Mark Elder insists that he and the Hallé Orchestra are
not in the process of recording a full Ring cycle. That's a
great shame, as this Walküre is as fine a recording as
their previous and much-lauded Götterdämmerung.
Wagner recorded live in concert is rapidly becoming the rule
rather than the exception, and full Ring cycles in that format
from both Gergiev and Janowski are scheduled for the composer's
bicentenary in 2013. No doubt both will be impressive offerings,
but it is hard to imagine that either will have anything further
to say on Walküre than Mark Elder has had to say
here.
The performance was split across two consecutive evenings at
the Manchester International Festival in 2011. There were no
patch sessions, but the mics were in place at the rehearsals,
and some of this has been edited in. The result manages to capture
the best of both worlds - it's as note-perfect as a studio recording,
but as atmospheric and dramatically coherent as a concert performance.
From Mark Elder's description of the project, the whole thing
was much more precarious than the assured quality of the recording
suggests. The concerts were only made possible through sponsorship
hastily convened by the Manchester Festival. The cast includes
three singers, Sarah Castle, Yvonne Howard and Elaine McKrill,
who were drafted in as short-notice replacements.
Mark Elder is clearly the sort of conductor who would only embark
on such a project if he knew he could do it full justice. He
has rehearsed the orchestra magnificently, not only to follow
his occasionally esoteric tempos, but also to maintain a consistency
of spirit and tone across the huge spans of each of the acts.
Elder also has that crucial operatic quality of being able to
give his soloists, both vocal and instrumental, the space they
need to shape their melodic lines, while still maintaining the
symphonic logic of the whole. The orchestra repays his confidence
in them with inspired playing at every turn. The horns deserve
a special mention. They are kept busy throughout, but rarely
have the horn parts sounded so fresh and vital as here. Great
woodwind playing too. The woodwind soloists really benefit from
the quality of the sound recording, which both balances them
against the ensemble, and picks them out from the centre of
the group with consistent clarity. You'll also hear better trumpets
and trombones here than on most other recordings of the work.
The performance is very much an interpretation, with Mark Elder
imprinting his musical personality on every phrase. Elder's
pacing is similar to the way he speaks. It is steady, clear
and undemonstrative. Clarity of phrase and rhythm comes though
accentuation, from the heels of the strings' bows and from the
brass, while the passion and drama are projected through the
very wide dynamic range. The orchestral set pieces - the Act
1 Prelude, the Ride of the Valkyries, the Magic Fire music -
are all on the steady side as far as tempos go. The definite
and deliberate accentuation ensures that the slower speeds never
threaten the atmosphere or drama. Everything feels like an emphatic
statement, and nothing is ever treated as trivial or transitory.
In the context of other famous recordings of the work, Elder's
steady tempos resemble Haitink, the agogic weight from the orchestra
approaches Solti, while the communication from the podium and
the immaculate preparation are more akin to Karajan.
There are no huge names in the cast, which ironically helps
to maintain consistent quality between the singers. Every one
of them is equal to Wagner's challenges, and despite the concert
hall setting, there is a real feeling of dramatic involvement
from each of the leads. Susan Bickley is a suitably angry Fricka,
while Susan Bullock's Brünnhilde sounds both wayward and
emotionally complex. The singers also articulate the German
with a rare clarity, another quality that benefits from the
excellent sound engineering. The bass in the mix is particularly
strong and well-defined, all the better to hear the excellent
performances from the lower male voices, Clive Bayley as Hunding
and Eglis Silins as Wotan.
No cast for a Wagner opera is completely flawless. Susan Bullock
is considered one of the finest Brünnhildes of today, but
I find her wide, penetrating vibrato excessive, especially on
the top notes. That said, her performance is less abrasive than
on the recent recording of the work from Frankfurt Opera (Oehms
Classics OC 936). Despite the fact that the opera was divided
across two nights, some of the singers can be heard to tire,
which is perfectly understandable given the duration and intensity
of many of the monologues. Stig Andersen's Siegmund sounds much
fresher at the start of Act 1 than at the end. Eglis Silins
has similar problems towards the end of Act 2, although he's
back on form for Act 3, and then manages to maintain the tone
right until the end.
These are minor quibbles though, and the overall impression
this recording gives is of consistently high musical standards
from singers and orchestra alike. Excellent sound quality too,
all of which suggests significant investment to make the recording
the best it could possibly be. The packaging is a little less
opulent. The booklet gives only a track-listing, a very brief
synopsis and an orchestra list, all on unlaminated paper. An
additional CD-ROM is included with images of the concerts and
a pdf libretto. In fact, there are only three photos, a cursory
offering at best, and the libretto seems redundant, considering
that it is widely available online. Personally, I'd rather a
pdf of the full score, which could easily be added at no further
expense to anybody.
The packaging is the only concession to economy here, and if
the qualities of the recording itself were not enough to recommend
the release, the budget price tag ought to seal the deal. Even
the reissues of Solti and Karajan conducting the opera cost
more than this brand new one. So here's hoping that the resources
and opportunities will be found for a Rheingold and Siegfried
in the same series. Should they materialise, this could become
one of the great Ring cycles of our times.
Gavin Dixon
see also review by Brian
Wilson (May 2012 Recording of the Month)
Masterwork Index: Die
Walküre
Stig Fogh Andersen (tenor) - Siegmund