Vocal and Choral

Wagner – Das Rheingold
René Pape; Nikolai Putilin;
Stephan Rugamer; Mariinsky Orchestra; Valery Gergiev
Mariinsky MAR0526

When Valery Gergiev and his Mariinsky Orchestra mounted a new production of Wagner’s monumental Ring Cycle in 2003, the event marked the return of Russians performing opera in the original language rather than in the vernacular. The entire project was acclaimed, leading to the company taking their production to Germany, Japan and elsewhere, including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and New York’s Met.

The critics were not unanimous but, as I seem to recall, the sets contributed to a diversity of opinions. However, in an audio cycle, our sole concern is the performance, not the production.

These new recordings were made in the Mariinsky concert hall in two sessions, two years apart. From the first minutes it is eminently clear that this will be a powerful performance and as the story unfolds Gergiev and his cast let us know that, except for the teasing Rhine Maidens, these characters are a pack of disingenuous narcissists, not models of good behaviour and fine sensibilities. Their métier is deceit and deal-making and deal-breaking. We know that is bad karma as they will find out by the end of the complete cycle when only the Rhine Maidens survive to have the last laugh.

As with any music he conducts, Gergiev is absolutely faithful to the score, a quality that has pros and cons. In Stravinsky, for example, his performances are outstanding but his Mahler symphonies are glaringly unidiomatic, a quality much admired by many. Gergiev’s orchestra is easily up to Wagner’s demands; accurate, dynamic and secure, together with being finely balanced. The only familiar voice is the German bass René Pape as Wotan; the other soloists are Russians who all bring their characters to life, singing without any discomfort in German, except for a glaring lapse from Alexei Markov (Donner) who repeatedly sings “Donner, de Herr” instead of “Donner, der Herr” as he summons the mists. A miserly observation indeed, one that does not detract from this extraordinarily exciting beginning of this ambitious undertaking to which I now look forward with the highest expectations.

I mentioned the quality of the orchestra which is captured in demonstration quality sound by a Russian team under the supervision of ex-Decca, award-winning producer James Mallinson who also does the same for the London Symphony’s and Chicago Symphony’s own recordings. The layout from left to right and front to back is the ultimate in realism for orchestra and singers ... a touchable reality.

I have since received a copy of Die Walküre which was issued earlier this year and reviewed by Janos Gardonyi in April. I somehow missed his review at the time but as I read it now I see that he was as enthusiastic as I. Do check it out. A few comments though ... Jonas Kaufmann’s Siegmund is far ahead of what we saw from the Met two seasons ago. Although Gergiev displays much empathy with the characters, he keeps everything pertinent and free from any hyperbolic heart-on-the-sleeve moments that divert our attention from the linearity of the plot. Performances such as this demonstrate, to me at least, that not a note of Die Walküre is wasted or superfluous. As in Das Rheingold, the recorded sound is wondrous; a convincing argument that a recorded concert performance is sonically superior to a live opera house recording. There is a world of difference between the sound of an orchestra in the pit from the expansive freedom and air on the stage. We look forward to Siegfried and Götterdämmerung to be released towards the end of 2014.

Britten – Peter Grimes
John Graham-Hall; Susan Gritton; Christopher Purves; Felicity Palmer; Catherine Wyn-Rogers; Teatro alla Scala; Robin Ticciati
Opus Arte OA 1103 D

The year 1945 saw the premiere of what many consider the greatest of English operas to date, Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes. The harrowing tale of a fisherman whose apprentices suffer mysterious deaths at sea was quickly taken up internationally, with Milan’s La Scala mounting a production in 1947. The present DVD brings us their latest staging, featuring a predominantly English cast and production team. John Graham-Hall plays the demanding leading role of Grimes as a paranoid wreck of a man with little suggestion of the commanding malevolence the late Jon Vickers brought to the role. Though his reedy voice is bright enough to fill the hall and his interpretation is effective in its own terms, Graham-Hall has a bit of trouble finding his notes at times, especially if a large interval is involved. The supporting cast is rock solid however, with Susan Gritton as Ellen Orford and Christopher Purves as Captain Balstrode both excelling in their roles as Grimes’ only friends amongst the hostile hypocrites of the fishing village. The massive choral passages so vital to this work are commanding, though it would be wise to turn on the English captions as the diction of the Italian chorus is sometimes a bit mushy (oddly, there are no Italian subtitles offered on this disc).

The orchestra pit at La Scala is larger than most, allowing a luscious string section to bloom under the assured leadership of the rising young British conductor Robin Ticciati. Perversely, director Richard Jones has opted to move the time frame of this fishy tale from coastal Britain of 1830 to the urban blight of U.K. council housing of the 1980s. The money saved on costuming was evidently passed on to movement co-ordinator Sarah Fahie, who gingers up the strutting local yobs and mini-skirted strumpets with some risible disco-era booty shaking. The only visible evocations of the sea are limited to incongruous flocks of stuffed seagulls perched hither and yon. Set designer Tom Pye contributes clever articulated boxes which sway effectively from side to side in the strobe-lit storm scene. Video and sound quality are both excellent. Despite my reservations about the wacky stage direction this is a production well worth a look.

Concert Notes:The Canadian Opera Company presents seven performances of Peter Grimes from October 5 to 26 at the Four Seasons Centre. James Ehnes performs Britten’s Violin Concerto with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under Stéphane Denève’s direction on October 10 and 12 at Roy Thomson Hall. (See Editor’s Corner in our June 2013 issue for a review of Ehnes’ recording of this concerto with the Bournemouth Symphony.)

Poulenc – La Voix Humaine
Felicity Lott; Graham Johnson
Champs Hill Records CHRBR045

La Voix Humaine, the third and last opera written by Francis Poulenc, is based on the play by Jean Cocteau and well known as the solitary “tour-de-force” for any soprano gifted with an acting ability. The piece is a bit of a curiosity, as Poulenc apparently detested all “mechanical” forms of communication, preferring face-to-face encounters. The lonely voice of a woman, whose lover’s cruel comments we can only imagine, is a surprisingly relevant tale now, in the age of text-message and Facebook breakups. The inherent inability (as Cocteau insisted) of two human beings to fully communicate causes the piece to be touching, irritating and sorrowful in parts.

The novelty of this recording is that it eschews the traditional Poulenc orchestration in favour of solo piano accompaniment. It is the first time (since Poulenc’s own performances, accompanying Denise Duval over 50 years ago) that permission has been given for La Voix Humaine to be recorded with piano accompaniment. Rosine Seringe, the composer’s niece, has granted a special dispensation to Felicity Lott and Graham Johnson — as a token of decades of special friendship between the artists and the Poulenc Estate — for this work to be produced (according to Champs Hill Records).

Does it change the work significantly? I would insist that yes, it is a different La Voix Humaine — a lonelier, sadder, but by no means less satisfying experience.

SounZSCApes: From Our Lands
Toronto Children’s Chorus; Elise Bradley
Marquis MAR 439

Following in the footsteps of Jean Ashworth Bartle (who founded the Toronto Children’s Chorus and shaped its sound for 29 years), Elise Bradley emigrated from New Zealand in 2007 to take the helm. This recording honours her journey with a collection of songs from both New Zealand and Canada, including Maori chants alongside compositions celebrating the traditions of Canadian First Nations peoples. Other Canadian favourites such as Song of the Mira and songs by Eleanor Daley and Srul Irving Glick, are paired with New Zealander Dorothy Buchanan’s Peace Song as well as many other compositions, sacred and secular, from both countries.

One continues to be struck by the disciplined care that goes into shaping the sound of young voices in this choir as well as the juxtaposition of seasoned musicians recruited to accompany, teaching excellent musicality to the choristers by example. In this recording the children perform with (amongst others) organist Christopher Dawes, TSO principal oboe Sarah Jeffrey and clarinettist Joaquin Valdepeñas. Elise Bradley hopes to share this music by taking the choir to her native country in the near future; I’m sure they will enjoy the partnership (and the chorus) just as much as we do here.

Zimmermann – Die Soldaten
Laura Akin; Gabriela Beňačková;
Renée Morloc; Daniel Brenna;
Tomasz Konieczny; Alfred Muff;
Wiener Philharmoniker; Ingo Metzmacher
EuroArts 2072588

Salzburg’s Felsenreitschule, a 17th-century riding school carved into a cliff, makes a brilliant setting for this must-see production of Bernd Alois Zimmerman’s landmark opera. It was filmed at the 2012 Salzburg Festival, where director Alvis Hermanis staged the non-stop action in front of a series of archways, with live horses parading around behind.

Die Soldaten (The Soldiers) tells a bleak, violent story. But Hermanis avoids sensationalizing it, and instead takes a poetic approach. So at key moments, like the pivotal rape scene, his dramatic use of the bales of hay that are strewn around the stage makes the impact all the more powerful.

The cast is stellar. But it’s Laura Aikin’s tour-de-force performance as Marie that ultimately grabs attention. It’s not just her fearless delivery of the treacherously jagged vocal lines. Her characterization of a naive young lady who is just trying to get ahead is utterly convincing, even when, at the end, she is so brutalized by the soldiers that her own father doesn’t recognize her. Right from the explosive opening chords, the Vienna Philharmonic under Ingo Metzmacher projects the vivid colours and textures that make this opera, now 50 years old, sound thoroughly contemporary.

Unfortunately there are no views into the huge orchestra, while the stage is too often filmed in close-up. When Marie walks across a tightrope suspended high above the stage, it is filmed so closely that it’s evident she’s an acrobatic double dressed as Marie, undermining the potent image of Marie balanced precariously on a high-wire.

Giuseppi Scarlatti – Dove è amore è gelosia
Lenka Máčiková; Aleš Briscein;
Kateřina Knežíková; Jaroslav Březina; Schwarzenberg Court Orchestra;
Vojtěch Spurný
Opus Arte OA 1104 D

Prince Joseph Adam of Schwarzenberg left the education of his children (nine of them by Princess Maria Theresia of Liechtenstein, since you ask) in the hands of one of the Scarlatti family, Giuseppe, probably a nephew of Domenico. Prince Joseph openly referred to his own “low-brow taste” and love for Italian opera buffa and Scarlatti obliged. Dove è amore è gelosia is a lovesick duel between the widowed Marquise Clarice (Lenka Máčiková) and her suitor Count Orazio (Aleš Briscein) who slog it out, aided by failed suicide attempts (the sword got stuck in its scabbard, you see) and cups of tea carelessly poured by Clarice’s maid Vespetta (Kateřina Knežíková) which only forestall the quarrelling and venomous name-calling.

As if that was not enough, the aristocratic dépit amoureux is parallelled by the slapstick duel between Vespetta and Orazio’s confidant Patrizio (Jaroslav Březina). All make for a classic opera buffa, what with comedies of errors, supremely beautiful trompe l’oeil scenery, stage crew in period costume driving their stage manager to the point of nervous breakdown and even musicians who look over their shoulder in amused appreciation of what is going on.

It is difficult to single out any of the singers. All convey their anguish (and their sense of joy at inflicting anguish), and their satisfaction when they have sorted out all the confusion created throughout the course of this delightful farce. Non-speakers of Italian are greatly helped by the onscreen translations, which are both blunt and priceless: the suitor’s misdirected cry of “You blockhead” is more than matched by the widow’s retort “Get lost. Out!”

And then there is the star without any singing part — Český Krumlov castle where this DVD was filmed. The theatre for this re-enactment lies off the fifth(!) courtyard and is described as a baroque stage in its mature form of 1680. Enjoy this amusing performance.

Mendelssohn – Elias
Christine Schäfer; Cornelia Kallisch; Michael Schade; Wolfgang Schöne; Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart;
Bach-Collegium Stuttgart; Helmuth Rilling
Hänssler Classic CD 098.017

Mendelssohn’s Elias is known as Elijah in the English-speaking world. And it was in English that the oratorio was first performed at the Birmingham Festival in 1846 with Mendelssohn himself conducting. The work became very popular in England, though by the end of the 19th century a reaction had set in. In 1892 George Bernard Shaw called it “sensuously beautiful in the most refined and fastidiously decorous way, but thoughtless.” Shaw was willing to set Elijah next to the “seraphic,” not religious, music of Gounod but could not find more in it than “exquisite prettiness.” Parsifal, Die Zauberflöte, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the best of Bach and Handel were adduced as contrasts. In recent years interest in Elijah has revived (there are now 25 recordings available), as listeners have begun to consider the work on its own merits, not as a pale imitation of Handel’s oratorios or Bach’s Passions.

The CDs under review constitute a re-release; the music was recorded in 1994 and the discs were first released soon afterwards. There is stiff competition from two earlier recordings, which both date from 1968: the Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (a very dramatic reading with Janet Baker superb in the alto arias) and the Wolfgang Sawallisch (with Elly Ameling, Peter Schreier and Theo Adam as Elias). It stands up well, both because of Rilling’s conducting and the quality of the singing. The soloists are Christine Schäfer, soprano, Cornelia Kallisch, alto, Michael Schade, tenor, and baritone Wolfgang Schöne as Elias.