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Munich Opera Festival 2008 (4):  Massenet,  Werther Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Bayerische Staatsoper, Conductor: Patrick Fournillier  Nationaltheater Munich 24.7.2008 (JMI)

Production: Bayerisch Staatsoper

Direction, Sets, Costumes and Lighting: Jürgen Rose
Lighting: Michael Bauer

Cast:

Werther: Piotr Beczala, tenor
Charlotte: Veselina Kasarova, mezzo
Sophie: Sylvia Schwartz, soprano
Albert: Robert Bork, baritone
Le Bailii: Christoph Stephinger, bass
Johann: Franz-Josef Kappelmann, baritone
Schmidt: Uwe Eikötter, tenor


Werther is never a very popular opera unless it has an exceptional singer in the title role, as used to be the case with Alfredo Kraus. Without such a great artist singing the protagonist, the public gets bored time and time again. I have been lucky enough to see most of the candidates for the throne of 'Alfredo the Great'  as Werther and I must say that until today I thought the position was still vacant. Among the present stars,  neither Villazón nor Marcelo Alvarez have convinced me in the character. The only one to come close was  Sabbatini, but in terms of both quality and volume his voice  was a serious handicap. This evening however,   I saw the only recent Werther who is convincing in all respects:  the Polish tenor Piotr Beczala, who has achieved enormous success for his exceptional interpretation of the role. Habemus Werther!

The Munich  production  is by Jürgen Rose, who is in charge not only of the stage direction, but also of sets, costumes and lighting design. Although somewhat uneven in quality, Rose's concept has some very interesting elements,  but  some of it belongs in a museum of kitsch decoration. He transfers the action to the 1930s/40s and offers a unique set design with walls filled with Ossian’s poems, translated by Werther. The production is very respectful of the libretto, with trees at the back of the stage, whose flowering shows the season indicated by the text. At the beginning of each act there is also a drop curtain decorated with more hand written Ossian poems. Jürgen Rose uses a turning platform, in the middle of which there is a large rock with a desk on its top, where Werther takes refuge to write. Presumably Mr. Rose thinks that if Brünnhilde can have a rock  then  Werther can too, although personally I could not find the idea terribly convincing. The romantic figure of Werther floods the stage however and whenever he sings either aria or arioso, all stage movement becomes completely static as in a photograph, which really does work. For the later acts the stage ceiling  is dressed with drafts of letters from Werther to Charlotte which is also effective but what it is unbearable is the living Nativity scene at the back of the stage, where the children sing “Noel, Noel” as Werther expires. This is worthy only of a children’s show for a kindergarten.

Patrick Fournillier is a conductor of recognized prestige in this repertoire. Initially Ion Marin was announced and I suspect  that we did better with the substitution, even though  Fournillier’s reading sometimes accentuated the drama of the orchestral music to the point where the singers could not be heard. The Bayerische Staatsorchester was as wonderful as always, with some miraculous  moments, particularly in the strings.

Piotr Beczala was a totally convincing Werther, certainly the best I have seen since Kraus, and  his identification with the character is outstanding. He is more the  romantic hero than the distant and elegant Kraus was and  his voice works very well too, with all of  its quality still intact. Sometimes he gave the impression of singing at  his  limits, but this was certainly due in part at least,  to the orchestral volume demanded by conductor. The only problem that Beczala has, so far as I could tell, is that the production of his high notes can be not too bright initially, although  when he sustains them  the projection improves remarkably. He sang with very good taste all evening, right from “O nature” through to his death.  The peak moment was “Pourquoi me reveiller”, sung magnificently and finished with an exhibition of power which was genuinely astounding. He is certainly the  best Werther around today.

Bulgarian Veselina Kasarova was a good Charlotte, singing very well, but sounding perhaps rather too light for the character. I am so used to hearing her in baroque and Mozart operas that I find it difficult to see her in this repertoire. Even so, she is a great artist and a convincing Charlotte. Her French diction  however, might need some further work.

Baritone Robert Bork replaced Hanno Müller-Brachmann as Albert. He gave a good performance, with a bette and more important voice than is usual for this rather secondary character. His French too could be improved. The young English soprano Sylvia Schwartz began badly, being almost inaudible at first but improved later; perhaps  she is more suited to soubrette roles.

The secondary roles are usually very well handled by German theatres and Munich is no an exception. Christoph Stephinger was a good Bailli, Franz-Josef Kappellmann was a luxury as Johann, and Uwe Eikötter a secure and convincing Schmidt.

The theatre had some empty seats, which is unusual at the Munich Festival but the audience gave a huge ovation to Beczala, one of the biggest I have seen:  for a full  15 minutes, the audience continued demanding the his presence on stage. Kasarova was also  greatly appreciated, though to a  lesser extent.

José M Irurzun


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