Wagneriana. From the President. In This Issue. Autumn 2013 Volume 10, Number 3. Richard Wagner

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1 Wagneriana Autumn 2013 Volume 10, Number 3 It is an attribute of the poet to be more seasoned in his inner perception of the world than in his conscious abstract knowledge. Richard Wagner In This Issue From the President 1 Wagnerian Fireworks Launch Odyssey Opera 2 Odyssey Opera s Superb Rienzi 3 A Visually Stunning Ring Cycle at La Scala 4 The Ring in the Bayreuth of America 6 Delightful Meeting with Heldentenor Stuart Skelton 9 Time Here Becomes Space : Parsifal in Leipzig 10 Upcoming Events 11 From the President The bicentennial year has almost ended. Nevertheless, the celebrations continue as we organize more special events for the winter and spring. We began celebrating in the fall of 2012 with Cori Ellison, Asher Fisch, and Jane Eaglen, and will continue through the spring of Wagner s 200th anniversary, deservedly, is taking a full two years. On September 14 we all enjoyed a wonderful celebration of the Boston Wagner Society s 10th anniversary. It was gratifying to see so many happy members and to mingle in the convivial social atmosphere. It s not often that we get together just for fun. Adding spice to the celebration was William Berger s intelligent and well thought out presentation titled Producing Wagner on Stage: Beyond the Traditional and the Avant-Garde. In late September and October we had a fruitful collaboration with Boston University s College of Fine Arts. Professor Deborah Burton spearheaded six events in close succession, including a concert, a presentation by Met Opera chorus master Donald Palumbo and Met Opera commentator William Berger, two talks by Wagner s great-grandson Gottfried Wagner (the second one with Saul Lilienstein and Ron Della Chiesa), a round-table discussion by BU professors (including Deborah Burton), and a screening of Hilan Warshaw s Wagner s Jews. What a month that was! We have more interesting events in store for you in the near future. On February 22 composer Tony Schemmer will present his irreverent and hilarious take on Wagner s art. On March 8 William Fregosi, the stage designer, director, and librettist who gave our very first talk in January 2004, will return after ten years to introduce What the Composer Intended: Producing Wagner on Stage. And on April 5 the marvelous speaker Saul Lilienstein will present Wagner and Brahms: Rivalries and Common Ground, with piano. For those Continued on back page

2 REVIEW Wagnerian Fireworks Launch Odyssey Opera Rienzi, concert performance by Odyssey Opera, September 15, 2013, Jordan Hall; Rienzi: Kristian Benedikt; Irene: Elisabete Matos; Adriano Colonna: Margaret Jane Wray; Kardinal Orvieto: Kristopher Irmiter; Paolo Orsini: David Kravitz; Stefano Colonna: Stephen Salters; Baroncelli; Ethan Bremner; Cecco del Vecchio: Robert Honeysucker; Messenger of Peace: Christina English; Herald: Frank Kelley; conductor Gil Rose; chorus master: Harris Ipock; Odyssey Opera Orchestra and Chorus; Lorelei Ensemble On September 15, 2013, Odyssey Opera exploded on Boston s operatic firmament with the city s first performance of Wagner s early opera Rienzi. Jordan Hall s walls reverberated with the music of almost 200 players and singers, who gave their heart and soul to the excesses of Wagner s French-style grand opera. Written with the hope of financial success and an eventual production in Paris, Rienzi was first performed in 1842 at the Dresden Court Theater and was the most popular of Wagner s works during his lifetime. Gil Rose, conductor and artistic director of Odyssey Opera, presented this work in its premiere version, which lasts almost four and a half hours. Wagner himself had made cuts for its 1842 premiere, whittling it down from almost six hours. The opera s length and grandiosity are a sure indication of where Wagner intended to go eventually. Unfortunately, the complete manuscript of this opera is missing. It was in Hitler s possession until the end of World War II and then was lost. From the beginning of the overture, it was obvious that this concert would be a great event. The performers were well prepared, and Gil Rose had full command of the score. Wagner, influenced by Beethoven s style of orchestration, highlighted all the sections of the orchestra in this overture. Under Rose s direction, each instrumental group dazzled with its glorious sound. The musicians played with excellent tone, compelling rhythmic drive, and melodic momentum throughout. Especially amazing was Act 3, the battle music. Augmenting the onstage orchestra were two brass bands placed at the rear of the balcony, with two sets of snare drums located at the front of the balcony. The surround-sound effect of this arrangement enhanced the visceral, emotional impact of the music, which was thrilling. Here was an early example of Wagner trying to create an altered state of consciousness in the listener; musical repetition and auditory overload, with their insistent forte dynamics, resulted in a musical hypnosis. (Of course, Wagner also achieved this state with his more mature and compact scene-change music in Act 3 of Parsifal.) I single out the brass players for their excellent work. They had an immense amount of music to play. The only drawback of the orchestra was its loudness. There are moments when massive amounts of sound are appropriate, but overall there was a need for more varied dynamics, even in so bombastic an opera as Rienzi. The title role was sung by the Lithuanian tenor Kristian Benedikt. This is a difficult and long role with a great deal of forceful declarative singing. I found Benedikt s sound disappointing. He seemed to push his vocal production to the back of his throat. This technique resulted in a somewhat muffled sound. Yet Rienzi s Prayer (Allmacht ger Vater) in Act 5 was sung with an open and forward sound. The unforgiving role of Irene was performed by soprano Elisabete Matos. This role needs to be sung above the orchestra and chorus much of the time, which took its toll on Matos s voice, rendering it screechy at times. Wagner reserved the most exciting solo music for the trouser role of Adriano, and Margaret Jane Wray made the most of this. This mezzo-soprano is endowed with a big dramatic voice and sang with conviction and involvement. Ms. Wray used her whole body to give expression to the character s various emotional states. There were moments when the music required her to push her voice, but it never became unpleasant. Baritone David Kravitz threw himself both vocally and histrionically (as much as a concert performance allows) into the role of Paolo Orsini, and Stephen Salters took the role of his compatriot, Stefano Colonna, with his full and beautiful sound. Kristopher Irmiter s strong voice lent authority and gravitas to the role of 2

3 Kardinal Orvieto. Baroncelli and Cecco del Vecchio, two characters who voice the desires and disappointments of the Roman populace, were intensely sung by tenor Ethan Bremner and baritone Robert Honeysucker. Mezzo-soprano Christina English performed the part of the Messenger of Peace with a lovely liquid voice that displayed a beautiful sense of legato and purity of tone. In the small role of the Herald, tenor Frank Kelley commanded the attention of the audience with his firm delivery. I give a special commendation to the outstanding work of the chorus. Whether singly or in divided groups, they were responsive, in tune, and exciting. Chorus Master Harris Ipock deserves praise for his excellent work. Added to this chorus was the fabulous singing of the women in the Lorelei Ensemble. Their purity of tone and perfect intonation were highlights of this performance. I have one suggestion to make: when unfamiliar operas are presented in concert form and there are extended moments of instrumental music interludes, recessionals, processionals, marches, dances, and so on it would help audience members if the subtitle screens were used to explain the purpose of these pieces, thus placing the music in context. Despite the weaknesses of parts of this opera (especially the overuse of musical sequences), Rienzi has its moments of glory. Odyssey Opera deserves praise for expanding Boston s operatic horizon with this blazing performance. David J. Collins David J. Collins, a board member of the Boston Wagner Society, was the resident lecturer for Opera Boston and teaches opera appreciation in the Greater Boston area. REVIEW Odyssey Opera s Superb Rienzi After a year of mourning the demise of Opera Boston an inventive and daring company with high musical standards and a fascinating repertory the city celebrated its revival when Odyssey Opera presented the Boston premiere of Wagner s Rienzi in concert at the acoustically magnificent Jordan Hall. Opera Boston s music director, Gil Rose, established the new company and decided to place it before the public with a splash and nothing operatic makes quite the splash of a well-cast and gorgeously played Rienzi. This edition was the one used at the opera s world premiere in Dresden, which observed Wagner s own cuts, without any of the new material that has come to light in recent decades. Given Rose s taut, exciting conducting, it s time to put aside fears of this opera s impossible length. Any audience that can sit through Tristan, Götterdämmerung, or Meistersinger should easily make it through the extra fifteen minutes or so of Rienzi. And the rewards are considerable. When played and sung as well as we heard it on Sunday, September 15, Rienzi holds the audience s attention through its great massed choral scenes. This is grateful, if demanding, vocal writing, with an absorbing plot of the rise and fall of a people s hero who succumbs to his own success, becoming an enemy of his countrymen, who in the end destroy him. Lithuanian tenor Kristian Benedikt brought a medium-weight budding heldentenor to the role. With a dark-toned voice a bit too far back in the throat for maximum impact he was nevertheless untiring and handled declamatory passages confidently with sturdy high notes. His performance of the Act 5 prayer was lyrical and got a very good hand. One hopes that his voice will grow and come forward to develop some brilliance up top. Margaret Jane Wray, a significant Wagnerian these days, sang Adriano with richly colored floods of tone. Only a couple of the highest notes in her great aria emerged with slight strain; the rest of the performance was thrilling. Elisabete Matos, the Irene in Opera Orchestra of New York s concert performance of Rienzi 3

4 last year, was much the same in Boston. The voice is loud, easily carrying the top line in the massed ensembles, but it is also strident at fullest volume and often crude in phrasing. The strong ensemble in support of the leads featured Kristopher Irmiter, David Kravitz, Stephen Salters, Ethan Bremner, and Boston legend Robert Honeysucker, who at 70 is still pouring out a rock-solid, authoritative bronze-toned baritone. Special mention should be made of soprano soloist Christina English and the Lorelei Ensemble, a women s modern and early music ensemble, who were outstanding as the Messengers of Peace. The orchestra of 77 and the chorus of 72 performed tirelessly, with the addition of 22 brass and percussion players divided into two bands, who played in the balcony during the massive third act with its lengthy choral passages. There was not a horn crack or an instrumental misstep of any kind throughout the demanding score. The effect in Jordan Hall was overwhelming. The audience gave the performers and the triumphant conductor a tumultuous ovation. Who s afraid of Rienzi? Clearly, not Boston nor should anyone else be. William Fregosi William Fregosi is a stage director, designer, and librettist. He will give his third presentation to the Boston Wagner Society on March 8, REVIEW A Visually Stunning Ring Cycle at La Scala Der Ring des Nibelungen, La Scala, June 24 June 29, 2013; conductor: Daniel Barenboim; staging and design: Guy Cassiers, with the assistance of Enrico Bagnoli; costumes: Tim Van Steenbergen; Wotan: René Pape and Michael Volle; Fricka: Ekaterina Gubanova; Alberich: Joh annes Martin Kränzle; Mime: Peter Bronder; Erda: Anna Larson; Fasolt: Iain Paterson; Fafner: Alexander Tsymbalyuk; Loge: Stephan Rugamer; Siegmund: Simon O Neill; Sieglinde: Waltraud Meier; Hunding: Mikhail Petrenko; Brünnhilde: Iréne Theorin; Siegfried: Lance Ryan and Andreas Schager; Forest Bird: Mari Eriksmoen (singing) and Viviana Guadalupi (miming); Waltraute: Waltraud Meier; Gunther: Gerd Grochowski; Hagen: Mikhail Petrenko; Gutrune: Anna Samuil. In June I had the good fortune to attend the first of two Ring Cycles at La Scala. Led by Daniel Barenboim, these were the only complete cycles performed at La Scala in the course of a week since La Scala has been celebrating the bicentennials of both Wagner and Verdi all season, and in addition to the Ring, they offered Lohengrin and the Dutchman. I learned that La Scala was presenting the entire Ring from Dalia Geffen s to the BWS membership at the end of April. After I checked La Scala s Web site and their brochure, it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up. Following a fruitless effort to purchase a ticket through La Scala s Web site, I turned for assistance to good friends who live in Milan. They obtained a prime, second-level box seat literally on top of the orchestra and just off the stage. The four operas in this production were rolled out separately over the last couple of years both at La Scala and at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, its co-producer. Götterdämmerung was presented just before the complete cycles began. The Belgian director Guy Cassiers was in charge of the staging and set design, assisted by Enrico Bagnoli, with costumes created by Tim Van Steenbergen. A theater director for much of his career, Cassiers and his 4

5 team created a visually stunning and evocative production. The setting was abstract and timeless, yet vaguely contemporary. One could say it was the present the lights of a distant city were seen in some of the background aerial views yet reflective of the past. This was a world in decline. Abstractions abounded, such as Mime s workshop crafted entirely in metal, with the walls composed of the broken remains of swords. The staging made heavy use of every imaginable hi-tech visual device, including projections and animations. A uniting element in the staging was a large fiberglass reproduction of Jef Lambeaux s bas-relief Les passions humaines, which formed a backdrop at the rear of the stage throughout the four operas. It depicted various writhing and twisted nude figures in a variety of positions. Brown University professor Michael Steinberg s essay in the program book described them as human bodies entwined in poses suggestive of erotic bliss and physical torture, eros and thanatos, love and death. The original marble of Lambeaux s Passions humaines was executed in the 1890s and is housed in Brussels in a Greek-temple-like structure built to exhibit it. The piece has been rarely seen, as it was highly controversial when inaugurated, and the exhibit closed to public viewing after just three days. In Cassiers staging, the relief was almost invisible at times and in bold relief at others, depending on the lighting and video projections against it. It was the clearest at the very end of Götterdämmerung, when a second copy of the piece appeared at the front of the stage, closing off everything behind it. The lighting turned stark white and raked in to emphasize the bold relief. Were we supposed to be mindful of the wages of sin? To repent? It hardly reflected the dawning of a new era, as suggested by the redemption motif at the end. Casts of human body parts created fillers between the risers of a stepped platform in Gibichung Hall. These were used for the chorus scenes of Hagen s vassals (in this case, including both men and women). Presumably, they were meant to reflect the brutality of the Gibichungs. Another novel feature of this staging was the use of dancers to personify various objects, including the Tarnhelm. Appearing primarily in Rheingold and Götterdämmerung, at first the dancers were somewhat dis- Anna Larson as a huge Erda in La Scala s Ring Cycle tracting, as it was difficult to figure out why they were there. Their presence became clearer as they writhed about, becoming a throne for Wotan or a means to disguise Siegfried as Gunther when he claimed Brünnhilde. Dancers under a sheet represented the dragon Fafner in his cave in Siegfried. One particularly effective use of a dancer was the personification of the forest bird in Siegfried. As Mari Eriksmoen sang the part from the side of the pit, Viviana Guadalupi mimed her onstage, enticing Siegfried with her movements as well as with her words. Video projections and lighting created magical effects, such as turning metallic poles into stylized trees (reminiscent of Lepage s treatment in the Metropolitan Opera s new production) and projecting the flowing Rhine in Rheingold and the Valkyries horses 5

6 in Die Walküre. Particularly effective were the lighting effects for the fire surrounding Brünnhilde s rock in Die Walküre and the fall of Valhalla in the final scene of Götterdämmerung. The costumes were vaguely modern, but not explicitly so. In Das Rheingold, Wotan appeared in a collared shirt and double-breasted suit jacket, and the goddesses were dressed in long evening gowns. At the beginning of Siegfried, Mime wore leather coveralls, and Siegfried a dark leather jacket and trousers. One highlight was the appearance of Erda, who not only rose up from the ground but continued to rise, with her dress growing longer and longer until her head was virtually even with the top of the stage curtain. Less effective were the large-scale live projections, including a seemingly screaming face in black and white against a stark, open background. My favorite singer in this production was Waltraud Meier, with her strong, steady delivery and acting as Sieglinde, Waltraute, and the Second Norn. As one would expect from La Scala musicians, the orchestra was magnificent, especially the brasses, and full of warmth. The performance was almost unanimously well received, with the loudest applause and cheering reserved for Daniel Barenboim. This was so even among the famed loggionisti in the uppermost balcony, for whom opera at La Scala is a blood sport. At the curtain calls, Barenboim made a particular point of acknowledging their applause with raised eyes and hands gesturing to the top of the house almost as if he were saying So there take that!! Miguel de Bragança Miguel de Bragança, an avid Wagnerian, has been a member of the Boston Wagner Society since He is on the board of the Boston Lyric Opera. REVIEW The Ring in the Bayreuth of America Der Ring des Nibelungen, Seattle Opera, August 20 25, 2013; conductor: Asher Fisch; director: Stephen Wadsworth; set designer: Thomas Lynch; costumes: Martin Pakledinaz; Alberich: Richard Paul Fink; Wotan: Greer Grimsley; Fricka: Stephanie Blythe; Freia: Wendy Bryn Harmer; Fasolt: Andrea Silvestrelli; Fafner: Daniel Sumegi; Loge: Mark Schowalter; Mime: Dennis Petersen; Erda: Lucille Beer; Donner: Marcus Brück; Froh: Ric Furman; Siegmund: Stuart Skelton; Sieglinde: Margaret Jane Wray; Hunding: Andrea Silvestrelli; Brünnhilde: Alwyn Mellor; Waltraute: Stephanie Blythe; Hagen: Daniel Sumegi; Gunther: Marcus Brück; Gutrune: Wendy Bryn Harmer Das Rheingold This production was absolutely stunning!!!! The staging, singing, acting, and directing were wonderful. I believe Wagner would have admired it, as it closely followed what I think he wanted to deliver to his audiences. The opening Rhinemaiden scene was mesmerizing, as if one were watching tropical fish swimming in a home aquarium. The Rhinemaidens movements were so fluid and realistic, one would have thought they were actual fish. Oh, how I wish this production had been recorded for history, if for no other reason than to show future directors and producers what can be done with the Ring. Seattle Opera s major difference from other opera houses is its proscenium, which is slightly more horizontal than vertical. The stage is like a high-definition television screen with a 16 x 9 aspect ratio, and the production fills every square inch of it in stunning detail; imagine watching a super-high-definition 3D production on a giant TV. After seeing the Lepage Ring live in HD and live at the Met last year and again in HD, I was struck by this one s attention to detail, which was passed over, particularly in the lack of directing, in the Lepage Ring. One example is the death of Fasolt, who is mourned by the clan of gods for the remainder of the opera. Even 6

7 Seattle Opera lavished a lot of attention on the staging and directing, which would have made Wagner proud. Marvelous is not too strong a word to describe this production, especially after having read how the Wagner sisters despoiled the Wagner heritage in Bayreuth. Die Walküre Die Walküre was as great as Das Rheingold. The detailed attention paid to the scenery was stunning, and the staging was completely faithful to the text. All the performers sang beautifully and did some fine acting. The orchestra, under the baton of Asher Fisch, was spot on. The fire Wotan built around Brünnhilde at the end of the final act? Well, that was a real fire!! Magnificent. The staging gave me the illusion that Wotan could walk right through it as he left his favorite Valkyrie asleep on the mountain, surrounded by the flames. Stuart Skelton (Siegmund) and Margaret Jane Wray (Sieglinde) (photo Elise Bakketun) up to the last chord, Fricka seems lost when realizing that Alberich has cursed the ring, personified by the body of Fasolt still lying near center stage. There are no happy hikers across the rainbow bridge in Seattle, except for Wotan. His clan seems to understand that their fate is sealed as Wotan plots to regain the ring that brings death to whoever possesses it. This Rheingold sets you up with a vision of the dire consequences that will befall the gods in the remaining three operas. Seattle s titles, projected above the proscenium, add to this dramatic effect, as the translations are much stronger than at the Met or in other productions I have seen. A lot of detail seems to have gone into these titles, which communicate what the producers and director think Wagner wants to tell us. Also striking is this production s interpretation of the relationship between Loge and the Rhinemaidens. Loge constantly pleads with Wotan to give the gold back to the maidens and the river. This is no jovial demi-god; he is serious and preoccupied throughout the opera, with a single-minded mission to return the gold to the river and the maidens. Siegfried and Götterdämmerung Seattle Opera concluded the Ring s final cycle, which was rumored to be the last run of this production. All the singers gave us good to excellent performances. The German tenor Stefan Vinke, making his Seattle Ring debut, offered a fine Siegfried in Siegfried, and he was quite strong to the very end of the opera. That Luretta Bybee (Schwertleite), Sarah Heltzel (Siegrune), Jessica Klein (Helmwige), Margaret Jane Wray (Sieglinde), Alwyn Mellor (Brünnhilde) (photo Elise Bakketun) 7

8 was four hours of singing, not counting the two intermissions. Vinke s successful performance, with his attractive voice and wonderful stamina, continued in Götterdämmerung. I got goose bumps as the first chords of Götterdämmerung sounded in the darkened theater. To me, the beginning bars of Götterdämmerung are among the finest sounds ever heard. The beautiful staging continued in these two operas, as did the excellent titles, making this production accessible to those who have little or no experience with the Ring. They functioned as a narrative of the plot, partly because of the excellent translation and also because they were projected above the stage in large type, in the audience s line of sight. Seattle Opera is nicknamed the Bayreuth of America. To that I say amen. John Sauer John Sauer, a member of the Boston Wagner Society, keeps opera friends around the world aware of the latest opera news with his Sharpjack Opera News, especially What is going on behind the curtain. Greer Grimsley as Wotan, surrounded by real fire (photo Alan Alabastro) The final curtain call at Seattle s Ring Cycle (photo by Dalia Geffen) Stefan Vinke (Siegfried) with Fafner (photo Alan Alabastro) 8

9 Delightful Meeting with Heldentenor Stuart Skelton Before I flew to Seattle for last summer s production of the Ring Cycle, I contacted the Australian heldentenor Stuart Skelton via Facebook. I already knew about him, having attended Lepage s Die Walküre last year, where his Wälse, Wälse had been astonishingly long, just a hair under Melchior s, and without any sign of strain. After messaging back and forth on Facebook, Skelton agreed to meet me in my hotel lobby in the afternoon of the third Rheingold. He was right on time. We walked to a nearby café, and while sipping our cappuccinos, we chatted about his amazing career and what it s like to be so much in demand all over the world. Skelton, who now lives in Florida, said that in this calendar year he has spent only seven days at his house! The rest of the time, he has been flying from city to city, regaling audiences everywhere with his gorgeous singing and wonderful acting. During one hectic tour in Europe, he woke up in a hotel room one morning not knowing which city he was in. I asked him how many Wagnerian roles he has mastered. Five, he said, Tristan among them. Then I inquired how long it took him to learn the role of Tristan. The answer? Three months! This is an astounding feat, as it takes a year or two for most heldentenors to get to the point where they can perform this arduous role. I was completely flabbergasted. Not only is Skelton a true heldentenor, but he also has a phenomenal memory. It was obvious to me that he is extremely motivated to master his roles and to make all the necessary sacrifices for his international career. Along the way, he also manages to have some fun, which is absolutely essential. We were getting along famously, and toward the end I asked him whether he would come to Boston and sing for us. Absolutely, he replied, which surprised and thrilled me. Then and there, we picked a month and a year. He said he would be unable to come for three years because of all his engagements, and then rattled off his future singing roles and the cities. Another astounding feat. Most singers rely on their agents to keep track of their performances. But not Skelton! He will come in October Heldentenor Stuart Skelton in a café in Seattle (photo by Paul Geffen) Dalia Geffen Photos from Seattle Left to right, front: Members Dalia Geffen, John Sauer, David Friend, Margaret Shepherd, and Renata Cathou at the opera house Members David Friend and Margaret Shepherd in the lobby of Seattle Opera House 9

10 REVIEW Time Here Becomes Space : Parsifal in Leipzig Parsifal, May 20, 2013, Oper Leipzig, Gewandhausorchester; conductor: Ulf Schirmer; director: Roland Aeschlimann; costumes: Susanne Raschig; Gurnemanz: Jan-Hendrik Rootering; Kundry: Lioba Braun; Amfortas: Tuomas Pursio; Parsifal: Stefan Vinke; Klingsor: Jürgen Kurth My on-and-off, life-or-death struggle with the German language continued in Leipzig on May 20, with Parsifal, a bicentennial production that the seemingly ubiquitous Leipzig Wagner Society (Richard-Wagner- Verband Leipzig) generously brokered seats for. Despite having only six principal soloists and the intimacy of its dramatic focus, Parsifal is a big show: the full technical and vocal resources of a major opera company are required to do it in the grand style, and Leipzig had both on this occasion. They had more. To beef up the resident chorus in the Grail Temple scenes of Acts 1 and 3, the producers brought in additional chorus members, together with a children s choir and the Women of Leipzig Youth Chorus for the ethereal parts of the temple tableaux (are they scenes or dioramas?). So what I saw and heard was not chamber-music Wagner, but something bigger and heavier. The adjectives big and heavy apply to the instrumentalists as well. Maestro Ulf Schirmer drew sounds from the Gewandhaus Orchester that approached the monumentality of Wagner s score. If the onstage drama was gripping, the orchestra s performance was thrilling. At the Met, Parsifal is one more repertory opera with an international cast of singers. At Leipzig, Maestro Schirmer was out to show that the opera represents Wagner making reparations toward God. I don t know whether he succeeded, but he certainly led a strong performance on all counts. As I settled into my seat (on the floor, about ten feet from the stage), I scoured the voluminous program notes for insights into Wagner s last, enigmatic work (1882) in that distant, convoluted German. I came up with: Time here becomes Space (a line from the opera), philosophical advice and an entrance ticket to the World of the Wound (a reference to a key metaphor of the opera), and animals are special in this opera. My German depends on the dog-eared, battered Larousse that I have with me at all times. For the nearly four hours of Parsifal, I depended on projected German text above the stage. This made a lot of sense. It wasn t a translation I was reading as the piece moved along, but the original Wagner. As the words and concepts became clear and the meaning of the text sank in, I began to feel as if I were seeing Wagner s music and listening to his images. Both Das Rheingold and Die Meistersinger, the two other operas Leipzig Opera staged, featured projected German text above the stage. I blanked out on most of the text in these operas, so that by the time I got to Parsifal, I realized that however much I have listened to and seen these operas, I still don t know the language well. Lioba Braun (Kundry) and Stefan Vinke (Parsifal) in Leipzig Opera s production (photo Andreas Birkigt/ Oper Leipzig) Parsifal was the only one I felt comfortable with linguistically. I began to feel that I was grasping Wagner s words for the first time as they came from the singers, instead of somebody else s interpretation. All the singing was capable instead of inspired, with a stand-out Kundry from the mezzo-soprano Lioba 10

11 Braun. All the principals were German, with one exception the Finnish bass-baritone Tuomas Pursio (Amfortas), who had made a strong impression a few nights earlier as the Wotan in Das Rheingold. Pursio delivered his two extended monologues of suffering with powerful vocalism and penetrating acting. As Parsifal, Stefan Vinke wore big, floppy bloomers, which brought a Moorish touch to an opera with a Moorish setting (medieval Spain). But he overdid the kid act in Act 1. On several occasions he belted it out instead of singing. I wasn t swayed by this production, but it did have its memorable touches and images. The Grail was not a vessel but a mirror that flashed the image of a suffering Christ on the scrim during the first Grail Temple scene. In Act 2 the scenery was a gigantic spear point that levitated miraculously when Parsifal vanquished the evil magic of Klingsor. The temple scenes had a giant, spiraling funnel that I took to be a symbol of infinity. In an unorthodox touch, the German director Roland Aeschlimann gave us a huge stage full of gold Buddha statues for the Good Friday passage in Act 3. Leipzig s time has come, read a text by Nike Wagner (Wagner s great-granddaughter). Performances for the bicentenary year and later will continue with a Parsifal reprise (March 30 and April 18, 2014), Das Liebesverbot (March 1 and May 28, 2014), Die Walküre (December 7 and 22, 2013; January 5 and 11, 2014), and Die Feen (April 20 and 25, May 6, and June 27, 2014). A musical created specifically for children and young adults, Wagner s Ding mit dem Ring, will also be performed. This work uses all the elements of the musical comedy genre and explores the intricate family relationships of The Valkyrie, as well as the runes and dragons of Norse mythology that inspired Wagner (November 26 and 27, 2013; January 25 and 26, March 1 and 2, and April 5 and 6, 2014). John Engstrom Upcoming Events Saturday, February 22, 2014, 2 p.m. The Importance of Being Wagner A humorous talk and audiovisual presentation by composer Tony Schemmer Hunnemann Hall Public Library of Brookline 361 Washington Street Brookline, MA Free and open to all Saturday, March 8, 2014, 2 p.m. What the Composer Intended: Producing Wagner on Stage Talk and audiovisual presentation by director/ stage designer/librettist William Fregosi Buckingham Browne & Nichols School 80 Gerrys Landing Cambridge, MA Free and open to all Saturday, April 5, 2014, 1:30 p.m. Wagner and Brahms: Rivalries and Common Ground Talk and audiovisual presentation by Dr. Saul Lilienstein Hunnemann Hall Public Library of Brookline 361 Washington Street Brookline, MA Free and open to all John Engstrom, a member of the Boston Wagner Society since 2012, is a writer and photographer who lives in Boston. 11

12 Photos from the Boston Wagner Society s tenth anniversary Jerry Merson and board member David J. Collins Maestro Jeffrey Brody and soprano Joanna Porackova Members Hildegaard Kiel and Mima Leivi, with Nicholas Newman in the background From left to right: Secretary Brian Reasoner and Paul Kleinman (background), Kathleen McDermott, Bill Nigreen, and Tom Henderson Photos by Dalia Geffen and Paul Geffen From the President, from page 1 of you who have tickets to the Met s HD broadcast on that day, please note that there is an encore of the broadcast on April 9. All over the world, there were numerous Wagner performances in celebration of the bicentennial. This issue is full of reviews, beginning with two of Rienzi in Boston. The Wagner Society of Leipzig, Wagner s birthplace, organized numerous wonderful events, including Leipzig Opera s performances of Parsifal, here reviewed by John Engstrom. La Scala presented a Ring Cycle, here reviewed by Miguel de Bragança. Seattle Opera s gorgeous Ring Cycle is reviewed by John Sauer. Editor and Publisher: Dalia Geffen Associate Editor: Donald Rosenthal Designer: Susan Robertson Proofreader: Paul Geffen Logo design: Sasha Geffen Wagneriana is a publication of the Boston Wagner Society, copyright The Boston Wagner Society, Inc. We welcome contributions to Wagneriana. Please contact us at info@bostonwagnersociety.org or Boston Wagner Society, P.O. Box , Boston, MA , U.S.A. Dalia Geffen 12