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Wagner Society
in NSW Inc
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Time: |
Jeffrey Tate had just begun to conduct Act 3 of Siegfried at the 3rd Ring Cycle in Adelaide and I was stretching my calf muscles in preparation for entry onto the steeply raked stage. |
Place: |
The prompt side rear steps of the Siegfried set. |
Realisation: |
I had been performing well and was feeling coordinated but this was my last scene as Wotan/Wanderer in the historic performances so it was the last chance to test my limits. |
Action: |
I stepped onto that stage and let go with the best stream of power singing of my life. It felt as if I could ride over the orchestral wall-of-sound no matter how loud it became. I sang without an ounce of vocal reserve or safety net and my body's singing ‘engine' clicked into a sort of coordinated ‘primal-scream' mode that allowed me to touch the limits without vocal strain or fatigue. |
At the end of that performance I stood in the wings stunned by my personal achievement and proud of everyone who had been involved in the Ring project.
You, the members of the Sydney Wagner Society, were part of the team of ‘Angels' and I would like to congratulate you on the many ways in which you have influenced the outcome of the Ring.
As soon as the Ring project was announced you offered sponsorship and your sponsorship target was ‘Wotan'. I could practically feel the good vibes and wishes especially when many of you arrived for the second cycle.
But as many of you know, your influence on me began 12 years earlier. You helped turn my career towards Wagner when the Sydney Wagner Society and the Opera Foundation saw my potential as a Wagner singer during performances of Boris Godounov in 1986. I was awarded the Bayreuth Scholarship in 1987 and my development in the Wagner repertoire has been rewarded with the Green Room Award for my 1997 performances as the Dutchman in Melbourne and appearances in Bayreuth as Donner in the 1997 Rheingold. I have felt the support and interest of member of the society over the years and it has helped me during the interesting years from 1992 when I went to Germany to change from Bass to Helden Baritone. Your love for the Wagner repertoire and your wish for a Ring in Australia were realised when Adelaide was taken over by Ring Fever in November/December 1998. Those of you who have talked to Wagner Ring ‘first-timers' will all have heard the stories of how much people enjoyed the experience.
We all hoped for a good Australian Ring and were pleased to hear that it qualified as a world class Ring.
Delerious with ring fever -
Michael Kennedy - Sunday Telegraph, London. 6th December, 1998.
"I have attended the second cycle and was impressed by the consistently high level of achievement - the equal of almost any European cycle of today except a one-off very best".
And how did we come to end up with such a great success? It started with the vision and drive of Bill Gillespie and the people he worked closely with. The South Australian Minister for the Arts got behind the project. It was also cleverly managed by Stephen Phillips at SOSA and the small but multi-talented team that he assembled. Also involved were the many people who were involved in drumming up support and media coverage around the world as well as the people who thought up and organised the exhibitions, Symposium and other events... the list goes on and on. Finally the set arrived from Europe and the singers met Jeffrey Tate and Pierre Strosser.
Inspiring and courageous is what I would call these two men. Not only were they going to attempt to spend only 2 weeks on the initial blocking (staging) of each of the 4 operas before the rehearsals in the theatre, but they had many people in the casts performing their roles for the first time and so had the challenge of educating people about the psychology of the characters and the nuances of Wagnerian singing. To this end Lionel Friend, the assistant conductor and the excellent music staff that had been assembled were also magnificent.
It took a while to catch on to the acting style that Pierre Strosser wanted but his vision was strong and his reasoning compelling. He dared you to be different and go with the text and emotion rather than the expected gesture. He challenged you to trust the large space between characters and to cut out all gesturing until you understood the psychology of the moment and then to let the body find only the necessary amount of action. He spoke little English so his direction was given in German or French depending on which language he thought you understood best and there was simultaneous English translation by his assistant Stephen for those who understood neither. In moments of passion and subtle detail, French prevailed. I wrote this to a friend during the rehearsals:
"The producer Pierre Strosser has a vision of the text which is at one with Jeffrey Tate's and it is fascinating to see them passionately discussing key points in the plot. They are always checking to see if they are musically and dramatically telling the same story. What a rare occurrence in theatre these days. Fantastic! Pierre is searching for truth in text and movement and so he is prepared to break some of the conventions that we are used to seeing in Wagner. His vision takes a while to get used to and you have to clearn up your dramatic tendencies. For example there are often dramatic changes in thought for Wotan which the brass might blast out and the tendency is to try to find an aggressive gesture or walk to match the drama of the music. Pierre asks you to feel the drama inside you with less show and let the audience fully appreciate what is happening to you by listening to the power of the music - the principle of ‘less is more'.
Pierre makes the point that by rushing in and dramatically raising your spear to break up a squabble between Donner and Fasolt makes the spear big but not Wotan. A leader who has authority does not need to threaten with spears or make huge gestures to show his power. I feel excited by the chance to bring Pierre and Jeffrey's vision to fruition but also feel the weight of responsibility. Luckily we are in the stress-free rehearsal setting of Adelaide with its good air, great food and laid-back lifestyle."
Everyone, especially the singers and the members of the orchestra, seemed to have fallen in love with Jeffrey Tate and what he brought to the Ring Cycle. From day one you knew that you were being led, educated and conducted by an extremely gifted person. But what was so special? When he was in the orchestra pit did he turn on a magic persona to elicit such beauty from orchestra and singers? I believe it is the accumulation of every minute Jeffrey spent with the people in front of him which made him so special. He also did not impose his will or ego on the music, he searched for the truth that was on the page. Throughout the rehearsals you heard him re-examining the score to check that he understood what Wagner wanted to say through the text and music.
Jeffrey Tate was at the production calls from the first day of rehearsal and during the potentially boring periods of musical silence, when the singers were learning where to move their feet, Jeffrey would be switched on to every word Pierre uttered and would be quick to back up Pierre by explaining how the music illuminated what the director said. He would always have musical and vocal tips about how you could illustrate the moment. He personally coached you through difficult scenes and passages and was quick to schedule himself for extra rehearsals with singers when they came up against technical problems. He was completely focussed on bringing out the best in everyone.
Jeffrey Tate has a gift for communicating with singers and musicians. He celebrates what each person is able to do, wins their trust and then encourages and shows you how to rise to a higher standard. He dares you to risk and is there with a smile if you fall but encourages you to keep risking until you achieve the new level of performance. Jeffrey was there after nearly every act to analyse and congratulate you on the special things you achieved and to point out where and how you could improve. Before a performance and before certain acts he would come around and review your performance goals. Wow!
With the preparation done it became time to begin the performances but they are another story.
Let's hope that future Australian Rings will be planned and that the Sydney Wagner Society will again play their part so generously. ‘Wotan' thanks you.
JOHN WEGNER
PS: On 3/9/98 I also wrote this to a friend:
"Jeffrey Tate is an inspiration; he has boundless concentration and patience. He has also thought out every phrase to the nth degree and if I can come up with a high percentage of his nuances then I will have surpassed what many Wotans have attempted. It is a big ask with lots of vocal risk taking and going against the ‘usual way' that many passages are handled. I am lucky that having sung in Germany so long, my pronunciation hurdles are not too high. But remembering all the dynamic, rhythm and histrionic variations is a difficult task.". JW
This Page was last updated on: 10-Mar-2004
© Wagner Society in NSW Inc 2004