extraordinary and one could
see the validity of the Karajan like approach that was taken in this
performance.
The new production, by the American Robert Wilson, with costumes
by Frida Parmeggiani and lighting assistance by Andreas Fuchs, has
attracted mixed responses. It is abstract, but not that abstract.
The distinguishing feature is the use of precise, choreographed movements,
timed to the music. ie ballet in slow motion. There is also extensive
use of timed lighting effects and much highlighting of hands and faces.
Hand movements have been particularly calculated. Yet there is an
ash tree, swords, spears, shields, fire, helmets but no horses. The
entry of the Walküren is very calculated, as is the putting
of Brünnhilde to sleep.
There were some telling effects. Wotan (Alfred Muff) and Brünnhilde
(a perfectly acceptable Gabrielle Schnaut) moved in strict parallelism
as joint will in Act II. Brünnhilde tries to stop Hunding (Matti Salminen)
killing Siegmund (Gosta Winbergh) but Siegmund is nowhere near Hunding.
Only Cornelia Kallisch (Fricka) refused to follow the movement discipline,
in the hope of attracting attention to herself, which she did successfully.
All singers were good. Muff tended to shout a bit at times and it
was good to hear Schnaut in good form after Bayreuth in 2000. Sieglinde
(Stephane Friede) carried out movement instructions to the letter
and this possibly handicapped her a little.
The orchestra, under Franz Welser-Moest, played with extreme clarity
and refinement, in the Karajan fashion, and the quality throughout
was excellent, far better than in the Geneva production with the Suisse
Romande under Armin Jordan (reviewed on Wagner on the Web).
It was fascinating to see Die Walküre in the town in which
it was written, and I made a point of seeing the actual houses of
its creation (Pension Rinderknecht; today Hochstrasse 56-58 the prose
and verse versions 1852 and Zeltweg 13 1854-56 the musical score)
and the Hotel Baur au Lac where Wagner read the whole Ring to friends
on 16,17,18,19 February 1853.
Jim Leigh
January 2002
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