2023-06-05 12:03:17
“So flourish then, blood of the Wälsungen”, sounds the hero, then the breaking of the taboo takes its course: Siegmund embraces Sieglinde, the brother thus the sister – before the curtain falls over the fervent.
On Sunday at the State Opera, the scene looked regarding 30 degrees cooler: Siegmund first leisurely climbed onto a table to get his Nothung sword there, then he slowly returned to the ground, trotted a few steps in the direction of Sieglinde – and hugged her. More the image of a golden wedding than that of a crackling first encounter. In general, “Die Walküre”, part two of Wagner’s “Ring des Nibelungen”, struggled with a lack of tension on stage. This was not only due to the limited desire to move of some singers, but also to the limited voices: Giorgio Berrugi (Siegmund) let more effort be heard than actual sound power and refined the “Wonnemond” passage with only a little enamel. But at least: This Siegmund does not slip up, is a man of reliability. This also applies to Eric Owens as Wotan. Only: With his vibrato-heavy, rather inflexible baritone he hardly conveyed divine power or intimate notes of his part.
All the more verve with the women: in addition to a strong group of Valkyries and a furious Fricka (Tanja Ariane Baumgartner), Simone Schneider erupted tones of powerful strength, but at the same time sad vulnerability. Ricarda Merbeth is also entitled to cheer – a Brünnhilde of burning intensity and amazing endurance. And conductor Franz Welser-Möst? Provided for spacious arcs of suspense and a gripping tempo dramaturgy between contemplative oases of peace and moments of frenzy. A “Valkyrie” with dry spells, but ultimately (almost) only applause.
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#Opera #review #semistrong #Valkyrie
