Australia Wagner, Das Rheingold: Soloists, Melbourne Opera Orchestra / Anthony Negus (conductor). Livestreamed on the from the Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo, 24.2.2023. (JPr)
Production:
Director — Suzanne Chaundy
Set designer — Andrew Bailey
Lighting designer – Rob Sowinski
Costume designer – Harriet Oxley
Video projections – Chris Hocking
Cast:
Woglinde – Rebecca Rasheigh
Wellgunde – Naomi Flatman
Flosshilde – Karen Van Spall
Alberich – Simon Meadows
Wotan – Warwick Fyfe
Fricka – Sarah Sweeting
Freia – Lee Abrahmsen
Fafner – Steven Gallop
Fasolt – Darren Jeffrey
Froh – Jason Wasley
Donner – Christopher Tonkin
Loge – James Egglestone
Mime – Robert Macfarlane
Erda – Deborah Humble
Thanks to the enterprising Australian Digital Concert Hall (ADCH) – the brainchild of co-directors Chris Howlett and Adele Schonhardt – I’m able to go to Bendigo, a metropolis in Victoria, for the primary in Melbourne Opera’s Ring cycles. It is carried out within the Ulumbarra Theatre, which is described as ‘intimate’ but can accommodate the 90-strong Melbourne Opera Orchestra. The ADCH web site will let you know the way it ‘was created to connect artists and communities everywhere through music and technology. We launched as Melbourne Digital Concert Hall on 27 March 2020, hoping to help professional musicians continue their craft and earn an income during Covid-19. Little did we know where that would take us. Since then we’ve gone nationwide, presenting greater than 550 reside concert events and enabling 3,000 musicians and humanities business employees to earn over $3 million because the pandemic struck.’
I reported on this Das Rheingold in 2021 when the livestream had points however there have been no issues this time and it was well-presented if with out credit, although the ADCH do offered detailed programme notes. (Without apologies I’ll revisit a lot of what I wrote earlier than on this Rheingold and Die Walküre, which I additionally noticed earlier than, however will full the cycle by watching the ultimate two operas that I’m seeing for the primary time.)
As Suzanne Chaundy’s Rheingold opens I’m reminded of previous Rings I’ve been lucky to see – and there’s nothing improper in that after all. Two aerial artists are ‘swimming’ (as Rhinemaidens) on tall – and really flexible – poles with the three singers decrease down sitting on a dais (already exhibiting Chaundy and her colleagues have had some second ideas as a result of earlier than they sat in giant trapeze-like hoops). All have been in Harriet Oxley’s billowing diaphanous costumes and had shiny, wavy hair. There is once more the considered use of video (from Chris Hocking) all through this Rheingold starting with a blue rippling Rhine and sure moments right here recalled Glen Byam Shaw and John Blatchley’s well-known The Rhinegold I noticed on the London Coliseum within the Nineteen Seventies. Alberich is a moderately dissolute trying, lanky character, with lengthy black hair fringing a bald pate. As he stumbled round, he was teased mercilessly by the Rhinemaidens (on the bottom and swinging about above) although there appears no actual motive why he couldn’t catch any of them, however (once more) let’s not fear about that. He steals the Rhinegold, not by smearing himself in gold paint as final time, however by opening a upkeep gap cowl and taking the small quantity away (or so it regarded).
For the second scene – after extra rippling waves, earlier than some clouds – a big ring impressively seems to descend and turns into the round melancholy within the centre of a platform the motion takes place on, and which can later transfer and elevate. (Was it me or did Andrew Bailey’s platform have a marble-like floor?) I used to be pondering right here of Götz Friedrich’s Ring at Covent Garden (with Josef Svoboda’s set design) additionally within the Nineteen Seventies. Behind it’s a giant round disc which final time I believed represented Valhalla, but right here it confirmed the solar rise in a slowly altering skyscape and later, as applicable, darkish and stormy skies. Wotan, bearded and along with his spear and a patch over his left eye, seems to be – properly – like Wotan, and Freia and Fricka seem like previous Roman goddesses. Freia is in white and silver with a golden apple blossom wreath in her hair and holds a small basket of golden apples, while Fricka has a gold lamé cloak and a headpiece incorporating two snakes (maybe suggesting she is one thing of a ‘gorgon’?). To full the ‘dysfunctional’ household Froh wears a rose-pink swimsuit and Donner is in shiny silver and carries a small hammer. Loge is a little bit of a large boy in his stripey crimson swimsuit and black pork pie hat. Finally, Fasolt and Fafner are hulking Afghani herdsmen holding picket staffs!
During his Narration Loge seems to paddle within the gap within the platform and even appears to splash water round. Later Wotan and Loge will stand within the gap which glows crimson because the platform lifts for the descent to Nibelheim’s shadowy and moderately too darkish, smoky, and chaotic underworld. Alberich is now a blowhard in a gold paint-trimmed jacket who relishes the whip he brandishes as he lords it over Mime and the Nibelungs of their darkish, nondescript costumes. Video is properly used to conjure up a fearsome dragon however the subsequent change to a toad, in addition to Alberich’s seize, isn’t proven fairly as clearly. Back on the gods’ mountaintop, his hoard is recovered as an eclectic mixture of sacks of gold and when they’re piled up Freia simply hides behind them which is somewhat at odds with the suggestion she is totally lined.
Erda materialises as an enormous, spectral face on the again silently mouthing one thing as she seems singing on the entrance in an extravagant inexperienced robe. Fafner murders Fasolt along with his workers earlier than carting away the gold. There are some lurid colors on the big disk as Loge, Fricka, Donner, Froh and (to a level) Wotan look into the outlet right down to the decrease realms as we hear the Rhinemaidens lament. They then retire to the rear of the stage the place – leaving Loge behind – they line up because the platform rises and smoke fills the stage reflecting Rob Sowinski’s lighting with its rainbow-like hues.
An all-Australian artistic staff permits the story of Das Rheingold to be advised in a straight-forward method with out pointless directorial re-invention, although there’s nonetheless the remainder of the cycle to come back so my closing feedback on their work will likely be written later. The forged of (I consider) all-Australian singers – although a number of with worldwide pedigrees – have been completed and might solely profit from the working with legendary Wagner coach and conductor – the ageless – Anthony Negus. If what I heard by way of my loudspeakers was the identical as these within the theatre heard, the singers have been solely sometimes swamped by the big orchestra and so Wagner’s phrases might be heard clearly.
The voices of the Rhinemaidens (Rebecca Rasheigh, Naomi Flatman, and Karen Van Spall) blended attractively and as earlier than, mezzo-soprano Van Spall sounded worthy of larger roles than Flosshilde. Singing their roles once more Sarah Sweeting was the imperious and unyielding Fricka and Lee Abrahmsen revealed her interesting soprano sound because the naïve Freia, Jason Wasley (Froh) and Christopher Tonkin (Donner) don’t get lengthy within the highlight, however Tonkin was particularly efficient in conjuring up the storm with ‘Heda! Heda! Hedo!’. As the giants Fasolt and Fafner, Darren Jeffrey and Steven Gallop have been a moderately uneven pairing: Gallop as Fafner was extra saturnine than some, while Jeffrey got here into his personal when he plaintively expressed his true emotions for Freia just for his brother to brutally homicide him. Robert Macfarlane elicited sympathy as Mime, Alberich’s downtrodden brother. Deborah Humble is a vastly skilled singer and was a grave, authoritative Erda and her pronouncements have been as portentous as they have to be.
Stylish singing (once more) from James Egglestone because the cynical, arch-manipulator, hearth god Loge although his tenor sounded unusually Italianate, and it will likely be fascinating to see what he does as Siegmund in Die Walküre. As the grizzled Wotan, Warwick Fyfe was moderately bluff and forthright, although he was fairly spectacular nonetheless because the ruler of the gods.
The musical efficiency of Wagner’s rating was actually not as polished as in 2021. This Das Rheingold appeared somewhat drawn-out and prolonged to 2½ hours with Anthony Negus having (maybe?) a extra languid strategy than earlier than. The Melbourne Opera Orchestra will undoubtedly enhance throughout their three Ring cycles: the horns didn’t have their greatest evening starting in the course of the in any other case unearthly quiet of the prelude and their insecurity was evident on events all through the music. Nevertheless, this Ring cycle guarantees to be a major success for which Melbourne Opera – of their twenty first anniversary 12 months – may be rightly proud.
Jim Pritchard
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