César FRANCK (1822-1890)
Hulda, Opera in Five Acts (Original Version – 1879-85)
Libretto – Charles Jean Grandmougin
Meagan Miller – Hulda; Joshua Kohl – Eiolf; Irina Jae Eun Park – Swannhilde; Anja Jung – Hulda's Mother; Katerina Hebelková – Gudrun; Jin Seok Lee – Aslak; Jongsoo Yang – Arne; Roberto Gionfriddo – Eyric; Junbum Lee – Eynar; Seonghwan Koo – Thrond; John Carpenter – Gunnard; Inga Schäfer – Halgerde; Mateo Peñaloza Cecconi – Herald; Juan Orozco – Gudleik; Katharina Ruckgaber – Thordis
Opernchor des Theater Freiburg; Extrachor des Theater Freiburg
Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg/Fabrice Bollon
Chorus Master – Norbert Kleinschmidt
rec. July and October, 2019, Rolf-Böhme-Saal, Konzerthaus Freiburg, Germany
Sung in French (no libretto)
NAXOS 8.660480-82 [3 CDs: 162:25]
This is a world premiere recording of Franck's opera Hulda in its original version. While Hulda has been performed, it has reportedly always been presented in a cut version in its rare stagings. Franck never heard it in his lifetime, but after his death interest in his neglected works grew and so Hulda was staged in March, 1894 at the Opéra de Monte Carlo, but with little success. A few other performances in recent decades have also failed to attract much attention, but now this new recording of the complete original score, along with planned productions in Paris, Liege and Namur, Belgium, may bring this opera out into the light of day, which it surely deserves.
The story of the opera is rather bloody and, some have opined, not the kind of operatic subject matter one might expect from the rather reserved Franck. Nevertheless, he took the story and brought it to life with music that is very effective, and while it might have strains of Wagner in a few places it is hardly beholden to him in any significant way. Below is a synopsis of the story, which is as brief as I can reasonably make it.
Set in 14th Norway, the opera opens as Hulda and her mother are anxiously awaiting the return of the male members of the family. Hulda and her family are Icelandic and retain their native customs. Aslak and his warriors, amid their plunder and rape, kill Hulda's father, brothers and other innocent people. Hulda is taken captive by Aslak but she vows revenge. Several years pass and Hulda is ordered to marry Aslak's oldest son Gudleik, and the ceremony takes place over objections from Gudleik's brothers who question whether Hulda is worthy.
At the wedding celebrations Hulda is attracted to Eiolf, who is Icelandic and an emissary of the Norwegian King. She considers him her only hope of escape from her captive life. Gudleik notices Hulda's enamored gaze on the uninvited Eiolf. Contests in martial skills are held and Eiolf and Gudleik confront each other in a test of strength in which Eiolf leaves Gudleik dead. Aslak and his wife Gudrun are enraged and grief-stricken at his death. That evening Hulda makes Eiolf promise to return to her and take her back to her homeland, despite her fears that Swanhilde, his former lover, may be an obstacle to her plans. He departs and Arne, one of Gudleik's brothers, enters and begins romancing Hulda. In the darkness Aslak strikes him down, not realizing until afterward he has killed his own son instead of Eiolf.
Thordis, Aslak's foster-daughter, arranges for Eiolf and Swanhilde to meet for a possible reconciliation. After Swanhilde mentions her wounded feelings, Eiolf declares his love for her as Hulda overhears their conversation, after which her love for Eiolf turns to hatred. Hulda is able to enlist the aid of Gudleik's surviving brothers, Erik, Eynar and Thrond, in her plan of revenge against Eiolf: she sets up a meeting with Eiolf as a trap. At the designated place for the meeting, Eiolf is struck down by the brothers. Eiolf's warriors are too late to intercede but give chase to the brothers. Now Hulda, her plot of revenge complete, jumps from a high cliff into the sea.
As suggested above Franck's music is very compelling throughout the opera, with not a pedestrian moment anywhere. The score shifts effectively within a wide spectrum of moods and emotions, from the Romantic and beautiful to the dark and disturbing; from the playful and colorful to the celestial and serene. Some listeners may feel the music at times is a bit too sumptuous or gentle for such a bloody, dark story. For instance, the Entr'acte to Act 3 (disc 2; track 1), with its warm, lyrical and upbeat character might remind you somewhat of the cheerful first movement alternate theme of Franck's D minor Symphony as well as the brighter moods of the finale. Considering that this follows Gudleik's death at the end of the Second Act, it might seem at odds with the sad and grim emotions in the air from Aslak and Gudrun. Perhaps so, but then it can be viewed as expressing Hulda's freedom from her forced marriage to Gudleik.
Actually, Franck's music typically conveys the emotional pitch of the moment quite masterfully: try, for instance, the First Act duet (disc 1; track 2) with Hulda and her mother, where their singing is filled with passion and intensity, fully capturing their doubts and fears. This is one of the finest moments in the opera. In Act 5, following the dark Entr'acte (track 10) there is a lovely, rather celestial chorus Le lac sourit (The Lake is smiling) that sets the stage for the coming scene of Eiolf being struck down in Hulda's trap. While this might initially strike listeners as a bit incongruous, it subtly establishes a serene mood as contrast for the grim denouement that lies ahead for all.
To single out some further highlights in the score, let me mention Swanhilde's Act Four Tout me blesse! (disc 3, track 2), one of the more attractive arias in the opera, and one that is well sung here by Irina Jae Eun Park. When Swannhilde is joined by Eiolf in the same act for C'est mon amour and Ah! sur ton sein je me repose (tracks 6 and 7, respectively) you hear music that is ravishing wherein both Ms. Park and Joshua Kohl sing splendidly. In fact Kohl may well be the finest singer in the opera and thus the greatest vocal strength on this recording.
Meagan Miller as Hulda is dramatically effective, but her voice is not particularly outstanding and her vibrato can at times turn toward wobble. Neither is Anja Jung a great asset, but the rest of the cast is fine and Fabrice Bollon's conducting is simply excellent. Bollon draws splendid playing from the Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra, making you forget about whatever vocal shortcomings one can discern. They play the five ballet numbers at the end of Act 3 and the other purely orchestra numbers with spirit and precision. In addition, the Freiburg choruses sing quite convincingly throughout. There has been only one other recording of this opera that I'm aware of, and that from 1960 issued on Melodram vinyl, sung in Italian in a cut version. I have never heard it, and don't know if it was ever issued on CD, but because of its age, cuts and language version, I wouldn't be anxious to hear it.
Naxos provides very well balanced and vivid sound reproduction, and the album booklet contains copious notes on the work, a detailed synopsis but, alas, no libretto. You can find a libretto in German, however, at the Naxos website if that helps you. Despite these encumbrances, my verdict is still very positive about this opera. Franck mavens will certainly want this set and I believe many other lovers of opera, Wagnerians in particular, will find this an intriguing and worthwhile acquisition. Luckily, the complete recording is available on YouTube as I write this—for how long, I don't know. Thus, you can sample it to help you decide if this Franck opera interests you. I think most listeners will come away with a positive reaction.
Robert Cummings
