Carl NIELSEN (1865-1931)
Saul og David - opera in four acts (1901)
Johan Reuter - Saul; Niels Jørgen Riis - David; Ann Petersen - Mikal; Michael
Kristensen - Jonathan; Morten Staugaard - Samuel; Leif Jone Ølberg - Abner;
Signe Sneh Schreiber - Abishai; Susanne Resmark - The Witch of Endor
Royal Danish Opera Chorus and Royal Danish Orchestra/Michael Schønwandt
rec. Royal Danish Opera Theatre, May 2015
Video 16:9, Audio, Stereo, DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Region
0.
Reviewed in Surround
Sung in Danish
Subtitles English and Danish
DACAPO DVD 2.110412 [132:00]
Nielsen finished the score of Saul and David in
1901 and in the following year wrote his Symphony No. 2 'The Four Temperaments'.
Robert Simpson wisely noted that Saul and David could be viewed as
'the two temperaments' because it deals with the contrast between
the unstable and power-hungry Saul versus the happy and optimistic David.
For the opera to work both these roles must be well sung by equally strong
soloists. This is the case here with both Johan Reuter and Niels Jørgen Riis
singing and acting their roles really well. As is the way in the theatre the
Devil usually has the best tunes and whilst David has some great arias it
is Saul who has the powerful declamations which stay in the mind. The entire
cast is strong but one must mention Susanne Resmark as The Witch of Endor
whose role in allowing Saul to hear the words of the dead prophet Samuel from
beyond the grave energises much of the final act. In David Pountney's
version she is portrayed as a fairground fortune-teller who arrives on her
bicycle and is not at all interested in what anyone says. She apparently cannot
even hear the words of Samuel by which Saul is so deeply moved. Part way through
the séance she loses interest and rides off on her bicycle into the ruined
city streets outside. I suppose this is not too much of a distortion but the
bicycle is rather risible and endangers the power of this climactic scene.
Nielsen only wrote two operas and by common consent it is not Saul og
David but Maskarade that is most respected. Neither work gets
the productions they deserve outside Denmark. We have to be thankful for this
issue, whatever its shortcomings.
I believe this is the first video of this opera so far made available and
the number of sound recordings is quite limited. My views are a mixture of
delight at finally being able to watch a production of a work I have regarded
very highly for many years, admiration for a magnificent cast putting their
all into a remarkable piece of early Nielsen, and finally sadness that yet
again the directorial decisions do much to damage the whole enterprise. Despite
some good things in this staging it is ultimately overwhelmed by David Pountney's
political agenda. The various confrontations are among the good things: Saul
and David are two such disparate, one might also say desperate, characters
that their meetings grip one's attention. The prophet Samuel clashes
impressively with Saul at several points. David's moments with Mikal
work well, as do his exchanges with Jonathan. Against this are a bicycle-riding
Witch of Endor, Saul managing to impale himself on a convenient construction
crane hook and Mikal dressed like a 1950s heiress despite the presence of
some sort of resistance army all around. What depressed me most was the plethora
of modern regietheater clichés like army uniforms, kalashnikovs, great-coats,
dying characters on hospital drips, blocks of ruined flats and dancing where
the score does not ask for it. I could go on. The upside of this performance
is the quality of singing by both soloists and chorus and the magnificently
powerful orchestra under the inspired direction of Michael Schønwandt. If
one closes one's eyes and just listens then Nielsen's score
comes over gloriously well. It is a pity DaCapo could not fund the issue of
this production on Blu-ray because the sound in particular suffers with old-fashioned
DTS5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1, compared to the high-resolution sound formats
now available. The picture is not too bad but, whilst appreciating that recording
companies are living through tough times, issuing a new production of a rare
opera on an obsolete format is a missed opportunity.
Dave Billinge
Support
us financially by purchasing this from |
|
 |
|