Brisbane Ring thoughts...

 I finally got to see a live Ring cycle this year, having initially booked for it for 2020 (and it getting rescheduled multiple times. Thanks COVID) 

I'm out of practice of writing posts about the things I have seen, but I did take some notes while I was up there, to try and ensure that I remembered what I saw, and how I felt at the time. What I present to you, is my thoughts, based on the things that I saw, updated, but essentially still in notes, rather than written up like I would normally.

First of all, if you have not seen this trailer, it is worth watching. You get a sense of how, for all the modern visuals, it is still in many ways, a very traditional Ring. We are telling the story as intended by Wagner, we are not adding someone else's interpretation or new story over the top, we are allowing it to be told, and in ways that 21st century eyes can understand. There are references to Scifi and fantasy, to Asian imagery, as well as Norse mythology. It was designed to be a feast of modern visual references, even as it told an old story.

It was one where the director clearly wanted to tell the story as written, using the modern technology available . When something was mentioned by a character on stage, that item was there. The ring, was indeed a ring. There was a tree with a sword in it. Brunhilde ended up on a rock, there was fire on stage surrounding her. The ring was visibly returned to the rheinmaidens at the end. The traditional parts of the story were all there, represented on stage.

These things may not have been the traditional versions as imagined, but they were all there as required. The rheinmaidens were duplicated, with singers crawling over the rocks, and aerialists swimming through the Rhine, convincing many they were the same people, it was done that well. (I had to explain this to someone amazed at how they managed as we left the theatre) The wood bird too was an aerialist, while sung from offstage.

It also should be said that, no one on stage was a bad singer, the cast was uniformly impressive. The fact that there were only 4 non Australians in the full cast was an impressive achievement. Even more so, when you realise that they very much held their own against the star power of our imported Brunhilde and Siegfried. Also, from what I could tell, the German was very clear. Obviously, I do not speak German, (I have sung some in the past) but I was hearing random words that I recognised, scattered amongst the German sounds. Others have commented that the German was quite impressive for non-German singers (Our Erda was also credited as German language coach) 

Creatives:

Artists

CONDUCTOR

Philippe Auguin

DIRECTOR & PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Chen Shi-Zheng

ASSOCIATE SET DESIGNER

Maruti Evans

DIGITAL CONTENT DESIGNER

Leigh Sachwitz

flora&faunavisions

DIGITAL CONTENT DESIGNER ASSOCIATES

Sebastian Grebing

Milena Mayer

Antonia Böhme

/ flora&faunavisions

COSTUME DESIGNER

Anita Yavich

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Matthew Marshall

ASSOCIATE LIGHTING DESIGNER

Lucy Birkinshaw

CHOREOGRAPHER

Akasia Ruth Inchaustegui

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Matthew Barclay

Miranda Summers

DAS RHEINGOLD

WOTAN / WANDERER

Daniel Sumegi

DONNER

Andrew Moran (the night I saw, he replaced the scheduled performer due to illness) 

FROH

Dean Bassett

LOGE

Hubert Francis

FRICKA

Deborah Humble

FREIA

Mariana Hong

ERDA

Liane Keegan

WOGLINDE

Lorina Gore

WELLGUNDE

Jane Ede

FLOSSHILDE

Dominica Matthews

ALBERICH

Warwick Fyfe

MIME

Andreas Conrad

FASOLT

David Parkin

FAFNER

Andrea Silvestrelli

 Gosh these Rheinmaidens are good, excellent ensemble work, and each a good clear voice in their own right.

Alberich is that sort of luxury casting in the role, is he doubling as Wotan’s understudy? (he has sung it for other companies) 

Wotan is singing the best I have heard him live, clearly German suits him.

We need to hear Loge more in Australia

Weakest voices on stage were the “spare gods” and they were not bad, just not amazing.

 The rainbow bridge was a choice, but having the full rainbow effect appear after the gods have all crossed, suggests a lack of coordination that should have been sorted before 

DIE WALKÜRE

WOTAN

Daniel Sumegi

FRICKA

Deborah Humble

SIEGMUND

Rosario La Spina

SIEGLINDE

Anna-Louise Cole (Cycle 1-2)

Olivia Cranwell (Cycle 3)

HUNDING

Andrea Silvestrelli

BRÜNNHILDE

Lise Lindstrom (Cycle 1-2)

Anna-Louise Cole (Cycle 3)

GERHILDE

Jane Ede

ORTLINDE

Jennifer Black

WALTRAUTE

Deborah Humble

SCHWERTLEITE

Dominica Matthews

HELMWIGE

Mariana Hong

SIEGRUNE

Agnes Sarkis

GRIMGERDE

Angela Hogan

ROSSWEISSE

Ruth Strutt

Siegmund and Sieglinde well matched-big secure voices. Her Brunhilde in the next cycle will be… something impressive 

Hunding was suitably nasty (And well directed with it)

The sword in the tree was a bit too “we know it’s there, Siegmund must be able to see it too” the twins duet was loud and glorious with an eager Siegmund and a Sieglinde thrilled to find someone actually not treating her like dirt (we saw her mistreated by Hunding)

Fricka was presented as human and not pure harridan, and desperate at her situation, not just determined to see her ideal of morality upheld. She was affronted by what has happened and how it reflected on her own marriage 

Brunhilde was suitably playful and willful at the start. She was almost the spoilt brat, but also definitely her father’s daughter. She was also plenty loud.

The fight needed to be more in semidarkness. We need to believe that Siegmund and Hunding are fierce warriors, not peacocks more concerned with showing off… A dark stage where you can not see clearly would help to cover up for people who are not natural fighters and the mismatch of weapons (Hunding had a spear thing with a long blade on the end, Siegmund had a big broadsword type Nothung) 

The Valkyries sounded great. However, while all arriving on the one phoenix, looked spectacular, but it  messes up the scene, calling offstage to characters who have clearly arrived with you is…. Odd. Also for those of us on the balcony we could hear them before we could see them, which did sort of spoil the effect a bit.

The desperation of Brunhilde in act 3 was clearly evident.

The relationship with Wotan was clear. Loved but also feared. The effort to convince him to ensure not just anyone can claim her was definitely felt and presented well. The dragon as the ring of fire, was both a clever solution to the problem of the fire requirement, and a distraction. It seemed somehow to distract from the mood when it was brought in.. how you handle the fire is always a challenge. It looked good, but the displays of fire on the screens needed to match the flame colours from the dragon rather than the more red colours in their flames on the screens. I’m tempted to say maybe if the dragon had started with flames from its mouth first, it might have worked better… or maybe if the dragon was brought in when Wotan called for Loge to bring the fire, rather than earlier, when there was a break in the singing. It was a clever touch, but something about it misfired somehow. That said, the scene was convincing, and did leave many in the audience feeling genuinely sad.

SIEGFRIED

SIEGFRIED

Stefan Vinke

BRÜNNHILDE

Lise Lindstrom (Cycle 1-2)

Anna-Louise Cole (Cycle 3)

ERDA

Liane Keegan

MIME

Andreas Conrad

WANDERER

Daniel Sumegi

ALBERICH

Warwick Fyfe

FAFNER

Andrea Silvestrelli

WOODBIRD

Celeste Lazarenko

Siegfried impressive teenager from a not young singer, he is convincing as the playful rebellious kid… forging scene worked well… indeed the whole act worked well… Mime every bit as aggravating as needed. Wanderer showing why a beautiful fresh sounding voice is not desirable, as a somewhat weathered voice, carries the sense of the weariness for everything to be over in a way that is intensely real.

I was expecting more of a real dragon, possibly with fight off screen, instead dragon was all on screen… Arrival of wood bird was a welcome break to the all male voices, all the time… her flying through the trees was almost overdone, but not quite.

Erda’s return was handled well, as the desperate to return to sleep, to dream, to never wake up

 Wotan and Siegfried seem to have a different idea of where love on the rocks is when they have their discussion/altercation. (the spear did break)

Brunhilde and Siegfried duet … loud, yet never not musical. Brunhilde convincing as someone waking up from a long sleep… There was also the inevitable giggle in the audience at THAT line from Siegfried.

GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG

SIEGFRIED

Stefan Vinke

GUNTHER

Luke Gabbedy

ALBERICH

Warwick Fyfe

HAGEN

Andrea Silvestrelli

BRÜNNHILDE

Lise Lindstrom (Cycle 1-2)

Anna-Louise Cole (Cycle 3)

GUTRUNE

Maija Kovalevska

WALTRAUTE

Deborah Humble

WOGLINDE

Lorina Gore

WELLGUNDE

Jane Ede

FLOSSHILDE

Dominica Matthews

1ST NORN

Celeste Haworth

2ND NORN

Angela Hogan

3RD NORN

Olivia Cranwell

The Norns with costumes that clearly connected them to Erda, also arose from under the stage like Erda, and sang their retelling clearly, their costumes becoming the rope they kept referring to, but only demonstrated towards the end. Their horror as the rope became entangled then broke was well established.

 The multiple act one duets were all suitably impassioned, either excited, impassioned or confused. Sending Siegfried off made sense, even if he almost left without Nothung. Waltraute’s desperation for the ring to be returned to the Rheinmaidens, to stop the end of the gods and the old order was tangible, as was Brunhilde’s willful refusal to, because of its connection to Siegfried.

The Gibichung scenes had suggestions of Superman’s castle of solitude, seemingly made of huge chunks of ice. But also with suggestions of Star Wars. If you have seen it, you understand, but do not ask me to explain it, just accept it was referenced. It was clearly not summer by the Rhine in the Gibichung lands.

Then add in the Gibichungs , with Luke Gabeddy an almost too good Gunther (isn’t he normally cast a bit less heroic?) and Mr Villain returning as Hagen. The potion of forgetting was present and used

The switcheroo to claim Brunhilde for Gunther was almost believable, the differing outfits were convincing from a distance, which was all that was needed as this was not recorded sadly

Then of course the chorus finally arrives and are led astray by Hagen.

The forest scene was played out straight, Hagen killed Siegfried then watched everyone begin to turn on him. I did wonder about the Rheinmaidens. Was Seigfried in the water with them? It did appear that way, rather than on the edge of the river. A rare moment when clarity was lost.

The orchestra sounded amazing with the funeral music.

Brunhilde sang her immolation scene with feeling and power aplenty. She set everything afire and returned the ring to the rheinmaidens then disappeared from sight as the orchestra swelled up and the Rhine returned.

So...

Over all? Quite frankly, it was hard to imagine a better sung production. No one stood out as singing a role that was wrong for them. All high notes were secure and sung out gloriously, none sounded a struggle, every note felt secure (which when you are singing for several hours at a time is an achievement) Every singer was carrying well over the orchestra for me in the balcony. There was one that some people felt was underpowered, to which my response would have been "I have experienced singers much worse on stage" It is possible her voice did not carry as well downstairs, but I certainly heard her clearly, unlike some singers I can think of I have heard regularly in other Opera Australia productions.

Staging? Apart from a couple of minor quibbles about a few things, the staging was fantastic. The digital screens were used in ways that enhanced the telling, rather than distracted. At other times, they were not afraid to just fade them out to dark or to a general mood colour, rather than representations of a physical place or thing. Some made the comment that at times they took on the abstract look of a Wieland Wagner production, having faded out to plain colours, rather than the constant busywork of some other productions. 

Big disappointments? Why was this not recorded, or videoed? This was an astonishingly successful production, with great performances. It should have been recorded, for posterity as well as to be made available for others. I can only hope they plan to rerun this production a few years into the future, and record it then 

Parsifal in concert, or the return of Jonas

The gloriously wacky Herheim Parsifal for Bayreuth (the Prelude)


Well, that was rather special. A mostly all star cast with some fabulous work by the locals in the small parts. And star power in the main leads, with all producing amazing results, even if a couple left me wondering if we could not have cast better locally, if the company leadership had bothered. But, company politics aside, this was a truly special night. And, dare I say it, not for the reasons I expected.

First of all, I have to give full credit to the work of Pinchas Steinberg conducting an enlarged chorus and orchestra, all performing better than I have heard before. Yes, partly that is due to them not being in the pit of doom, that sucks the bloom from the strings and makes everything muddy, but, hearing things clearly also meant we could hear them performing amazingly, responsive to Steinberg's every command. And if, watching him, I found his beats confusing at times, there was no mistaking the unity of sound he was getting, or, his ability to shape, colour and guide the orchestra through this complex score, producing sounds from chamber ensembles to the full blast of a full Wagnerian orchestra in full flight. I also have no doubt that the work of Tahu Matheson and Anthony Hunt preparing the chorus and orchestra was thorough, this sort of result does not come quickly. Especially for a company that rarely performs Wagner.

For most of act 1 of course, besides the various esquires and knights (all performed fantastically by local singers) the act really belonged to the orchestra and chorus, and the fantastic Gurnemanz of Kwangchul Youn. I had only heard him live once before in a small role in William Tell, but he has straight away joined the list of basses I would travel to hear. I admit, I was less than enthusiastic about him going in, but thought, I know he knows this role backwards, so.... I now know why he is one of the in demand Wagner basses. Huge voiced, with a warm sound, he had the hall ringing with sound, yet also easily dropped to pianissimo as required by the music. It really was one of those cases where at the end of act 1, you wonder if the Gurnemanz should have had top billing, as he had been worth the price of admission (which, for a concert was outrageous) just for act 1. The fact that he then returned to sing up a storm in act 3, is beside the point.

As Parsifal, Jonas Kaufmann showed why he is currently the most sought after tenor around. If last time I heard him live, I had some concerns about his voice and the longevity of that sound, this time he sounded like the Jonas of a few years ago, when he stunned the opera world with performances of Parsifal at the Metropolitan Opera that declared his ownership of the role any time he wanted to take it up again. This was a performance, in concert only, that matched those. Secure from beginning to end, going through the journey of beginning a fool, gaining understanding, and returning to the knights, bringing the longed for healing of them all. This was as much acting, as singing, while in white tie and tails, yet still throwing the sound to the back of the concert hall, with an ease of production that I felt missing last time I heard him live. That he seemed overwhelmed by other performers in the opening act, was entirely appropriate, and felt right, especially when followed by act 2 where he changes from the brave but foolish youth, into one learning compassion and understanding of suffering before our eyes. We could hear it in the words he sang, not just the surtitles behind him, as the change took place.

As Klingsor we had Warwick Fyfe showing just why people raved about him as Alberich in the Melbourne Ring Cycles, which I have sadly missed. This was again, someone in full command of his text and music, spitting out words with venom, while still singing with control and on the breath and basically revelling in the chance to play the bad guy. Perhaps a lighter sounding voice than I am used to in the role, he certainly had the power and the ability to menace all concerned. Someone give him this role staged, soon. He is too good for it not to happen.

As his partner in crime/the woman who causes things to happen our Kundry was something of a mixed bag. Yes, she sang all the notes, yes I never had trouble hearing her, but a lot of her music seemed to sit in places that did not sit well with her voice. There were times when it was magical (mostly higher sections) and a lot when I wished someone else was on stage. Not that she was bad, just she really appeared out of place. At the end, I did wonder what would the original singer cast have made of it? We will most likely never know because I doubt she will ever get the chance to sing it, which is a pity. Instead, we had Michelle De Young, who as I said, sounded like she is not comfortable in the role, which I guess is not surprising. Kundry is not an easy sing, much less an easy role to act convincingly.

We also had Michael Honeyman who was much better than I expected, but still was very much in a role he should not be singing. In the first act, he was the singer the conductor kept making the orchestra quiet for (which they did remarkably well), rather than him singing out over the top of a swelling orchestra, as written. But, he sang all the notes and got through without ending up a train wreck in the final act, even if failed to fully convey the hell his character is living. Why he was given the part when we have other baritones who have the power to sing that, I cannot explain. And that is a common complaint I have about him, I know.

However, the night belonged to the chorus and orchestra, and our three male leads who really took this to a higher level altogether, and our conductor taking us there. It also was a tribute to the range of talent that we have, that the small parts were all well sung, and cast with the sort of luxury casting I would expect at The Met or similar. David Parkin, an effective Titurel, begging for refreshment. The knights of Dean Bassett and Alexander Hargreaves really impressed. And the Flower Maidens of Stacey Alleaume, Jane Ede, Anna Dowsley, Eva Kong, Julie Lea Godwin and Dominica Matthews, all relishing a chance to sing something they would most likely never get a chance to again, all regular much loved soloists here, getting to sing in ensemble that would do any opera house proud.

Truly, this was a night that was one I will remember. And, I will remember for the good reasons, not for two casting choices that were not bad, but just not up to the level of everyone else.

This was Jonas Kaufmann at The Met 2013

The way over due post

So, I did not write about 3 of the operas I saw in New York. Or, for that matter, the operas I saw in Australia last year. (more anon) But I do need to look back and describe some stuff, because it feels a bit undone, as I approach my first opera of the year, to have not written about some of the best things I have seen, that happened last year.

So first, I did see some operas here. Love for 3 Oranges, which was amazing, and the Pearlfishers, which was less so.

So, for those that do not know, Love... is a farcical tale of fantasy and true love triumphing over evil, and features Prokofiev's challenging music Its a light hearted romp full of fun and craziness, with a cast that showcased just how good Opera Australia can be, when they trust in their own performers, and work as a team. It also featured the best performances I have seen from most of the leads featured (Rosario, being funny and singing beautifully, Kanen Breen showing that however good he is in other things, he is an amazing physical comic). It was so good, I actually saw I twice. Because, the first time, Kanen (and a few others) were sick, and there was a bunch of roles shuffled around to cover. It was fun, but the second time, with the leads as planned, it was stunning.

Pearlfishers, on the other hand... Well, yes, it was sung beautifully. The cast worked well together. The imported star (Pavol Breslik) did not stand head and shoulders above everyone, but fitted in with the standard of the rest quite well  (Jose Carbo, Daniel Sumegi and Ekaterina Siurina) But, in this case, the director tried to work around the problematic tale by changing some of the characters to try make it less "white men judging the foreigns". The problem is, I think he made it worse, by making the two male leads ex pats. Well, that was the way it felt to me.

So, to the rest of my fabulous stint in New York. Yes, I got to see the Nina Stemme and Stuart Skelton show, and yes, it was every bit as amazing live as I expected. Possibly more so than I expected, because the modernisation of the production worked better than I feared. Yes, if I knew Tristan better, I might think otherwise, but for me, it worked. It was the first time seeing the opera and, as an introduction, it was pretty amazing. And yes, if the cast was not so fabulous, it would have been quite tiring at times. But Nina, Stuart, Rene Pape, Evgeny Nikitin and Neal Cooper, all were amazing. Not to mention the surprise of Ekaterina Gubanova as Brangaene, who left me wondering why had I never heard of her before. She should go straight to the top of the list of mezzos to sing Wagner, her voice fitted right in alongside the starry names and staked a claim for similar recognition. I will also say, seeing those performers up close and hearing THAT ORCHESTRA from the third row, well, it really is astonishing. Talk about wallowing in sound!

Then there was the tragedy that is Jenufa, Janaczek's tale of woe in a small village. Once again with an astonishing cast, singing the snot out of their roles. Karita Mattila, having recently given up singing Jenufa, now sings the Kostelnicka. And how! Oksana Dyka proving once again, that she is great in Eastern European roles, as the tragic title role. Not to mention, Joseph Kaiser and Daniel Brenna as the competing tenors, and Hanna Schwartz (!) as the grandmother, Maria Zifchak as the Old Shepherdess and Elizabeth Bishop as the Mayor's wife. I mean, seriously! That is a cast!!! And yes, this was seen from the cheap seats, but, again, such great voices, and performers, there was no doubting the intensity..

Then we had Don Giovanni, the matinee that was used for the "Live in HD at The Met" performance. To be honest, I am not sure that DonG works well in such a barn of a theatre. Yes, the leads sang well, yes the set was quite clever in how it worked. But... Trying to make what is an intimate opera work to the back of the Met? Yeah, I am not convinced. Maybe it was just let down by a comparison with some of the other shows? But, despite the great cast (especially Paul Appleby as a non wimpy Don Ottavio) I was still left thinking this is something that needs to feel intimate, you need to be able to almost feel the heat of the flames licking at DonG's feet as his fate is realised. And that is something you will never feel from the balcony at the Met. Not, that I regret going, just it was a good reminder that opera works better in smaller theatres, and that big barns of theatres are an aberation, born of a bigger is better mentality in the USA. Which, while it can work well with somethings, will never work well with the many small scaled works that make up much of the repertoire.

New music telling an old story

I have hesitated to write this post. Not because of anything wrong with the show, far from it. But simply because, this was the first time I have heard two friends who I have known on line for more years than I care to remember, two friends I love and respect, and I struggled to work out how to show them the respect and love due them and their performances, and yet not give the impression of being totally uncritical.

So, first of all, the story was Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte's tale of love, passion and redemption, in a new setting with words by Diane Olsen and a score by Louis Karchin, a new composer for me. His music fits within a very traditional framework, with clearly designated arias and recits, ensembles and the like. This is not a criticism by any means, giving us the familiar on which is built something new, is a long proven technique, and one I endorse.  His music is tonal and accessible, creating a very atmospheric sound world with his small orchestral forces (a scratch band of about 30). As you all know, Jane Eyre is a story of gothic creepiness and Karchin's orchestration clearly came from the world of creepy movie music, with added textures from harp and xylophone/marimba. The closest comparison I can think of, would be possibly a Peter Sculthorp score, mixed with Korngold. It is a score I would love to hear again in the future, with a well rehearsed full pit orchestra, as it really was quite glorious in parts, but there were times when the orchestra lacked precision in their ensemble, more I suspect from a lack of rehearsals together than anything else. Playing modern music is always fraught with traps for musicians, and I suspect there were times more rehearsal would have tightened everything from the pit.

Having said that, the conducting of Sara Jobin looked from behind a model of clarity, giving a clear beat that was easily visible to both stage and orchestra (and those towards the from of the audience), that meant the singers and orchestra were never in danger of losing each other, despite the challenges of the score.

Kristine McIntyre's production (with set and video by Luke Cantarella) was a well thought out solution to a plot that requires frequent scene changes, most simply requiring a change of chairs/tables, etc, with the projections on stage clearly creating the rest. Theses were so effective,  that running late when we arrived, we thought the staging was a complex set to show two rooms in Thornfield, the Rochester house. It was only with the scene change we realized this was all projection on blank walls.

McIntyre worked hard to bring the characters to life, Jane's nervous shrinking violet who gradually comes out of her shell, Rochester's scarred soul desperately trying to build some happiness for himself, Mrs Fairfax, the Rivers in their eccentricity, all came through as solid characters. And, unlike another production I saw in NYC, we never had to suspend belief that characters could not see each other, despite clearly being in view of each other.

So, voices you say? Well, first of all, this production proved that singing in English is actually quite challenging for some. Providing clear diction, while projecting over an orchestra is almost impossible for some, while for others, it proved easy. Both Kimberly Giordano (Fairfax) and Ryan MacPherson (Rochester) (both of whom I knew previously) were thankfully both models for clarity and understanding. I did feel that deciding to set Rochester as a tenor might not be the most appropriate choice for the composer, but Ryan brought out the tortured soul well, giving him depth and strength, as well as portraying a character we wanted to livke, and see happy.

Kimberly brought life to Mrs Fairfax, making her flesh and blood, not just a character there for others to engage with. She was a part of the fabric of the household and clearly cared for the inhabitants in it. Her acting, coupled with her ability to make every word clear while maintaining a solid vocal line meant she was more important to driving the story forward than the size of her role might suggest.

As Jane Eyre, Jennifer Zetlan looked and acted the part with aplomb. Her words may not have been as clear as others, but, she was also dealing with what sounded like quite challenging vocal writing, so, the amount of words that were clear, was certainly a credit also. Her role is of course also far and away the longest, and she never flagged or showed signs of tiring, just focused and in character while pouring her heart out in long lines of music that covered her whole range.

Other characters were performed with aplomb, but really, this is a score that revolves around these three characters, with others getting featured, but only for a brief portion. There was a small ensemble of women who featured as Jane's pupils for the scene in the school, who also assisted with moving furniture on stage in the Thornfield scenes in costume as servants, usually with Mrs Fairfax in character, ordering them around.

So, to sum up, this is an opera that I would like to see again, that would work in a standard opera company's season. It is not one to scare the horses. And, it also is a story that is well known, even if much abridged in its telling. In this shortened form, it certainly stands up as a great night at the theatre.

Swiss Patriots

Right, so for my first Met visit I lucked into a good one. A well cast and sung opera I did not know well, or how it ended, in a serviceable production I'm going to call it. The things that were needed were there, there a few gimmicks, but nothing that took    away from telling the story. And a number of items that with thought may end up being quite telling to the director's thoughts on the opera.

First though, how good is it to be in a theatre where the sound does not turn to mush. After the clarity of the overture onward, going back to the sound of the orchestra pit at Sydney Opera House will be something I won't relish. 

The new production is the one mounted by the Dutch National Opera, by Pierre Audi, who clearly had a good handle on the characters and story, nothing jumped out as out of character, even if a couple of the characters do seem 1 dimensional. Why is Gesler such a cartoon style villain? The libretto does not tell us, and it seems just accepted that he is the evil vicious governor on behalf of the Austrians, with no indication that anyone else objects. Until Mathilde decides to stand up and use her imperial rank to overrule him over Tell's son 

So, to the singers. There was a big cast in WT, and all of then were clearly audible, despite being in the balcony, a considerable distance for voices to carry. As Tell, we had Gerald Finley, bringing both flexibility of tone and dignity to the role. It's a long role, and he never showed signs of flagging, as he portrayed the famous hero of the piece. This was a role that showed why he is one of the most sought after singers in the world today, it was a remarkable performance. Why he was dressed like a Jedi master, I am not sure.

As the tortured and lovelorn second hero Arnold, we had Bryan Hymel, bringing all his power and high notes, and considerable flexibility to this role. If Tell was the soul of the piece, Arnold was the heart, torn between family and homeland, and the imperial Mathilde, who he met in the past, who returns his love. Loving the enemy never ends well, in these things, and this couple provides much of the complications.

The princess herself was sung by Marina Rebeka, bringing a highly flexible, focused, if somewhat hard sound to her florid writing, but that bloomed wonderfully into a big lush sound in her more lyrical moments. Her costumes seemed variations on Victorian era riding habits, changing from black to white as she begins to distance herself from Gesler and his regime. 

The evil Gesler was played by John Relyea, being loud and obnoxious, as he is well capable. It's not a voice you expect in Rossini, but then, it is not written full of his usual complex flexible vocal lines, this is more Verdi-style villain writing, which he clearly enjoyed. 

I keep mentioning things as being unlike Rossini's normal style, and indeed, at times it did not feel like Rossini. The final chorus especially, has moments where you think, Rossini wrote this? It sounds 20th century. Other times, it is very clear, this is the same composer who wrote the Barber of Seville. The long well known overture is clearly his, with its long crescendi and strident calls to arms. Yet, the same composer writes proto-20 century music to end the night? It all seems a little unexpected. What isn't unexpected is Rossini's need of a good editor. This is NOT a short opera, and frequently the same music and words are repeated over, thus, there are times when it seems what would be a whole aria, but is only part in Rossini's world, is repeated, just to emphasis how lovely it was, and how heartbroken/eager to fight/in love they really are. A ruthless editor could easily chop 1/10 from the piece I think, if the repeats were killed. But, then, this was a French grand opera, where nothing is short. 

Speaking of French grand opera, the big ballet scene in Act 3 was handled very well, it helped to build the antagonism between the Swiss and the Austrians, demonstrating their heartlessness towards them. It was also one of those situations where the chorus has to take part (always fraught), but thankfully their dance part was fairly simple in a large complex scene. But pity the chorus who had to go from singing to dancing energetically to singing... 

So, all round a great night. Lots of great singing, a chance to see a piece I am never likely to see mounted in Sydney. And a rollicking good story, even if it took far longer to tell, than it needed to. 

Because I needed to say it

It was 1983 or there about when I got Bowie by seeing him on Countdown. I have no recollection of seeing/hearing him before (but I must of) but there he was on my TV in the video for Let’s Dance.

Suddenly, I got it. Here was this big star who was unashamedly different. Who, as I discovered later, was at the time, in his most normal phase he had been in. At that stage, I was a teen-ager trying to find myself, still very much in the shadow of my big brother who had always seemed a larger than life character, and who I was always compared to at school (the fate of younger siblings in country schools, the world over I suspect)

Seeing him, living his life out loud and proud, flamboyant as all hell, and not giving a damn, helped me, a young confused guy struggling to make sense of a world at around 14-15, to see that ultimately what others thought did not matter, living live on your terms was all that mattered. And that if you did, it was possible to be hugely successful. (It took a while to realise that you also have to have big talent and work insanely hard, which, yeah, that was never going to happen)

So, years later, David Bowie has died. Since I first “got him” I can honestly say his music has always been in my life somehow. I’ve not been the biggest fan, or gone and bought all his albums (I can remember buying 3, - a greatest hits, Let’s Dance, and Tonight, which says more about where my headspace was at the time, than the brilliance or otherwise of any of his albums) but his music has remained with me, thoughtful, full of words of surprising depths of emotional realness, that helped those of us who never really felt a part of the mainstream, feel like we were not alone. And, of course, also full of musical adventures that satisfied the classical musician in me. It has taken his death to really drive home, just how much he had meant to me.

So, goodbye you glorious chameleon of a man. May you remain a inspiration for us all.

So, go out, be adventurous, be true to yourself, and make lots of art. Some of it will be great art.

Forest high jinks with Janáček

So, Janáček and his “Cunning Little Vixen”. Not an opera I would recommend for a young cast. Or a training company. One could say, an opera that many companies need to think carefully before performing. It is full of odd rhythms and complex textures, yet requires a cast to imitate all sorts of forest creatures, not just the humans that also feature in it. It also requires an intensely physical performance to pull off, thus most opera singers find it tough.

So, how did Pacific Opera handle it? Well, mostly pretty well. They had the very impressive Sydney Youth Orchestra firing away in the pit under the baton of Alexander Briger producing all kinds of glorious sounds, doing justice to the complex score. In some ways, they were the stars of the show.

The production itself was a reframing of the story as a dream the Forester has, reliving how Harasta got to marry the beautiful gypsy that various men in the town had chased. To me, this added an element of confusion, rather than clarity to the story. It did however help to justify some of the more crazy elements, but when your story is basically “circle of life” stuff and ends with a scene where your lead character sings a song in praise of the glory of nature and her renewal, making most of it a dream seems counter intuitive. But, then, I am a fan of taking a work and presenting it, not taking the music and making it what you want it to be about, as some directors seem keen.

So, what of the performers you say? Well, unfortunately, a decision was made to mic all the leads and have them perform with headsets like most music theatre is done now. Now, while I understand the reasoning (a large number of the singers would not have been heard over the orchestra), I would have rather had the orchestration reduced, and allowed the singers to sing unmiced, though I realise that much of the pleasure I got from the performance was because the orchestra was so good and that would have been lost.

And the main reason I say I would have preferred it, is because a lot of the singing got distorted thanks to the amplification. I was told there was a fault causing it, but to my ear, a lot of the problem came from the sound guys not being used to dealing with highly resonant voices with a big volume range, as for the most part, the quieter singers seemed to come off better via the mics, but the big voices seemed to suffer more.

So, considering that, to the performers. As the Forester we had Alexander Knight, a young baritone who I have heard before singing up a storm in Handel, and doing it well. Giving him Forester at this stage of his career seemed cruel, as while a beautiful voice, well produced, this is a role that is a long way off into his future. (A future that in the short term involves him going off to sing at Wiesbaden as a house singer at their opera) Having said that, he was a compelling performer in the role, making you believe in him as the older man who has watched the world change over the years.

His Vixen, (sung by Alexandra Flood) similarly was impressive in characterisation. Her voice seemed well suited to the role, although both she and Alexander had the most problems with their voices being distorted by the mics. What came across was good, but the amplification really did her no favours. Both she and Alexander would have been able to sing over the orchestra without them (although some of the staging might have needed to be changed to ensure that) but they would have both been working harder to do it.

Also vocally impressive was Jared Lillehagen as the priest. His smaller role was sung very well and brought off his inner conflicts well. (him being very easy on the eye was also noted)

As to the ensemble work, mostly it was very tight. There were times when voices got lost in the mess of the amplification, but it sounded together. The chickens scene was very well handled with the singers adopting very hen-like movements, despite not being dressed in costumes that gave any sense of that. Many of the other animals could have been anything (apart from the children playing leapfrog at the end) I can see the reasoning behind not making the animal costumes clear that are usual for this opera, but there is a bigger reason for them. It makes it easier to bring the characters to life. Having the same chorus be the animals in the woods, and the chickens and the villagers at a wedding in the same costume, does not really make for clarity in story telling.

But, ultimately, this was an opera that, as much as it is telling a story, the real star remains the orchestral writing. Sure there are some places for the lead singers (or the chorus) to shine, but ultimately, they tend to come off second best, beside the glorious orchestral score, that creates the forest scenes so well. And, that was what we were left with at the end, memories of some extraordinary music making.

(Incidentally, if this seems a tad harsh, I probably should make it clear, the performers all did a fantastic job with what they were given, but I don't think this was a wise choice for Pacific Opera to perform)

Ferruccio Furlanetto is God, or something damn close to it

If there is a scene that is the heart and soul of Don Carlo, or Don Carlos, as OperaAustralia insist on calling it, it is that big scene for Filippo at the start of the third act. First of all he pours out his heart lamenting the fact that he is married to someone who has never loved him, who he should never have married. Then, he is joined by the Grand Inquisitor, who proceeds to tell him what he should do, and threatens the king, showing clearly that despite his temporal power, he is only there at the mercy of the church, and possibly also because he is easier to control than who might follow. It is also the big showpiece for the bass playing the king, being the time when he gets to allow himself to be the man, rather than the monarch and husband. In the right hands it can be a riveting piece of singing acting that shows the man behind the crown. In the wrong hands, it becomes a piece of indulgence that holds up the story.

Needless to say, in this production we had the master of this role, singing as if he has lived this life, slipping into the troubled King's shoes as comfortably as we might our favourite pair of slippers. And what a treat, to see and hear the definitive Filippo of our time, live in the flesh! When his opening notes of the monologue, which he effectively sings into his hand that is supporting his head, and which are still clarion clear at the back of the theatre, you know why this man has the reputation he does. That he can do that, and make us care for this tyrant who we already know is responsible for the death of thousands, such is the power of his performance. Oh, and the power of Verdi's masterful writing too, of course.

And yes, having Ferruccio Furlanetto sing this role was the reason I had decided that this would be a must see performance, even before I knew we had Latonia Moore in the role of his wife Elisabetta de Valois. As probably the current Aida of choice for opera companies everywhere, her performance in the theatre here a few years ago remains something I will not forget. If this was not quite that potent a performance, I do think that it is one that she will grow into, with a few more outings, till it is the equal of her Aida. So, think not incredible, but merely very good. This is a queen being torn apart by duty vs emotion, who fell in love on first sighting the young man who later becomes her stepson. Yes, I know, only in opera! To be sure, that glorious voice with its beautiful creamy high notes is still glorious, and the ability to put into a look so much feeling that it carries to the back of the theatre was there. But I still think that she has more to give in this role, I do not think she has plumbed its depths yet and lived with it long enough to build the strength of characterisation that makes her Aida so devastatingly good.

Then we had the Rodrigo of Jose Carbo, a role I know he has long wanted to play, and clearly relishing the opportunity he has been given. Hearing someone you used to sing with a significant number of years ago living up to their potential is always a thrill. When they are singing in such exalted company and showing they belong there too, it is a magical thing. Needless to say, he lives the role, and he is singing better and better each time I hear him, pouring out the sounds in a way that clearly shows he knows the role backwards and lives the meaning of all of it. His death scene was especially well sung.

I mentioned before the Grand Inquisitor (played by Daniel Sumegi) who has that delicious snarling duel of a scene with the king. I did not mention that he was played and sung beautifully. He clearly plays someone who is used to getting his every demand met, who has grown old and yet remains still very much the feared arm of punishment that the church uses to bend others to its will. The somewhat harsh sound that he produced was just right for the elderly but still in control priest.

I also have to say, for a small chorus, we get a lot of sound out of them. The start of the auto da fe scene may have been a bit quiet where I sat, but by the time the chorus were all on stage and not at the back, the sound was impressive. It is a scene that never quite makes sense to me, but Elijah Moshinsky has tried to make it work. To modern sensibilities, being excited over people going to their deaths will always be a big ask. But, he tries, and succeeds in making us see some at least in the crowd are excited.

I will say however, that the casting of Diego Torre as Don Carlo was not something I was overly pleased with. To be sure, he has the ability to sing all the notes, and sing them in a way that ensures he can be heard by all. The problem is, I am not sure it is a voice I want to hear. In the first half, he came across as having a harsh overtone somehow, or maybe it was an awkward resonance the theatre was picking up. I want to say he has the voice of a tenor villain, but I can't think of any tenor villain that needs to be that loud, apart from maybe Grimes. Either his voice improved in the second half, or I got used to it, but he still remained someone who could only sing loud or louder, which was grating against the nuanced performances of the other singers. He also did not convince me that he was still madly in love with his mother in law, which while a stretch for anyone, is essential for his character to be believable.

Also in the less than successful department was our Princess Eboli, Milijana Nikolic. Constantly drowned out in ensembles and at times seeming to run out of breath in her two big arias in awkward places. Last time I heard her in Verdi (as Azucena) I was impressed at how well she took on the role and sang it. This time, I was constantly thinking she was trying to sing a role that is much too big for her. It was quite odd. Of course, having to sing alongside some very big voices would not have helped, but it was a surprising let down given her Azucena was most impressive.

Now, having said all that, I have to say, who in their right mind when setting up the bows puts the unsatisfactory tenor in the title role in as the last to bow in a cast, when you have  two big names in opera in leads? Well, apparently our national opera company do. I could not believe they did not put Furlanetto on last, as quite frankly, he was what made this a special night. He deserved it, both for being the big name star in the company, as well as being far and away the best performer in the cast.

Now THAT is how you Turandot!

That is how you Turandot, or, maybe I should say, THAT is how you CALAF, for as much as Lise Lindstrom is amongst the finest Turandots you can hire at the moment (and, yes, she is VERY GOOD) last night's Turandot from opera Australia was very much the show of Calaf. I say that, having seen another very good Calaf in the same production previously (albeit with a less successful Turandot) a few years ago.

But, last night, was special. Very Special. I cannot remember a time when the star imported soprano got a smaller applause than the tenor in a big role. And, when that star imported soprano was singing her career defining role, and singing it very well. But, such was the caliber of the performance, that any of the six big leads in this show (Calaf, Turandot, Liu, Ping, Pang and Pong) would have not been out of place in any cast in any major opera theatre. The fact that four of them are Australian, makes me very pleased.

So, first of all, this was the much loved Graeme Murphy Turandot with the gorgeous designs of  the late Kristian Fredrickson. And yes, it is glorious magnificent from start to finish, with both costuming and other fabric used to create mood and beautiful stage pictures (see here). And, yes, this production was created with a great deal of thought, time and care. It was Graeme Murphy's first opera production, and probably will remain his finest, born of a long standing love of this opera, and his innate sense of theatre. Yes, he makes the cast move a lot more than normal (as expected when your main claim to fame is choreography and dance) but it is all done with thought, and care. If, the Ping Pang & Pong reminiscence scene is a bit too busy and silly (and I did not notice it being so last night, which reflects well on the performers) that can be blamed as much on Puccini and his librettists as on Murphy. That scene does seem too long many times, and holding up the action. But, that is its point. Last night, it became a calm peaceful respite, before the glorious loud noises of the riddle scene.

So, to the cast. It was a measure of the strength of this cast, that despite my decision to go to this performance based on the Turandot of Lise Lindstrom, at the end of Act 1, with Turandot not having sung a note, I was very happy with what I had heard.The trio of Ping Pang and Pong, in the hands of Luke Gabbedy, Graeme Macfarlane and John Longmuir really did function as one. Their antics were never a threat to their sound, and their ensemble singing was impressive.

As Timur, the mystery prince's father, we had the imposing Jud Arthur. His was a convincing old man, which for those of us who know what he looks like (tall, fit and muscular), is impressive. His was a Timur we could care about, especially as he was ably assisted by the glorious Liu of Hyeseoung Kwon. Her years of singing this role means she probably can sing it in her sleep, but, she really does embody this role. Her death will bring a tear to your eye. Everytime.

As the ice princess herself, we had the reason I chose to come to the first cast, the lovely Lise Lindstrom. Her voice is not the big warm Italianate sound of many Turandots, but the ice of a Nilsson or similar. It is a metallic sound that cuts clearly through the complexity of the orchestra and chorus singing at full pelt. And, considering that where I was sitting meant that full volume felt like low level aural assault, yes, she is loud!! And, yes, she does come much closer to a successful portrayal of the ice princess melting than most Turandots do. But, doing that is a challenge for anyone, with how it is written. Going from watching the person you are about to have tortured kill herself, to turning yourself into someone allowing herself to fall in love for the first time. Its a big ask for anyone, even with Puccini writing the music for it (though, that is assembled by Alfano for the final act in the version we heard). That Lindstrom makes you see the wavering to allowing love, and make you believe,  is no mean feat.

But, ultimately, the night belonged to the Calaf of Yonghoon Lee, and the glorious chorus. That such a small chorus can sound so large, and produce so much sound with such precision, is a powerful statement. They have long been good, but under Anthony Hunt, they are growing even stronger. Small numbers do not mean small sounds.

And the Calaf. Yonghoon actually managed to make me forget that Calaf is a complete selfish prick. His is a likeable foolhardy Calaf who you wanted to win. He poured forth large amounts of beautiful ringing secure tenor sounds from start to finish. He has a much lighter higher sound than most of the Calafs you hear. It is more the sound you might expect to hear as say Rodolfo, rather than Calaf. But, he certainly had the power to sing over the chorus, and to sing that aria with sufficient style and conviction, that to compare him to other recent tenors of significance would be churlish. This is a voice that should much better known.

But, really, last night was a night of great opera. It sounded great, it looked magnificent, and, that ultimate arbiter of technique, my throat, never started feeling sore in sympathy with any of the singers. It was the sort of night where everything was just gloriously good, and you could just wallow in the beautiful sounds that Christian Badea was pulling from the cast and orchestra. Could you ask for more?

This is the tenor who takes over in August, showing what the production looks like in full flight

A tale of 2 opera events

So, this is the story of my attendance at two opera performances, where one was in the theatre and one was the spectacular that is Opera On The Harbour. Both very different, both a bit flashy and glam, but one moved me, and one left me feeling WTAF?

First, to the special. Faust. With the David McVicar production from the Royal Opera, a much loved and praised production, that manages to include much of his usual visual language, while still remaining true to the story and libretto. Everything that is needed is there, with a few extras (I never worked out the point of the black evening gown for Mephistopheles, but it worked in context)  and the story is told in a way that leaves this archetypal morality play still relevant for today. To be sure, we do not expect supernatural intervention in our lives, but this tale of innocence lost, and of "be careful what you ask for" still rang true, helped by superlative performances.

For this was truly international A-grade house casting. First of all, the young up coming tenor that is getting everyone excited, Michael Fabiano sang the title role. As a singer that did not automatically leap to mind in this role (I expect to hear him in Italian ones), I was impressed by his versatility. His musicianship was never in doubt, but French is a language that not every opera singer can sing successfully in. The fact that after Sydney he flew to Paris to perform the role at the Bastille Opera also probably says a lot. Needless to say, if you have the chance, I strongly recommend you go hear him, he is a very impressive singer, who is going to continue to improve.

As his love interest, we had the stunning Nicole Car, who once again showed why she is now going places. (currently singing in Berlin, then off to the Royal Opera as Tatyana) Last time I heard her, I loved her voice, but was a little underwhelmed by her acting in a role where she did not fit the production. This time, she was fine. She took the star role that Marguerite is and ran with it. If her French did not always sound French, that would be my biggest criticism, which in a young singer, is nothing that time and coaching will not fix.

And then we had Teddy Tahu Rhodes stepping into the big badboy role of Mephistopheles. And loving it. I have said before, that Teddy is such a great stage animal. Once again, he got a role to sink his teeth into and have fun with. And he did. I'm finding him sounding more basslike each time I hear him, less baritonal. And I like it. Especially in this role, where the usual performers are basses with secure top notes, not baritones who can go low. And of course, the best recorded performers of it are the Russian/eastern europe basses like Cristoff and Ghiaurov, so the darkening of Teddy's sound worked well here. Although, there is no real opportunity for him to show off his chest this time...

Then, we had the smaller parts filled out by Giorgio Caoduro as Valentine, Anna Dowsley as Siebel, Richard Anderson as Wagner and Domenica Matthews as Marthe. Each of them great singers and worthy of major roles, filling out smaller roles and making them vivid and real. And each of them well loved by Australian audiences.

The result of this? A performance of Faust that will live as the one to beat in my memories. Admittedly, only my second, and the first live, but it left me moved, and aware, that even if I will never be a Faust fan, it is certainly a much stronger work dramatically and musically than I had given it credit, in the correct hands.

Which leads me to Aida, which is a whole different kettle of fish.

First of all, Aida seems a natural fit to be mounted in stadium style productions, with big choruses and lots of put everything on you have on stage scenes. It's why it remains popular at The Met for example, who can fill their stage with hundreds of big voices raised in triumph or horror, as the mood dictates. The only problem with that idea, as everyone quickly discovers when performing Aida, is that it really is about the love triangle between the leads, stuck into the situation where they are all people of influence and importance, and love and the requirements of society do not match at all. Not to mention the requirements of religion. The big scenes are the setting of the scene for the important drama, what happens to the people at the centre of it

As a result, big flashy productions of Aida tend to fall flat on their faces if you do not have four performers giving performances that make you care about them. If you are more concerned about the spectacle than the story, then your Aida ultimately becomes the the souffle that fails to rise.

Now, to be sure, there was much to love about this production. All the voices (except one) were right for the parts. Visually, it looked amazing. It was just totally schizophrenic in its imagery. Amneris's costumes looked straight out of Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra, yet Aida's looked like they belonged to the heroine of  The Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I mean, I get that Aida is meant to look different to Amneris as one is Egyptian and one Ethiopian, but really??? And, that is before we start on the dancers and their outfits. Yes, let's not discuss the dancers at all, because what they had to do was mostly laughable and totally wrong in context (there was a context to them?)And their outfits belonged to the 1am show at RHI at the Sydney Mardi Gras Party.

So, yes, there was much that was quite frankly so grossly over the top, the production threatened to out camp a John Waters film. Think on that, and remember this is a serious drama about a love triangle caught up with societal pressures in a rigidly structured society. Or, it is written as such, at any rate.

Thankfully, the music making was mostly of a high standard. As Amneris, Jacqui Dark was pretty much the star of the show. Her character is traditionally the villain of this piece and she got to be that writ large. Always bringing a strong performance to her characters, here she revelled in playing the spoiler. Her voice is also well suited to the role, so she got to prowl the stage belting out her music with abandon, and generally acting the maneater, with her eye on someone else's man.

As the man in question,  Arnold Rawls brought a remarkably fresh voiced tenor to the role, singing the opening aria which trips up many, with ease. To some, he me have failed to lack the daring do needed to be convincing as the man who risks throwing everything away for love, but to me, he was more the man paralysed by love's demands, than the do-er many assumed this role must be. He certainly sang the role comfortably, with more enthusiasm than many. His was a performance that left you thinking you would not mind hearing him again.

As the title role though, we had a singer who quite frankly did not cut it. Sure, she had all the notes, and she has a reputation as a spinto soprano, but that is where the good things ended. I couldn't help thinking at times, that her staging was very clearly designed around the other cast Aida (Latonia Moore) who has the voice to make you forget anything except what she is telling you. Daria Masiero does not. What Moore could convince with the power and beauty of her voice, Masiero would do and come across as looking stagy and tired, producing a "please like me" response, that REALLY grated on me. If your heroine who is going to die at the end, cannot make you want her to live, you have failed. And, that was the biggest problem for me in a problematic production. The Nile Scene where you see Aida being torn between her love for her man, and her desire to be back in her homeland, which can be a lesson in how to sing beautiful high notes softly, became an "oh my god just get over it" trial, as well. We felt nothing for her as a character, and the sounds she was producing, were frankly not that pretty either. Certainly the worst sound I have heard from an Aida (six staged performances, 2 of them video)

For the most part, the other performers were all quite acceptable, singing what really are roles that are cyphers, rather than flesh and blood characters, although the Ramfis of Conal Coad will remain with me, purely for the camp factor. Him walking up the stage with his cape could teach Joan Crawford how to go OTT for pure campery.

However, I have to admit, knowing Aida, I still have no idea what killed them in this production. There was no attempt to try to confine them, or to place them in some sort of lower location to suggest they were trapped. Rather they were stuck alone on the middle of that huge stage. Death by excess fresh air perhaps? Certainly not the suffocation they were singing about. It was also telling that I was eager for them to get it over and just die at the end. This was not a production to leave you sobbing at the end (which it should), rather, most of us left laughing. Which, considering this is a tragic love story, is probably all you really need to know.