We recently returned from San Francisco where we attended the third iteration of the 2018 San Francisco Opera presentation of Richard Wagner’s mighty Ring of the Nibelung. Overall, the experience was exhilarating, overwhelming and perhaps due to our somewhat advanced age, exhausting. (Perhaps we should not attend a six-hour forum after watching a five-hour opera the night before!).
This, of course, was director Francesca Zambello’s “American Ring,” which we had attended in 2011, with some important changes, but after seven years, we did not mind being refreshed on it. As I mentioned, it was overall a wonderful experience, so any comments I make below that make be less than complimentary should be considered in that context.
Das Rheingold. Zambello made the most changes to this opera, previously set explicitly in gold-rush country, but this time set in somewhat generic mountainous terrain.
In my younger days I used to actively dislike Rheingold, finding it too conversational, and just a bunch of gods, dwarves and giants yelling at each other. I have grown to appreciate it more, taking in its subtleties, although it is still my least favorite of the four operas. The singers were excellent. Falk Struckmann as Alberich was wicked, horny, and greedy, but also hurt and very angry. David Cangelosi was a fine Mime (more on him later), and the giants well played by Andrea Silvestrelli (Fasolt) and Raymond Aceto (Fafner). Bass-baritone Greer Grimsley was Wotan, and at times, especially when near the back of the set, seemed to be overwhelmed by the orchestra. He did not have this problem when I saw him in this role in Seattle, so either his voice has lost some power, or the set, house or orchestra caused a balance problem. He was fine when he moved closer, however, and played the role well, as a man desperate to pay for his literal castle in the sky without complying with his contract.
Zambello was creative in staging the ransom and return of Freia, played by Julie Adams. Although terrified when she was taken by the giants, when she returned, she clearly was psychologically attached to Fasolt, clinging to him desperately, and distraught when Fafner killed him. Whether this was Stockholm Syndrome or genuine love we’ll never know. San Francisco regular, baritone Brian Mulligan, was a stentorian Donner-his summoning of the storm being one of the highlights for me. (Perhaps the nearest thing to an aria in this opera). Brandon Jovanovich as Froh was a bit of luxury casting, and Jamie Barton was a fine Fricka. Ronnita Miller, as Erda, made a brief, but effective appearance. Perhaps my favorite of all the performers; however, was tenor Stefan Margita as the ever sardonic and cynical Loge.
On the negative side, I did not like that there was no glimpse, even in the distance, of Valhalla itself. The gods, in 1920s attire and swilling champagne, simply walked up what looked like a cruise ship gangplank to nowhere. (For more on the absence of Valhalla see my comments on Götterdämmerung below.)
Former San Francisco Opera Music Director, Donald Runnicles, conducted this and the other three operas, keeping things moving. I liked that he “sneaked in” and started the orchestra on the wonderful opening chords without the usual bow and applause. The huge orchestra, always important in a Wagner opera, was sonorous.
Die Walkure. Former Seattle Opera Director, Speight Jenkins, appearing in the Saturday Ring Forum, described this opera as “romantic.”. To me it is certainly the Ring opera that most touches the heart with its depiction of the doomed love between Sieglinde and Siegmund. Zambello sets the opening scene in a trailer (that just happens to have a tree growing through it) in the rural South. Raymond Aceto plays Hunding effectively as a brutal wife-beater kind of husband. Sieglinde, basically his captive, was sung by Karita Matilla. I found her acting impressive, her singing less so-a bit hollowed out vocally and with some rough edges during the duet with Siegmund. Brandon Jovanovich has had a fine career, but I cannot understand why he is not more famous. He was simply a fabulous Siegmund. His “wälses” were sung beautifully, forcefully and held seemingly forever. He also looked and acted the part of the hero.
In the second act, of course, the title character, the Valkyrie Brünnhilde appears, here sung by Swedish soprano Iréne Theorin. Without erasing memories of the great Nina Stemme, Theorin excelled in this role. Her voice easily surmounted the orchestra and her stage presence and acting were superb. Greer Grimsley and Jamie Barton returned as Wotan and Fricka, and Grimsley’s voice seemed to project better.
When well performed as was the case here, this opera really brings me close to tears; first, in the second scene of Act II, when Siegmund is begging Brünnhilde to let Sieglinde accompany him to Valhalla, and again, during Wotan’s Farewell. I do wish, however, that Runnicles had taken the Farewell at a slower pace, squeezing every ounce of pathos out of it, but that is a quibble. Again, the orchestra was superb.
Siegfried. Siegfried is perhaps the most difficult and least likeable of the four Ring operas, perhaps because its hero is himself difficult to relate to and a somewhat of a jerk, at the least at the beginning of the opera. In this case, the role was sung by Daniel Brenna, who was a step down from Jovanovich, a bit light of voice, but very energetic in what must be a totally exhausting role and managed to project his high notes over the orchestra. David Cangelosi’s Mime was the highlight of Act I for me, singing well and turning cartwheels to celebrate Siegfried’s successful forging of the sword Notung.
Act II, featured a mechanical dragon Fafner, looking something like a spider, which, after Fafner is mortally wounded, opens up with the giant inside. He falls out, and I actually felt sorry for him when he died. One thing I liked about the staging is that the Forest Bird, sung by Stacey Tappan, appears on stage and follows Siegfried around, even tugging at him, as she gives him advice. In Act III, the interchange between Erda and Wotan was intense, and the final scene with Siegfried and Brünnhilde was, as usual, long, but wonderful. The conducting and orchestra, now highlighted by the horn player, were terrific.
Götterdämmerung. Götterdämmerung opens with the three Norns sitting seemingly behind a huge electronic server (?) pulling a cable around (even the surtitles say “cable”). It breaks, of course, so we know things are not going to go well. This opera contains some of my favorite Ring music, among which are the parts for orchestra alone, Siegfried’s Rhine Journey and the mighty Funeral March, in which Runnicles and the orchestra excelled, and Hagen’s Watch, an actual aria, and especially Hagen’s Call to his Vassals containing the first and only chorus of the Ring. Andrea Silvestrelli, with his deep dark bass voice excelled as Hagen and the chorus was impressive. The opera ends, of course, with Brünnhilde’s Immolation Scene, in itself a masterpiece of Western music.
Zambello threw in a bit of comic relief with Gutrune, played by Sarah Cambridge, seriously vamping the clueless Siegfried after his arrival at the Gibichung palace.
Iréne Theorin was splendid in the Immolation Scene, receiving a solo bow immediately after the curtain and a standing ovation from the audience. However, I thought there was a bit too much business on stage during this scene, with political points being made, for example, guns being thrown into the fire, and did the Rhine Maidens really need to suffocate Hagen with a plastic bag? Also, as with Rheingold, we never see Valhalla, its burning depicted by photos of the gods falling from the sky. None of this; however, spoiled the scene for me. The singing and orchestral music overcame all.
At the end, not only the cast, but the entire orchestra appeared on stage, and the horn soloist took solo bow. A real night and week to remember.
