ROH: Ring 2018

[Darkbloom]

I see EN's 4 vol biography is back in print . That is Xmas sorted ....

About time too! I don't know why it took so long. That will be good news for the person who wrote a recent biography of Newman. It must be hard enough trying to drum up sales for a book about a critic, let alone a critic whose most important work has been out of print for decades.

[underthecountertenor]

That would have been John Deathridge. He did manage to make one or two interesting points on the rare occasions Fry paused for breath.

Ah yes, Deathridge. He was amazingly good-natured about it too

[ostuni]

Can any one think of a better short book on Wagner than Magee's 'Aspects of Wagner' ? Admittedly it's not a crowded field.

I very much like Michael Tanner's Faber Pocket Guide.

[Darkbloom]

I very much like Michael Tanner's Faber Pocket Guide.

Tanner also wrote another fairly short book, just called 'Wagner'. He's less even-tempered than Magee (I think he might be one of those Verdi-hating Wagnerians) but it's worth looking at if you wanted a reasonably short read. He's a Nietzsche expert so it comes from a philosophical perspective.

[duncan]

Back to the ROH Ring: a brief summary of the first two of cycle 3 from an adolescent Ring-goer (my ninth full set but all within the last 10 years).

The Warner production still fails to convince me. There is much good acting and interacting, a combination of director and the cast's talents. There is still the occasional thrown chair and quite a bit of hands-up-the-walls, but it must be hard to physically portray a huge ranges of emotions for 16 hours without resorting to tropes like these.

As above, the set doesn’t make sense to me and still looks like an obstacle course. When it is deservedly immolated can next set designer be offered much less money to play with?

The orchestral playing is pretty good. Pappano's generally brisk conducting does not plumb the greatest depths but is sensitive to the singers and places them in the foreground. Wagner surely intended this in the design of the Festspielhaus but with a more typical pit, modern instruments, and without a restraining conductors (don't look at the brass!) singers can very easily get swamped. The Ring operas are not symphonies with vocal obbligato, however attractive that can sound, the words are critical. This is a welcome and familiar strength from Pappano’s previous outings.

Which brings me to the biggest strength of the cycle. On balance, this Die Walkure is probably the best sung from the cycles I've seen (the 2005 Proms performance is another matter and I don't go further back than that). For every cast member (bar two) I can think of individual performances I have prefered but this has the best ensemble. Notably, there are no weak links which is so often the case. Stuart Skelton was an excellent Sigmund and whilst Emily MacGee didn't quite reach his vocal heights she was a well-matched sister and lover. Ain Aiger was a convincingly nasty piece of work. John Lundgren looks and sounds like a Wotan, without the depth of charecterisation of John Tomlinson, but a much more controlled voice than the latter in 2007. I don't know what the reviewer quoted above meant but I thought Sarah Connelly was the best Fricka I've seen in the theatre: completely convincing in acting and singing and engaging the audience's sympathy. It’s easy to see Fricka as a nagging shrew and side with Wotan and especially Brunhilde but that has the effect of losing the complexity and nuance of the second act in particular. Last night, the interaction between the three was gripping. And finally, Nina Stemme’s Brunhilde. I saw her in this role in Vienna 10 years ago but her interpretation has matured considerably and her voice is magnificent. I'm absolutely drooling at the prospect of the last two operas.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Haven't seen Die Walkure - going to the relay next week. I did see Siegfried cycle 1 and Gotterdamerung cycle 2. Stemme was magnificent in both . Vinke excellent in Siegfried but had tired by Gotterdamerng . I really do think they should give him more recovery time. He saved his voice for Act 3 Gotterdamerung though . Completely agree about the production - a real mish-mash. The Gibichung scene in Act 1 really sagged through a lack of actor direction. Every time NS came on everything went up two notches....

[underthecountertenor]

I don't know what the reviewer quoted above meant but I thought Sarah Connelly was the best Fricka I've seen in the theatre: completely convincing in acting and singing and engaging the audience's sympathy. It’s easy to see Fricka as a nagging shrew and side with Wotan and especially Brunhilde but that has the effect of losing the complexity and nuance of the second act in particular. Last night, the interaction between the three was gripping.

Apart from the misspelling spot-on in my view. Connolly was superb. It's rare for me to wish so devoutly for a return of Fricka after Act II of Die Walküre, but last night was definitely one of this occasions. I was transfixed as never before by Act II.

I was worried by reports that Lundgren tired during Walküre in Cycle 1, but there seemed absolutely no sign of that last night. Wonderful, nuanced singing, which (for me, and taken together with his acting and interaction with
Connolly and Stemme), provided a depth of characterisation to match even Tomlinson.

And as for Stemme....... [speechless]

[Darkbloom]

Apart from the misspelling spot-on in my view. Connolly was superb. It's rare for me to wish so devoutly for a return of Fricka after Act II of Die Walküre, but last night was definitely one of this occasions. I was transfixed as never before by Act II.

I was worried by reports that Lundgren tired during Walküre in Cycle 1, but there seemed absolutely no sign of that last night. Wonderful, nuanced singing, which (for me, and taken together with his acting and interaction with
Connolly and Stemme), provided a depth of characterisation to match even Tomlinson.

And as for Stemme....... [speechless]

Lundgren was reportedly ill during the first Walkure but had recovered in time for Siegfried. I'm surprised there wasn't an announcement beforehand because Wotan's hard enough, let alone singing it while you're under the weather, and the audience deserved to know what was going on.

[Conchis]

Lundgren was reportedly ill during the first Walkure but had recovered in time for Siegfried. I'm surprised there wasn't an announcement beforehand because Wotan's hard enough, let alone singing it while you're under the weather, and the audience deserved to know what was going on.

Yes, if you're less than 100 per cent, an announcement should be made. I've heard singers who sounded OK, even though an announcement was made asking for our 'consideration'.

[Barbirollians]

I regret not seeing the revival of the ROH Tristan with Stemme and Connolly a few years back.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Yes, if you're less than 100 per cent, an announcement should be made. I've heard singers who sounded OK, even though an announcement was made asking for our 'consideration'.

[gurnemanz]

Halfway through my first complete staged Ring since the Joachim Herz cycle at Leipzig in the early 70s. While not convinced by all aspects of the current staging, eg the Walkürenritt scene with horse heads, I was swept along by the first two performances. Some fine singing and playing with nicely choreographed acting and movement. Having relished Stemme's Isolde a few years ago, it's great to experience her Brünnhilde. Lundgren has been superb. I can't wait for tomorrow's Siegfried.

[Darkbloom]

I regret not seeing the revival of the ROH Tristan with Stemme and Connolly a few years back.

Was that the one with Ben Heppner? His voice was a ruin by then. That was really sad because he was a likeable man with a rare talent, but I think he pushed his voice too much and it fell apart. Even when he was in good voice the wheels came off from time to time. He was singing the same sort of roles as Jon Vickers without really having the same resilience.

[gurnemanz]

The Heppner Tristan was 2009. We saw the last of the six performances by which time Lars Clevemann had taken over because Heppner's voice gave up - I think after the first night. The Brangäne was Sophie Koch.
We didn't see the 2014 revival also with Stemme where Connolly was Brangäne and Tristan was Stephen Gould.

[Conchis]

Was that the one with Ben Heppner? His voice was a ruin by then. That was really sad because he was a likeable man with a rare talent, but I think he pushed his voice too much and it fell apart. Even when he was in good voice the wheels came off from time to time. He was singing the same sort of roles as Jon Vickers without really having the same resilience.

Vickers, a man not noted for self-effacement, claimed that Ben Heppner had a much better voice than he'd ever had. But I'd agree about the lack of technique and the forcing himself (or, more likely, being forced) into Heldentenor territory into which he should have ventured more warily.