Richard Strauss,  Der Rosenkavalier:  at the Royal Stockholm Opera, Revival Premiere 19.4.2008 (GF)

Directed by Folke Abenius
Assistant director: Johan Molander
Set Design: Henry Bardon
Costume design: David Walker

Cast:

Hillevi Martinpelto – Feldmarschallin
Ketil Hugaas – Baron Ochs
Matilda Paulsson – Octavian
Ola Eliasson – Faninal
Ailish Tynan – Sophie
Agneta Lundgren – Marianne Leitmetzerin
Magnus Kyhle – Valzacchi
Marianne Eklöf – Annina
Matthias Zachariassen – A singer
Dan Lindström – A flautist

and several others

Children from Lilla Akademin

The Royal Opera Chorus and Orchestra / Roland Böer

Matilda Paulsson – Octavian and Ailish Tynan – Sophie

I suspect that Folke Abenius’s Der Rosenkavalier is today the oldest production at the Stockholm Opera, being premiered in May 1971. I remember seeing it in November the same year with the original cast, including Elisabeth Söderström as the Feldmarschallin and a very young Leif Segerstam conducting. It might be argued that it is high time for a new production, the present one having been revived on several occasions, but Abenius’s concept has stood the test of time admirably and truth to tell it doesn’t seem in the least dated. It is a lavish production with luxurious sets, it is extremely beautiful, and Henry Bardon’s sets are even grander than Alfred Roller’s at the Dresden premiere. Abenius and his assistant Johan Molander have left nothing to chance: every detail in costumes, props, movements and action in general is meticulously thought through and the serious aspects as well as the boisterous comic scenes are given their full value. This was the 98^th performance of the production and anyone who wants to wallow in late 18^th century upper class splendour in gold and white marble can’t go wrong at the Stockholm Opera.

One also wallows in the splendour of Strauss’s most luxurious score and the Royal Orchestra violins revelled in the many pages of exquisite string writing. Roland Böer conducted with enthusiasm but whether it was due to premiere nerves or simply indistinct conducting there were occasional slips in precision. Of course this is a complicated score and it’s a long work and tiny mistakes are almost unavoidable.

The singing on the other hand was uniformly good. Many of the Royal Opera’s best forces acted and sang splendidly in the many minor roles. It may seem unfair to mention just a few of them but Agneta Lundgren’s Marianne Leitmetzerin was an uncommonly vivid chaperone in the second act and Magnus Kyhle and Marianne Eklöf visually enjoyed the scheming couple Valzacchi and Annina. Matthias Zachariassen’s Italian tenor in the first act was almost parodically grandiloquent but he has undeniably a brilliant voice.

These have all sung their roles before in the house. The five central characters, on the other hand, were all new to their roles. Ola Eliasson did what he could to make something of the rather ungrateful role as Faninal and his well placed baritone rang out impressively. Ailish Tynan, a former Cardiff Singer of the World Recital Prize winner, as his daughter Sophie, had a lovely lyric soprano with easy top and she acted accordingly. The young mezzo Matilda Paulsson seems cut out for a great career with a large and expressive voice and she acted convincingly as the teenaged Octavian – no easy task. She also showed great comic talent in the last act. Norwegian Kettil Hugaas is a superb singing-actor with rubber-face and richly expressive voice, pitch-black in the low register. He was a splendid Dulcamara in L’Elisir d’amore some years ago and I greatly admired his Alberich in the Ring. Ochs is really something to get one’s teeth into for a singer of his calibre and his reading was a triumph in every respect. A triumph was also the Royal Opera’s reigning primadonna assoluta, Hillevi Martinpelto, in the many-facetted role as Feldmarschallin. I have had opportunities to hail her on several occasions the last few years, most recently as Mrs. Ford in Falstaff. Here, in quite a different kind of role, she once again showed her sense of style and her long monologues in the first act, where Die Zeit, die ist ein sonderbar’ Ding was sung with beautiful restraint.

Der Rosenkavalier will be running another nine performances this spring until 28 May and even though it is 37 years old – older in fact than the Feldmarschallin is supposed to be – it wears its years lightly.

Göran Forsling

Photo © Carl Thorborg, Kungliga Operan