Berlin: Magdalena Kozena in Octavian role debut

Rosenkavalier. Berlin State Opera, March 7th 2009. Production: Nicolas Brieger. Cast: Angela Denoke (Marschallin), Magdalena Kožená (Octavian), Sylvia Schwartz (Sophie), Peter Rose (Ochs), Hans-Joachim Ketelsen (Faninal). Conductor: Asher Fisch. Further information here.

The main interest in this revival of Briegers stylish Rosenkavalier production at the Berlin State Opera was Dorothea Röschmann and Magdalena Kožená in their role debuts as Marschallin and Octavian, respectively. In the end, Röschmann cancelled her participation and was replaced in all performances by Angela Denoke.

Magdalena Kožená´s stage presence is a mixture of neurotic hyperenergy and shyness, not entirely inappropriate for an Octavian. And her voice is clearly among the most beautiful lyrical mezzo-sopranos on stage today, light as well as even. However, as Octavian she is stretched beyond her vocal limits, almost retorting to shrieking out the high notes and with seemingly no vocal reserves left. Bearing in mind the relatively small size of this house, any attempts at this part at a larger house would seem hazardous. As she is clearly no comic actress there may not be many operatic parts suitable to showcase her immense vocal qualities. I believe ms. Kožená has previously stated that she considers lieder singing her strongest asset, a field where she is matched by few.

Rather superb performance from the slightly cool-voiced Angela Denoke as the Marschallin, capturing the essence of the part with extraordinary vocal characterization in addition to looking great and acting well. A slight unsteadiness towards the top is of far less importance here than in the heavier repertoire (Leonore-Fidelio, Kundry etc.), she unfortunately takes on as well.
Also Sylvia Schwartz, a company member who was declared indisposed due to a a muscle fiber neck injury, made a very fine Sophie. Peter Rose is as fine an Ochs as any and while subtlety may not be Asher Fish´s strongest asset, the piece does move along in a refreshingly no-nonsense reading.

The bottom line:

Angela Denoke: 4-5
Peter Rose: 4-5
Magdalena Kozena: 4
Sylvia Schwartz: 4

Brieger´s production: 4

Asher Fish: 4

Overall impression: 4

London: New Boris Godunov with Peter Rose at ENO

Boris Godunov. English National Opera. November 26th 2008. Production: Tim Albery. Cast: Peter Rose (Boris), John Graham-Hall (Shuisky), Brindley Sherratt (Pimen), David Stephenson (False Dmitri), Jonathan Veira (Varlaam). Conductor: Edward Gardner. Further information here.


This new ENO production of Boris Godunov opened on November 10th to a music press predominantly focusing on the facts that:
The original 1869 version was played, which they found of lesser quality than later versions which include the Polish scenes as well as allegedly superior orchestrations by either Shostakovich or Rimsky-Korsakoff; the original version is very dark; the opera runs 2h 10 min without intermission; Peter Rose does not have the charisma of John Tomlinson; this Boris is more despressing than uplifting.

In brief, I agree with all of the above comments, though reaching somewhat different conclusions: Yes, there is nothing uplifting about Boris Godunov. And this is exactly the way it should be: Raw, unpolished and depressing. Which is why I personally prefer Mussorgsky´s original score in the 1869 version, though I am not adverse to the gleamingly brilliance of Rimsky-Korsakoff or the beauty of the Polish scenes. However, in the 1869 version, what remains is exactly what I perceive to be the core of Boris Godunov: The plight of the Russian people and the portrait of Boris´ inner struggles.

Admittedly Peter Rose does lack charisma as Boris and the death scene never becomes truly gripping. His Boris seems a very docile and gentle man indeed, entirely incapable of orchestrating a child-murder or even aspiring for power. On the other hand his voice is quite beautiful and, while his expressive range may be somewhat limited, he is always a pleasure to listen to. Which Sir John Tomlinson, for all his charisma, is not.

Tim Albery´s single minimalistic set seemed relatively unanchored in time, taking place within a structure of wooden walls serving as backdrop throughout the opera. The only colouring was provided by the various dresssing of the characters, such as the black vs. white uniforms used by the opposing parties in the Final Scene. As such, it worked well, however I missed a directorial take on the piece. What are the power structures in this Boris? What influence does Shuisky have? What about the False Dmitri? Or what role does Pimen have?

Admittedly, neither of this supporting cast were overly charismatic either, perhaps with the exception of Brindley Sherratt´s rather fine Pimen. And Jonathan Veira was more than adequate as Varlaam in what is all things considered is a rather fine trio of basses.

The translation by David Lloyd-Jones deserves a comment as well: It was unusually straight-forward and impressive in the ability to catch the rhythm of the score. I do prefer Boris sung in Russian, but clearly an English-sung performance has certain advantages, such as not having to rely extensively on the texting device to understand what is being sung..

Superb was Edward Gardner in a very lyrical reading of the score, which nevertheless was impressively coherent. Ideally I´d prefer a bit more punch and eeriness, but this was as good an orchestral performance of Boris as I have yet heard.

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Peter Rose: 4
John Graham-Hall: 3-4
Brindley Sherratt: 4
Jonathan Veira: 4

Tim Albery´s production: 3-4

Edward Gardner: 4

Overall impression: 4

Superb Konwitschny production of The Flying Dutchman in Munich

Anja Kampe as Senta

The Flying Dutchman. Bavarian State Opera, Munich. May 11th, 2008. Production: Peter Konwitschny. Cast: Alan Titus (Dutchman), Anja Kampe (Senta), Peter Rose (Daland), Robert Dean Smith (Erik). Further information here. Cond: Philippe Auguin.


In brief, Peter Konwitschny has succeeded in creating a superb production of The Flying Dutchman for the Bavarian State Opera. Not only has he successfully updated the action to present day, but in so doing, he manages to provide new insights into the motivations and relations of the main characters. Together with his Tristan and Elektra, I wouldn´t hesitate to judge this one of his finest works. Furthermore, Konwitschny communicates his points clearly and precisely to the audience (read: I actually understood what he was trying to say without having to read the accompanying booklet!), which is far from always the case (read: Just have a look at his Parsifal production).

This Flying Dutchman production opened at the Bavarian State Opera in 2006, a theater by now quite accustomed to Peter Konwitschny´s quirky Wagner stagings, with both his Parsifal and Tristan in the current repertoire. This didn´t prevent one spectator from booing extremely loudly just seconds before the curtain fell yesterday. And this production, with specific attention to the controversial ending, has indeed divided audiences, though most end up on the positive side.

Even for those not previously familiar with Konwitschny´s work, a quick look at the cast list revealing An Angel indicated not all to be as in the Dresden 1843 world premiere.

The core elements of the piece (ie. the doomed Dutchman stepping ashore once every seventh year to search for redemption through faithful love) remains intact with Konwitschny, who essentially follows the storyline as Richard Wagner himself would recognize it.

There is not much controversy in Act one: The gangways from the two ships are lowered successively from each side of the stage amidst a heavy storm. The Dutchman and his crew arrive directly from the 16th (or somewhere close) century into Daland´s world of today. I suppose, if countless women have been damned as the failed to be faithful to the Dutchman, some time must indeed have passed...

On stage we look at painted rocks and bending naked trees on a backdrop of the raging sea. So traditional, that you intuitively know that it will not last. The Dutchman with his crew (with more than a slight touch of Pirates of the Caribbean not least when he opens a trunk filled with golden treasures) meet with Daland in plastic chairs on the shore. The character ”An angel” already entered during the Dutchman monologue (Die frist ist um) at the exact point where the Dutchman mentions the bargain attained for him in heaven by the angels. Throughout the opera, An Angel follows the Dutchman and Senta at decisive points and silently tries to influence the action (ie. help the Dutchman).

On to Act Two, which takes place in…a fitness center – more precisely in a spinning class, each woman spinning on her bicycle (anyone who doesn´t get the word play?). But there is more to this scene than the dual meaning of the word spinning: It somehow seems fitting that contemporary women would meet in this way. Senta arrives late, carrying with her a painting of the 16th century Dutchman. In effect, it might as well have been George Clooney she was infatuated with. The Dutchman, of course, is completely out of place in the fitness center and he carries with him a 16th century bridal gown for Senta to wear. How can this last? Of course, Senta is not interested in Erik, arriving in a bath-robe directly from the shower, it seems.

Act Three opens with the locals partying in the harbour with a clear view at the looming sea in the background. The Pirates of the Caribbean are sulking alongside several long tables at one side of the stage, finally chasing the locals off, who then return a bit later, armed and prepared for fight (to no avail, as it turns out). After overhearing the conversation between Erik and Senta (he claims that she has broken her vows to him), the Dutchman then decides to leave. What does Senta do? Well, in her advanced state of exaltation, she then fetches a barrel, rolls it onto center stage, sets it on fire and virtually blasts everyone (including the audience) away in a quite impressive demonstration of special effects risking temporary (at least) hearing impairment for those sitting in front of the auditorium, not to mention the cast and chorus.

Musically, the evening was more bland. Anja Kampe basically has a lyrical voice and interprets Senta accordingly. Her voice is somewhat fluttery near the top, but she nevertheless convinces in the part, dramatically as well. Does she really have the middle register to support the Isolde she will be singing in Glyndebourne next year? That remains to be seen, I suppose…

Apart from the dress, Alan Titus does not have much in common with Johnny Depp´s Caribbean Pirate. With all due respect I found him in rather dry voice and he didn´t seem to catch on interpretatively either. Now where is Juha Uusitalo, who usually sings the Munich-Dutchman? (a rhetorical question, since I am well aware that he is in Vienna for the Siegfried-Wanderer). Next season offers the opportunity to see what kind of pirate Bryn Terfel will make. Also not a particularly memorable performance from the otherwise fine British bass Peter Rose as Daland. Robert Dean Smith, also essentially a lyrical singer, for once managed to sound rather large-voiced as Erik..obviously the company is rather more thankful here than when I heard him (or rather almost didn´t) next to Waltraud Meier in Madrid.

The orchestra played well under Philippe Auguin, but unfortunately with almost no intensity.

In summary, it all adds up to a highly successful production in which Konwitschny manages to take a fresh look at the work without loosing the perspective. It would be a most welcome addition to the DVD-Dutchman catalogue, provided some adjustments are made in the cast.

Rosenkavalier at the Berlin Deutsche Oper

Rosenkavalier, Deutsche Oper Berlin, March 15th 2008. Production: Götz Friedrich. Cast: Elina Garanca (Oc), Christine Schäfer (Sophie), Michaela Kaune (Marschallin), Peter Rose (Ochs). Conductor: Philippe Auguin

Judged by the tremendous applause I don´t think anyone in the audience would disagree that this was an immensely well-sung performance of the Rosenkavalier (more here)- with Elina Garanca deservedly receiving the major applause for her quite fabulous Octavian: She has everything this role requires: A beautiful firm voice (in many ways reminding of the young Christa Ludwig), a great talent for comic acting, providing an very convincing portrayal of the young boy Octavian.

Equally convincing was Peter Rose as Ochs : Wonderful low notes, a steady voice, and again, a great talent for comic acting. Funny, but never exaggerates into the ridiculous, making this Ochs a believable character, not just a parody.

Christine Schäfer was Sophie, and despite beautiful, stylish singing, the Sophie train may have left, if it was ever there: Never a specialist in innocent girls portrayals, the part does not appear to suit her dramatically. Also Michaela Kaune, a fine, but not a stand-out as the Marschallin with a beautiful voice, but somewhat lacking in characterization.

Philippe Auguin was competent, but the true flow and elegance of this music never really was transmitted to the audience. And Götz Friedrich´s production is from 1993, which shows: Stylish, but dusty. Modern in the outlook, but with no real departures from the storyline or new interpretative angles.

Feminine psychoanalysis - Parsifal in Wien

Christine Mielitz seems to to have applied psychoanalytic tools in what appear to be a feminine analysis of Parsifal, premiered in 2004 at Wiener Staatsoper: For her, Amfortas with his suffering is the main focus. The knights of the Grail appear a closed group of men, marked by the system, which suffers from a lack of insight into feminine values. Which Parsifal gets from Kundry. And since Parsifal is not branded by this system, he is able to release Amfortas. And through these insights, the close male circle of grail knights may be enriched. Or at least that´s my gathering of the staging. Does Kundry die? I´m not sure. Mielitz herself seems ambiguous on this point as well, stating in the programme that Kundry "voluntarily leaves the masculine society of knights after having been released by Parsifal".

When this production premiered in 2004, Thomas Quasthoff was Amfortas (in his only second operatic role apart from the Minister in Fidelio), and he was the center of attention in the production as well as in the German-language press, which hardly commented on the rest of the production.

This Easter Sunday the role was sung by Falk Struckmann who seems to always look the same on stage – edgy, irritated and jumping around. Regardless of the part he´s singing. I´ve seen him do this here in Vienna as Telramund, Rangoni and Iago as well as the Dutchman in Berlin. This time he did it as Amfortas. And, luckily for him, he is definitely one of these singers who sounds vastly better live than on record. While his recordings ao. of Wotan find him in shrill voice he comes through all right in the theater, fine in both voice and characterization.
I was disappointed by both Thomas Moser (Parsifal) and Deborah Polaski (Kundry) for the same reason: They were incredibly boring to watch (and listen to)..Vocally they had no problems with their respective parts – but both voices seemed flat and emotionless. Had I not heard René Pape as Gurnemanz a couple of days previously in Berlin, I would say that Peter Rose makes a fine Gurnemanz. Period. He has some excellent low notes, and keeps his singing up throughout the opera. And it´s probably unfair to point out that he has neither the stage presence or vocal power that Pape brings to this role. And it´s definitely unfair to compare him to Pape in the first place - however as long as René Pape sings the same role at the same time virtually around the corner (by US standards) and people come to Vienna specifically to see Parsifal, it´s only fair to point out, that in my opinion the Berlin Staatsoper Parsifal is vastly superior to the one in Vienna - at least in this season.

Not only because of Pape: Donald Runnicles conducted, and while the quality of the orchestra playing was immensely higher than in his Ring in Berlin earlier this season, I still find him impassive and restrained with this music – particularly with an eye on the competition in Berlin (Barenboim) and here in Vienna next year (Thielemann, who just completed a magnificently conducted Bayreuth Ring).

I seem to have caught this production in the wrong year: Two years ago Thielemann was conducting and both Placido Domingo and Waltraud Meier were singing and next year Thielemann is conducting with Stephen Milling and Mihoko Fujimura singing..

I wouldn´t mind going to Vienna to see this production again with Thielemann - his live recording here from Vienna released last year is incredibly beautiful. And on level with the greatest on record. It must be quite amazing to hear him conduct Parsifal live.

I attended the performance on Easter Sunday 2007.

To watch a videoclip from this production, open this page and click on "videobeispiel".

Photo from: www.staatsoper.at