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Wagner, Parsifal: Soloists, Orquesta de la Comunitat Valenciana. Coro de la Generalitat Valenciana. Conducto, Lorin Maazel. Palau de les Arts de Valencia. 27.10.2008 (JMI)

New Production:
Direction: Werner Herzog
Sets: Maurizio Baló
Costumes: Franz Blumauer
Lighting: Guido Levi

Cast:
Parsifal: Christopher Ventris
Kundry: Violeta Urmana
Gurnemanz: Stephen Milling
Amfortas: Evgeny Nikitin
Klingsor: Sergei Leiferkus
Titurel: Alexander Tsymbalyuk

Valencia has decided to bet strongly on Wagner in this season. It will not only offer his complete tetralogy  in the coming spring, finishing off the project between Zubin Mehta and La  Fura, but has also decided to open the opera season with Parsifal. The decision to program the last Wagner opera is not only based on the fact that Palau has an outstanding orchestra and a conductor of top level (both totally necessary for  Parsifal) but also because of Valencia's longstanding Grail tradition of the Grail. The supposed chalice of the Last Supper rests in Valenica Cathedral,  where it arrived in 15^th century,  after having spent almost 400 years in the Monastery of San Juan of la Peña  (perhaps Wagner’s Montsalvat ?)

What is happening to opera in Spain?  I am not talking of the economic crisis here but that fact that during the month of October I have managed to attended three magnificent productions of German operas, so unusual in this country. I am referring to Tiefland in Barcelona, Doktor Faust in Seville and  Ariadne auf Naxos in Bilbao. And to these performances I must now add this  Parsifal which would have been a great success in any major opera house of the world. But as my German neighbour told me, ten minutes of final applause was nowhere near enough for this production - and in fact each of  he four productions mentioned above deserved a much better responses that they received. The simple answer to muted enthusiasm this  is to say that the Spanish public is very demanding: personally though, I reckon that that actually not sufficiently sophisticated from a musical point of view. I suspect in fact that over  90% of the different audiences for the four operas were attending opera for the first time in their lives.

The Palau de les Arts has a tradition of  opening its opera seasons with a new production. Pier’Alli’s  Fidelio  followed Carlos Saura’s Carmen in recent years and now we have a work from the German film director Werner Herzog.  His production is futurist and even  extraterrestrial, if you like. His direction, apart  from some 'timeless' staging, is actually very  traditional and follows Wagner libretto and score faithfully. On the stage we have the spear, the grail as a cup, black armour and a coffin to mention only a few elements. The characters are shown as what Wagner wanted - something  extremely 'original' coming from a modern German  stage director. The sets consist of metallic towers and a radar screen, all standing up in the first act and almost demolished in act III. Act II takes place in a rocky space with  Klingsor placed above it in an observatory. The conversion of the rocky space into a garden for the Flowewr Maidens scene isn't terribly well done but the grail scenes offer a huge and intriguing  metallic rosette  or perhaps another radar screen, very well lit by  Guido Levi. Obviously, the Grail which  occupies the center of the stage, is not quite a reproduction of the one in Valencia Cathedral.

The musical interpretation in this Parsifal consolidates my admiration for  Lorin Maazel. He has created an outstanding  orchestra in less than three years but until now his performances in opera have been somewhat irregular, although there is no doubt that his orchestra has been always very disciplined and alert under his baton. On this occasion Maazel direction and the performance of the Orchestra have  been no less than sensational.  Maazel's reading is more in line with  Barenboim  than with  Boulez in Bayreuth, although profound than the first mentioned and less inspired than the great French Maestro. Anyway, it's an excellent  Parsifal, especially as Maazel was  conducting the work for the first time. The  orchestra is now clearly  far better than that of any  other opera house in Spain and at last  it is not necessary to cross our borders to see some truly great Wagner. The only musical element that was not quite up to the task  was the chorus: it  is a good enough for most other things but this  Parsifal was rather too much for them.

The protagonist was the British tenor Christopher Ventris,  a regular in the role in recent years in the most important  venues -  a consequence of the shortage of heldentenors, perthap although  Parsifal does not require a pure dramatic tenor. He gave  a good performance, although his high notes are not particularly beautiful and was generally  a very decent interpreter, slightly tight vocally in the second act but  much improved  in Act III , where he was very convincing.

I have often said that the quality of substitute singers is the real touchstone for  a great opera house. Valencia resolved the cancellation of Katarina Dalayman as Kundry very nicely, replacing her with Violeta Urmana, who was initially only billed for the last two performances. She was an exceptional Kundry. Although I understand that she has decided in the few last years to sing the big soprano parts in Italian opera, to me she is second to none in this particular “fach”. The difference between her Amelia in Madrid a month ago and this Kundry is the difference between very good and exceptional. I can only remember one other Kundry like this :  a young German (and almost unknown) singer then, some 27 years ago. Her name was Waltraud Meier.

Danish bass  Stephen Milling has a big and beautiful voice, although he has never totally convinced me in the past. His  Gurnemanz  was far better than  what I expected. He gave a very good interpretation, powerful and moving and e few tightened high notes did not dim an equally fine very vocal performance.

Russian Evgueny Nikitin was a very good Amfortas too. Since we talking about the opera  of Redemption, I must  say that he redeemed  himself completely after his  disappointing Jochanaan in Paris. Vocally powerful, he was also totally convincing.

The veteran Russian baritone Sergei Leiferkus has made me suffer somewhat on more than one occasion when I have seen him in  Italian opera  in the past. However, I have nothing but praise for his Klingsor. This type of character, like Klingsor Telramund or Alberich, are obviously very good for him. The Ukrainian Alexander Tsymbalyuk was no less than a spectacular Titurel.  He sang from the back of the theater and with amplified sound, although I doubt whether he needed it. The voice is spectacular both in size and and colour. Quite remarkable.  The secondary roles were  all covered very well, particularly the group of Flower Maidens.

The theater had some unusual empty seats - perhaps proving my point about Spanish audiences, but those who were they gave  Maazel, Urmana, Milling and Nikitin triumphant applause.

José M Irurzun

Pictures courtesy of Palau de les Arts de Valencia

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