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

4 fantastic singers? 5 pretty good ones

So Il Trovatore, that opera where we have to believe that a mother threw the wrong baby in the fire, and then raised her enemy's son to destroy his biological brother. Well, yes, it is an opera, so there is always a certain amount of disbelief required, but, that's opera for you.

First of all, I have to say, this was a surprisingly even cast. There were no stand out bad performers the whole night. That also means of course, there were no stunningly good ones either (like Monserrat Caballe at the top) . Instead, we had a night of well sung, well acted, if not always thrilling opera.

This production was the Elke Neidhardt production that is shared between the various state opera companies here. It resets the opera to the Spanish Civil war, but never really tells you which side who is on. All you know (indeed, all you really need to know) is that Di Luna and Manrico are on opposite sides.) The sets consist of a series of grey walls that get rearranged from time to time. They all show signs of war damage, and get moved to indicate changes of location for each scene. They worked very effectively, especially coupled with the very effective moody lighting.

There were no obvious "regietheatre moments" that made you scream "what the?" but a mostly sensibly directed opera, that focused on telling the story clearly. Ok, so maybe the moment of gratuitous total male nudity with the arrival of the new recruits was not necessary, but it did lighten up the scene (and the supers were very pretty)

Now, to the performers, because, as is mythologised, this opera stands or falls on the four leads (I would argue five, but hey, who says singers can count?)

First off, when you get a notice on your seat that a singer has been swapped for health reasons, you normally sigh a little. Well, when I heard the Ruiz was swapped (admittedly a small role) I was quite pleased. My previous experience of the singer in question left me wondering why he had been cast. Instead, we had Sam Roberts-Smith, who I hope we hear a lot more of. As Ruiz, he sang only a little, but left us wanting to hear more, and liking what we heard. Why the other singer was cast in the first place still leaves me scratching my head, knowing his replacement was available at the time...

Now, frankly, Daria Masiero is no Monserrat Caballe (or for that matter, Angela Meade, or Latonia Moore) but she is a fine singer with a big voluptuous voice of the type needed. To be sure, I would prefer one both larger, prettier and better controlled, but we are talking dream casting vs affordable casting. For a company that cannot afford the A list singers, Daria is pretty good. No fluffed notes, nice even sound and plenty of power to bring to those exciting climaxes Verdi gives. To be sure, she does not sound as in control of her voice as Latonia Moore (or Angela Meade, who I have only heard via recordings) but there was nothing wrong with what she did. We are talking degrees, more the difference between something I consider acceptable, to something truly glorious. She was workmanlike would be my comment.

Likewise, Arnold Rawls. As the evening progressed, his voice definitely eased into the role, sounding less tight. Sometimes he sounded  not entirely comfortable in the role in the first act. But by the second act he was sounding truly heroic, his C on "Di quell piera" was something to behold, if a touch OTT for the purists. I say, if you have it like that, use it!!!!

The surprise of the evening for me was Michael Honeyman as the Count di Luna. This was the fourth time i have heard him recently, so you can understand why I was shocked when I heard him. I have always liked his voice, but I long to hear the voice that he has yet to become, instead of the smaller sound we have been getting. Well, somewhere between last year and this production, he has found that big sound. WOW! Suddenly, its like he had a big break through in vocal technique and the sound is much fuller, richer and just plain bigger. Im really looking forward to hearing what happens in the future now.

Our bass for the evening was of course, the reliable Richard Anderson as Ferrando. Quite why the captain of the guards became a priest in this production, I am not sure, but it did not detract too much from the story. Indeed, it only occurred to me later that he is not normally a priest. Too many Italian operas have priests that do everything they shouldn't I guess..

And finally, we had Milijana Nikolic as Azucena, the mother who threw her son on the fire by mistake, intending to throw the Count's brother. Previously, I have not been that impressed by her. This time I was convinced. Her Strida la vampa and the scene following with Manrico were stunning. In many respects that scene became the emotional centre of the opera in this performance.

And of course, as usual, the chorus sang well, swapping frequently from being soldiers to freedom fighters and back again.Im sure there was lots of men changing back stage in the wings…

So I will leave you with our tenor. Not perfect, but pretty damn good, and certainly worth paying for.