SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Strauss, Elektra: Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus Gran Teatre del Liceu de Barcelona. Conductor: Sebastián Weigle. Teatro del Liceu de Barcelona. 25.2.2008. (JMI)

New Production by Liceu de Barcelona in co - production with Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie.

Director: Guy Joostens
Sets and Costumes: Patrick Kimmonth
Lighting: Manfred Voss

Cast:
Elektra: Deborah Polaski
Chrysothemis: Ann-Marie Backlund
Klytämnestra: Eva Marton
Orest: Albert Dohmen
Aegisth: Graham Clark


These performances of Elektra seem to be a tribute to two great artists, who have become authentic icons for the public at the Liceu - Deborah Polaski and Eva Marton, two sopranos who about 5/10 years ago for Ms Polaski and perhaps 20 years ago for Ms Marton were two of the best Elektras anywhere. Unfortunately, time does leave anyone untouched, including  singers, and sadly both are in evident vocal decline. This  does not seem to concern the public too much in this repertoire, unlike the typical reaction to ageing soloists  in Italian or French opera.

The Liceu's  new co-production in collaboration with Brussels La Monnaie has stage direction of  Belgian Guy Joostens. Operas with myths for their plot-lines are easy subjects for  transpositions of time and this is what Joostens does, like so many others in the last years all around Europe. Every single Elektra  I have seen in the last five years have been moved to modern times. In fact I would have to go back no less than 20 years to remember what could be considered a traditional one, so popular has time-shifting become. Joostens shows us  a palace split into two levels: the lower one, an authentic prison where Elektra lives, and the upper floor (only visible at the very end of the opera) occupied by the the rest of her family. The result is rather routine, substituting Strauss's  maids in the first scene for  prison warders in a their changing room. The underground space where Elektra lives has room for  little more than some rubbish bins and a small place for her to sleep, and she is always watched from above. She has no possessions other than an axe, Agamemnon's long coat and a a book (which might be Sophocles' Elektra). The only actual maids are those that accompany Klytämnestra, who is bejeweled and obsessive in the traditional way. Joostens conceives the  mother/ daughter relationship  as a bond between two very similar people: both of them bloodthirsty.  It is interesting that from the moment of Klytämnestra's death, Elektra begins to make up her face and to put on  jewellery as a kind of reincarnation of her mother.  There is no final dance: Elektra leaveshovel to go to the upper floor, where dies in the arms of Orest surrounded by other corpses.

Musical Direction was in the hands of Sebastián Weigle, who soon will be leaving the Liceu. I was very interested to see him again conducting after his disappointing Holländer  last season. and this time his performance was  much better. Generally  Mr. Weigle has been good while in charge at the Liceu although some of his performances have perhaps had a certain superficiality. Here,  while I found  his reading of the recognition of Orest by his sister short of emotion, the orchestra played much better than they sometimes do  which seems to be the rule in Spain when orchestras face up to this masterwork.

Elektra was sung by Deborah Polaski, whose intensity as an interpreter is still truly outstanding. While the tessitura lies in the middle of her voice, she is marvellous, but when the score heads her northwards, her soprano shows many problems these days. Her upper register is sadly no longer in  condition  for  the part and she knows it. She is a great interpreter, but is sadly in  vocal decline.

Her sister  Chrysothemis  was the Swedish soprano Ann-Marie Backlund, who replaced the announced Melanie Diener, who in turn was replacing the original Adrienne Pieczonka. I had the opportunity to see Ms Backlund in the same role two years ago and I considered her an interesting singer then, although her voice is too light for the part, at least to my liking. She remains a light lyric soprano and I confess that I missed her replaced colleagues and of course my favourite Chrysothemis on stage, Angela Denoke. Even so, Ms. Backlund is a reliable singer and most acceptable as a substitution.

Eva Marton's Klytämnestra is another t demonstration that a soprano does not become a mezzo when she loses her high notes, much less a contralto, which is what  Klytämnestra really should be. Today Ms Marton  has many vocal  problems with an impossible vibrato in the upper range. She is a stage animal however and this is what saves her performance, but in this  contralto role Ms Marton sacrifices too much, and is almost inaudible in the low (and even not so low) notes. The rest of the audience loved her however and clearly does agree.

Albert Dohmen was a luxuriously cast Orest ( or, as some American baritones say:” O, rest!”)  and British tenor Graham Clark was an acceptable Aegisth whose voice remains more suited for character roles.

There were some prestigious names in the  female secondary like Renata Behle (Aufsherin), and Lani Poulson (Erste Magd). The others were Claudia Schneider (Vertraute and Zweite Magd), Mireia Pintó (Dritte Magd), Michelle Marie Cook (Schleppträgerin and Vierte Magd) and Henrikka Gröndahl (Fünfte Magd). The best of them were the  last two.

This was a good Elektra, safe in purely  vocal terms, which would have been extraordinary about 15 years ago. The packed theater gave   triumphal reception to  the principals particularly for Deborah Polaski but everyone had their doseof  the cheering.

José M. Irurzun


Back to Top                                                    Cumulative Index Page