Prom 14: Das Rheingold ***
Staatskapelle Berlin, Barenboim, Royal Albert Hall, 22nd July 2013
‘A sultry haze hangs in the air,’ remarks Donner towards the finale of Das Rheingold. He wasn’t wrong. In a Royal Albert Hall sweltering like Nibelheim’s furnaces, Daniel Barenboim launched the Prom season’s most feverishly anticipated event, a complete cycle of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, as a packed Arena heroically maintained both concentration and consciousness. A blow from Donner’s hammer to clear the air over Kensington would have been most welcome. It’s sobering to think that this was the first time that Barenboim had conducted a Wagner opera in this country, but he’s certainly making up for that this week – four operas with four largely different casts (although Nina Stemme is thrice-tackling Brünnhilde). The icing on the cake was in the conductor bringing the Staatskapelle Berlin, an orchestra with a rich heritage, perfectly suited for Wagner, without any hint of surface gloss or artificial sheen.
© BBC | Chris Christodoulou
In the depths of the Rhine, Barenboim’s beat was barely discernible, a mere pulse at times, but his sense of authority and mastery over the score was never in doubt. Like Erda’s grim warning to the gods, the Proms prospectus had advised us that this performance would last 160 minutes, although how they then calculated the estimated finish time as 21:55 is anyone’s guess. In the event, after a delayed start, Barenboim breasted the tape at almost precisely 150 minutes, still a good deal slower than Böhm or Solti (and rather slower than his own Bayreuth Festival recording). This was Levine territory and it had its drawbacks; the Rhinemaidens never really frolicked, their teasing and tempting of Alberich more stately than playful, and at times Barenboim’s unhurried tempi, despite sculpting the interludes lovingly, allowed tension to sag, where more bite would have been welcome. The descent into Nibelheim lacked punch, not helped by the puny anvil sound effects (which made one question why they had bothered at all) and the Albert Hall’s bizarre decision to admit latecomers at this point in proceedings!
However, the playing of the Staatskapelle Berlin was praiseworthy in the extreme. Wagner tubas struck a tone of dreamy nobility in the score’s first Valhalla theme, while the terrific double basses made their presence felt, underpinning the string section with great solidity. Barenboim’s control over dynamics was superb, willing his forces to a hushed whisper during Fricka’s “Um des Gatten Treue besorgt”. Despite my concerns about his broad tempi, Barenboim drew drama from the score in notable moments; the snarling clarinet as Fafner points out to his brother the gods’ deception; leader Wolf-Dieter Batzdorf’s sinuous playing as Fricka muses on whether Wotan might win the Rhinemaidens’ gold himself; the horns during Mime’s description of Alberich’s punishing reign.
We were blessed with an extremely well balanced trio of Rhinemaidens, singing from the back of the platform, led by Anna Lapkovskaja’s excellent, warm-toned Flosshilde. Aga Mikolaj’s Woglinde was hardly less secure and although Maria Gortsevkaya’s Wellgunde sounded more abrasive, the three blended well. All three projected well, as did Johannes Martin Kränzle who turned in a great performance as Alberich. Far less extrovert or sardonic of tone than a baritone like Ekkehard Wlaschiha, Kränzle’s focus on diction and inky tone aided in his characterisation. Kränzle returns as Alberich throughout the cycle.
That scrupulous attention to the text was also noticeable in the two main tenor roles; Stephan Rügamer brought a Lieder-like quality re diction and dynamics to Loge, wonderfully equivocal, while Peter Bronder’s splendid Mime was delivered with relish, clear-toned (and suitably dwarfish), a fine foil to Kränzle’s Alberich.
© BBC | Chris Christodoulou
Originally billed as Fasolt, Iain Paterson stepped up to his first Wotan with a good deal of panache. His baritone sounded lighter than his contemporaries in the role (Wotan in Walküre may be a step too far at present), but this accentuated a youthful nobility in the character, whilst adding a dash of sarcasm to the mix. He sustained phrases well and crowned his performance with a fine “Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge” before the gods processed towards Valhalla. To match this youthful Wotan was Ekaterina Gubanova’s youthful Fricka (also admirable on Valery Gergiev’s knockout Walküre), earnest and feisty. The rest of the gods didn’t fare quite so well. Despite Anna Samuil’s physical charms, her Freia was less lovely, chilly of tone and occasionally harsh. Marius Vlad and Jan Buchwald were adequate as her brothers Froh and Donner. Anna Larsson’s Erda was delivered with her customary velvety contralto, although her vibrato is more pronounced than I’ve previously encountered.
Dressed like nightclub heavies, Stephen Milling and Eric Halfvarson were a ‘Little and Large’ double act as the giants Fasolt and Fafner, duped by Wotan into building Valhalla and now demanding payment. These two huge bass voices were deployed in very different ways, Milling’s full of grainy warmth, while Halfvarson barked and snarled his way through the role, as anyone familiar with his highly effective Grand Inquisitor from Don Carlo will recognise. Quite how the diminutive Halfvarson could be expected to fell Milling’s Fasolt is another matter entirely. Knee-capping, perhaps…
Justin Way is credited as the stage director for this concert performance, though what he did beyond manage entrances and exits wasn’t entirely apparent. The degree of interaction between the singers was at the sort of level you’d expect – no scores or props – and I’d anticipate the singers would have delivered their performances just as well without any instruction. Perhaps he was behind the lighting ‘concept’. In his review of the sole concert purely dedicated to Verdi on Saturday, my colleague rightly poured scorn on the lighting effects employed. They have been an abomination for a couple of seasons now. Here was the opportunity for the lighting department to redeem themselves and things started promisingly with rippling blues for the Rhine. However, things went south from there, with ghastly effects for the descent into Nibelheim and garish green hues for Erda’s appearance (from the organ loft). To report the rainbow bridge was disappointing is an understatement.
Lighting distractions aside, there was plenty to celebrate in this performance. In the playing of the Staatskapelle Berlin, and the fine cast assembled for Walküre in particular, I regret not being able to attend the rest of the cycle. My Opera Britannia colleagues will be reporting from the front-line, water bottles and smelling salts at the ready…
Review originally published on Opera Britannia