Richard Wagner (1813–1883)
Winterstürme
Die Walküre, Act I
Götterdämmerung, excerpts
Anja Kampe (soprano), Stephen Gould (tenor), René Pape (bass); Staatskapelle Dresden/Christian Thielemann
rec. live, 31 October 2021 im Großen Festspielhaus Salzburg
Sung texts not enclosed
Reviewed as downloaded from press preview
PROFIL PH22038 [2 CDs: 119]
The Osterfestspiele Salzburg, (Salzburg Easter Festival) was founded by Herbert von Karajan in 1967, as a complement to the Summer Festival, which was established in 1920. The Summer Festival runs for five weeks from the end of July, while little brother is limited to one week at Easter time. Why, then, asks the observant reader, does the header state that this issue was recorded in October? That’s illogical. Yes, it truly is, but most things turned out to be illogical as a result of the pandemic we have just gone through – and which at the time of writing at the end of July 2022 seems to be gaining new strength. The season 2020 was completely lost, new attempts were made in 2021, but in the end all the programmes were cancelled again, but only temporarily. They appeared as jack-in-the-box titled “Easter Festival in Autumn 2021” – for the first time in history, and probably the last.
The Wagner programme recorded opened with a complete concert performance of the first act of Die Walküre, with Staatskapelle Dresden under Christian Thielemann. Both orchestra and conductor have a long Wagnerian history, and here they are joined by three veteran Wagner singers. “Veteran” here implies that they are middle-aged
plus (= have celebrated their 50th birthdays) and the years have not passed completely unnoticeably. Stephen Gould is probably the one who has suffered the most. He
still has the power and the stamina to deliver Siegmund’s cries of Wälse! Wälse! at a thundering fortissimo, and has still the ability to soften the tone and find nuances. But he is rather dry-voiced, there is a good deal of unwanted vibrato, often his tone becomes pinched, and he tends to bark. But he is reliable and knows the role. René Pape’s Hunding is a stern and forbidding character and his is still a magnificent voice, though he has lost something of the beauty of tone from yesteryear. But you don’t expect Hunding to have any softer qualities anyway. Sieglinde, Anja Kampe, is the one who sounds least affected by the ravages of time. Her beauty of tone is undeniable, she sings with youthful glow in the final scene – listen to Du bist der Lenz – and throughout she is deeply involved. After the interval, she returns in the long, uninterrupted suite from Götterdämmerung, consisting of Morgendämmerung, solemn in a mighty crescendo with a bombastic climax ending on a beautifully shaped diminuendo leading seamlessly to Siegfried’s Rheinfahrt with horn calls and jubilant joy, and the contrasting Trauermarsch, whereupon the deeply moving finale
follows, Brünnhilde’s Starke Scheite. Here Anja Kampe’s tone is initially rather fluttery, her vulnerability is tangible, but she is also noble and strong. There is a long silence after the last note, followed by hesitant applause, that gradually grow in intensity – and ovations, which continue – and continue – and continue …
There were ovations of the greatest distinction also after the Walküre act before the interval, which for someone who only heard the music in this recording, could seem over-enthusiastic. But this is a common situation. I know from experience that a performance that overwhelms me in the concert hall, can sound rather mediocre when hearing a recording of it. The live experience – I am here! – often makes the listener more tolerant, the atmosphere, the sight of the orchestra and the soloists, the facial expressions, the tenor who struggles with a role which
over-stretches him …
What is without doubt is that the orchestra was in brilliant form on 31 October and that Christian Thielemann shaped the music to perfection. Others may have injected more drama in the Walküre overture – I’m thinking of Knappertsbusch in his recording of the act with Flagstad and Svanholm – but I have nothing but praise for Götterdämmerung, which obviously
held the audience so totally spellbound that there was not one attempt to clap, even when there was a distinct pause in the middle.
There are two short bonus tracks: two snippets from the dress rehearsal, that don’t add much of interest to the experience. The Götterdämmerung music is well worth investing in. Those who want a recording of the first act of Die Walküre can choose between several alternatives, from Bruno Walter’s legendary late-1930s recording with Lotte Lehmann and Lauritz Melchior to the Knappertsbusch mentioned above and a number of live recordings of various ages. Anja Kampe’s Sieglinde is admirable on the present recording, but Stephen Gould’s Siegmund is best forgotten. The quality of the recording cannot be faulted.
Göran Forsling
