As controversial as both Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi have been, the
perennial debate about their aesthetics has recently taken shape in a series
of six half-hour episodes that were originally televised in 2013. Those
films have been collected in the documentary
Wagner vs. Verdi,
which is now available on disc in both DVD and Blu-ray formats. At the
centre of the discussion is the conductor Christian Thielemann. His comments
underscore the narration by Ronald Nitschke, as they explore the topic in
six episodes as listed at the end of this review. In the individual
contributions the directors include interviews with Riccardo Chailly, Hans
Neuenfels, Eva Wagner-Pasquier, Gottfried Wagner, Gwyneth Jones, Rolando
Villazon and others whose work has immersed them in the music of either or
both Verdi and Wagner. The disc includes the option for either English or
German narration and offers subtitles in English, French and Korean. Several
trailers of other Arthaus videos are included, with the one on
Richard
Strauss and His Heroines particularly intriguing for the documentary
footage it includes.
In fact, it is such images that make
Wagner vs. Verdi useful,
with historic elements presented clearly and brought into sharp focus
through the clear narrative script that connects each installment of the
documentary. While some of the information may be familiar to many
interested in the topic, the first episode helps to shape the idea of a
revolutionary composer or a work that might be regarded as revolutionary.
Over a century after the deaths of both Wagner and Verdi, their once
provocative works have become part of the music culture of the twenty-first
century. In some cases the modern familiarity with such works as
Tristan
und Isolde or
La traviata may have muted the ramifications of
such scores. To present a courtesan as a heroine caught the attention of
Verdis audiences, who would have known the equally thought-provoking novel
that inspired it. Likewise, the unconventional love between Tristan and
Isolde challenged conventional ideas of love and marriage bonds. Modern
morality may permit such departures from convention but Wagners audiences
would have perceived the implicit defiance.
The image of Wagner as revolutionary is no surprise but the treatment of
Verdi in this documentary counters some of the ideas associated with famous
composers. While Verdi might have struggled for recognition early in his
career, his successes soon earned him a stability that was remote from other
composers of his day. In the episode on
Verdis World, it is
possible not just to hear of Verdis commercial ventures but also to gain a
sense of his land-holdings through the shots of the farms and related
property that exist today.
One of the more intriguing aspects of Wagner reception occurs in
The
Wagner Religion. There Daniel Gerlach explores the sometimes extreme
stances pursued by contemporary enthusiasts. By distinguishing fans from
disciples, the director is able to discuss the strong feelings for Wagners
music that may not be as intense for works by other composers. This fuels
the support of performances and various Wagner-related exhibitions and
related events, while also explaining the potent responses to new
productions. The documentary also makes a point of discussing Wagners
essays as part of the legacy, as well as the implicit connections with such
a controversial work as
Tannhduser. Yet questions remain unanswered
about the ways in which Wagners music inspires devotees for whom his works
go beyond enjoyment and become parts of their lives.
Likewise, the consideration of women in operas by Verdi and Wagner is
another way to compare and contrast the two composers. With both, the sexual
and, more importantly, sensual dimensions of the dramaturgy affect the works
on stage and their perception. If Wagners ideal women seem at times
unrealistic, Martin Betz is good to show the roots of his conceptions in
reality. It is unfortunate that Betz discusses at length the character of
Violetta without spending time with other women, like Lady Macbeth, Elvira
in
Ernani, and Leonora in
Il trovatore. The prominent
father-daughter relationships in Verdis operas are important, but so are
the independent women who take risks within his works.
In addition to such ideological discussions, the documentarys section
called
The Chant offers an exploration of the performance side of
the music of both composers. The challenges of Verdi and Wagner cross, as
should be the case with opera, into the dramatic aspects of the scores. If a
speech rhythm in a line from Verdis
Macbeth fits the melodic line
well, and the two fuse, it demonstrates the ways in which the score fits the
dramaturgy. It should be no wonder for musicians to observe this but it is
useful in this documentary to bring out the ways in which the dramatic text
and musical line become entwined. Along with these aspects of Verdis music
comes a consideration of the Wagner Voice Competition at Karlsruhe, in which
young singers compete for recognition as aspiring specialists in the
composers music. This perspective is nicely complemented by a discussion of
the ways in which nineteenth-century performers met the challenges of the
music of both Wagner and Verdi. While modern concepts of specializing in
certain roles may not have been part of the aesthetic of the nineteenth
century, the reality for twenty-first century performers is the prominence
of Wagners and Verdis operas in modern repertoire.
This leads well to the final section of the documentary in which Christian
Kugler explores the influence of these two composers on the music of
succeeding generations. The acknowledged intuitive effect of music on human
beings is implicit in this portion of the documentary. Yet Kuglers
contribution seems amorphous, with clinical
studies seeming grafted on, rather than integrated into the
whole. It would have been useful to demonstrate the continuity between the
two composers and later music, as composers pursued operas in the
verismo style and also wrote atonal and dodecaphonic works. The
vocal line that is so prominent with both Verdi and Wagner bears further
consideration in light of the so-called neo-romantic style of the late
twentieth century and the minimalist operas of composers like Philip Glass
and John Adams. Even within those latter scores, the line is essential for
conveying the text from written page to performance on stage.
Such quibbles should not deter those interested in the dichotomies between
Wagner and Verdi from exploring the ideas presented in this documentary.
Illustrated well with excerpts from various performances,
Wagner vs.
Verdi is a solid contribution to the appreciation of their operas by
modern audiences, and the enduring values that exist in those works. The
problematic aspects of both composers music will inspire more responses to
their scores, as their works continue to be performed in the present century
and, it is hoped, beyond. While the formulation of the title opposes the two
composers almost academically, the works of Wagner and Verdi resist the
preference for one over the other for the very reasons explored in this
documentary.
James L. Zychowicz
Track-Listings
(1)
The Revolutionaries (Pepe Pippig, director) [26:38]
(2)
Verdis World (Anna Schmidt, director) [27:12]
(3)
The Wagner Religion (Daniel Gerlach, director) [26:35]
(4)
. . . And the Women (Martin Betz, director) [26:29]
(5)
The Chant (Thomas Macho, director) [26:35]
(6)
. . . And the Effects of Their Music (Christian Kugler,
director) [25:37]
