SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL OPERA  REVIEW

Wagner, Das Rheingold: Soloists, Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla. Conductor: Pedro Halffter. Teatro Maestranza de Sevilla. 4.11.2010  (JMI)

 

Production Palau de les Arts de Valencia and Maggio Musicale Florentino.

Direction: La Fura dels Baus/ Carlus Padrissa.

Sets: Rolando Olbeter.

Costumes: Chu Uroz.

Lighting: Peter Van Praet.

Videos: Franc Aleu.

Cast:

Wotan: Jukka Rasilainen.

Fricka: Elena Zhidkova.

Loge: Robert Brubaker.

Alberich: Gordon Hawkins.

Fasolt: Attila Jun.

Fafner: Stephen Bronk.

Mime: Wolfgang Schmidt.

Freia: Keri Alkema.

Erda: Hanna Schwarz.

Donner: Hans-Joachim Ketelsen.

Froh: Jose Ferrero.

Woglinde: Julia Farrés-Llongueras.

Wellgunde: Alexandra Rivas.

Flosshilde: Atala Schöck.


Seville opens its opera season with this prologue to the Wagnerian Tetralogy which it plans to offer over the next three years. The production is the well known one by La Fura del Baus, which was reviewed in Seen and Heard in June 2009, during performances of the Ring in Valencia.

I must say that after seeing it for the third time in three years, I am less enthusiastic about this production now. First of all, the element of surprise is obviously not there anymore and secondly the Metropolitan’s spectacular high-tech production by Robert Lepage seems somehow to have aged La Fura‘s prematurely.

Pedro Halffter, music and artistic director in Seville, was responsible for the musical direction. Pedro Halffter is one of the most important conductors in Spain just now, having improved enormously since the performances I heard him give some 10 years ago in Oviedo. With this in mind, I was very keen to his performance but sadly, it turned out to be below the standard I was expecting. Maestro Halffter has actually produced his best work in opera from the 20th century, while his Wagner conducting has not been so good, particularly with a Hollander he conducted in Seville some 3 years ago. Similarly, his reading he was some what disappointing and the first scenes of this opera he came over as rather flat and boring. Things began to improve in the Nibelheim scene and lasted till the opera’s end, but this was not an outstanding conducting even in the second half, even with the extra tension and life. Maestro Halffter was actually very careful with the volume from his orchestra, probably because of his awareness of the voices he had on stage, but the orchestra was not particularly brilliant either and I had also expected better from them.

The vocal cast had lights and shades, as is usual in Seville, particularly when characters are as numerous as in Das Rheingold. Wotan was played by Jukka Rasilainen who was a wholly honest interpreter. This bass-baritone (rather more baritone than bass) lacks sufficient stage presence and vocal authority to be a remarkable Wotan since the voice is too light at the bottom. This was a perfectly adequate Wotan, but not a great one.

Russian mezzo soprano Elena Zhidkova made a very remarkable Fricka. She has an outstanding figure, which gives considerable credibility to her character and she consistently produced a dark and attractive voice. I am inclined to think that this production does not help her much , since the fact that she has to sing from a crane high above the stage most of the time, limits her excellent performing skills considerably.

The American tenor Robert Brubaker was an excellent Loge. This singer is always a very safe casting choice and one of the very best Loges around today.  Gordon Hawkins was Alberich and I did not care for him much. His voice has a certain size, but isn't terribly well projected, losing much of the impact he is supposed to produce. The Giants consisted of a good Fasolt and a very poor Fafner. The first was Korean Attila Jun and the second was American Stephen Bronk, who was largely inaudible. It was difficult to understand his presence in this cast.

We all know that Freia does not sing much in Das Rheingold and that her character has actually very little interest but, I must say that American soprano Keri Alkema was excellent throughout and looks as though she has a bright future ahead. Erda was the veteran (67) Hanna Schwarz, who is something of a shadow of her former self these days. Her voice has lost its harmonics and is too tight at both ends of the tessitura.

In the minor roles, Wolfgang Schmidt was a good Mime, while Hans-Joachim Ketelsen left much to be desired as Donner. José Ferrero was a decent Froh too although the Rhine maidens were rather too weak with the exception of Alexandra Rivas as Wellgunde.

This was the first performance of the season and there was a full house for it. The audience gave a warm welcome to all the artists, especially to Robert Brubaker, Gordon Hawkins and to Maestro Halffter.

José M Irurzun