| The Met's Revival of "Die Walküre" |
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| Written by Kevin Filipski | |
Die Walkürecomposed by Richard Wagnerproduction by Otto Schenk conducted by Lorin Maazel Performances on January 7, 14, 28, February 2, 6, and 9, 2008 The Metropolitan Opera West 62nd and 65th Streets and Columbus and Amsterdam Aves. (212) 362-6000 metopera.org  Lisa Gasteen (Brünnhilde) lying on James Morris (Wotan) lap in “Die Walküreâ€? photo credit: Marty Sohl  Clifton Forbis (Siegmund) and Adrianne Pieczonka (Sieglinde) in “Die Walküreâ€? photo credit: Marty Sohl  A scene from “Die Walküreâ€? photo credit: Marty Sohl Maazel, whose idiosyncratic readings of several orchestral warhorses across the plaza on the Avery Fisher Hall stage has drawn the ire of some New York critics, drew impassioned playing from the instrumentalists right out of the gate: the swirling storm with which Wagner begins the opera has rarely sounded so immediate, so involving, so thrilling. It remained that way for the next five hours, as Maazel–a first-rate Wagner interpreter who has performed the “Ring Without Words,” a seamless version of excerpts from the entire cycle, with the Philharmonic–led the Met Orchestra to exciting heights in a rare Wagner night off for the Met’s own music director James Levine. Maazel’s conducting differs from Levine’s approach in its tempi: Maazel takes the score more briskly than Levine, which primarily underscored the devastating dramatic impact when the music was tautly stretched to its breaking point. Much of Act I is taken up by the slow realization of Sieglinde and Siegmund, reunited sister and brother, that they are falling in love, and Maazel beautifully handled Wagner’s carefully-crafted climb toward the lovers’ climactic duet. “Die Walküre” contains much of Wagner’s most beloved music, hence its popularity relative to the other three “Ring” operas. Maazel didn’t disappoint, whipping the orchestra into a glorious frenzy for “The Ride of the Valkyries” to open Act III and closing a lengthy (but not long) evening with a splendidly shimmering account of the “Magic Fire Music,”which makes for a most fitting finale. The Met’s cast is mainly American singers on top of their vocal game. Ageless Baltimore bass James Morris may no longer be in his prime–he’s 61!–but still invests the character of the god Wotan with pathos and pity, especially in his sorrowful Act III scenes with his favorite Valkyrie daughter, Brunnhilde, who was sung with full-throated power by Lisa Gasteen. Despite a disclaimer that she had a sore throat, it didn’t sounded as if this was an off-night for the Australian soprano. The siblings Siegmund and Sieglinde were sung with controlled passion by Nashville tenor Clifton Forbis and Poughkeepsie soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, while Russian bass Mikhail Petrenko was memorable as Sieglinde’s erstwhile husband Hunding. In an important cameo, upstate New York mezzo Stephanie Blythe invested Wotan’s put-upon goddess wife Fricka with all the biting irony and bitter humor that Wagner intended. (Americans Deborah Voigt and Michelle DeYoung will sing some February performances.) Blythe received the evening’s loudest ovation during the curtain call among singers, but the most applause was rightfully saved for Maazel, whose smashing return to the Met this is; one hopes it isn’t just a single engagement. |
