SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Wagner,  Tristan und Isolde: Soloists,  Orchester and Zusatzchor der Oper Zürich, Conductor Ingo Metzmacher Opernhaus Zürich 14. 1.2009 (JMI)

New Production

Director: Claus Guth
Sets and Costumes: Christian Schmidt
Lighting: Jürgen Hoffmann

Cast:

Isolde: Nina Stemne
Tristan: Ian Storey
Brangaene: Michelle Breedt
König Marke: Matti Salminen
Kurwenal: Martin Gantner
Melot: Volker Vogel
Shepherd: Martin Zysset
Seaman’s Voice: Javier Camarena


After the beautiful production of Simon Boccanegra, came this modern production, in which the director offers his personal vision of the drama and where one does not know whether to think deeply about what one sees or to concentrate on the beautiful music and its interpreters and forget about the rest. I confess that I opted for the latter. I came to Zurich for Wagner’s  Tristan and  not for Claus Guth’s Tristan – which perhaps means that I’m not yet ready for  modern life.

Claus Guth does not actually bring us Tristan und Isolde at all, but his personal vision of what inspired Wagner to compose his masterwork -  the love affair between Wagner and Mathilde Wesendonk, which actually took place in Zürich. Isolde for Guth becomes Mathilde, Tristan is Wagner, Brangaene is Isolde's twin sister and King Marke is Otto Wesendonck himself, Wagner’s friend. So far, so good.

But when a stage director decides to offer a personal vision of a work, it helps if he is  extremely careful with the text, or else the plot makes less have sense. In this case, Mr Guth was not careful. There is neither sea nor journey and everything takes place instead in a building that could be the Wessendonk’s  mansion in Zurich: we see the bedroom, the  wedding reception and ultimately the same mansion in the ruins  that Kurwenal and Wagner called ‘Kareol’.

There is undoubtedly wonderful  stage work in the direction of both crowds and principals, but I did not recognize much of the story of Tristan and Isolde. The relationship between them in this production is always too cold and based on good manners, which might well make sense in terms of Wagner's own love affair, but does  little  for the Irish princess. A  love duet  sung by people  seated at  both ends of a large dining table, the arrival  of Isolde at the side of a dying Tristan,  whom she does not even  approach, the fact that the lovers meet each other at a wedding party  and start singing while separated and surrounded by guests, does not seem to me  to be the best way to make us understand the couple's sublime love and passion. Only the Liebestod itself, with  Isolde embracing Tristan’s corpse, gives an idea of the sublimation of that.

The sets are very original with a  revolving stage, on which the different scenes are shown. Costumes are used to emphasise the period and are mostly black and white.

Whilst this is in many ways a very attractive production, it would definitely be better suited to an opera called “Richard and Mathilde” than “Tristan and Isolde”, no matter how much the love of the former couple might have had inspired the composition of the latter.

Ingo Metzmacher's  musical direction was very good and, at some points,  both moving and outstanding. His way of playing the music of the love duet of Act II, keeping the sound of the orchestra as if it were  chamber music, was absolutely breathtaking. I would say the same about the Liebestod as this received a very personal reading of the highest quality. I believe in fact  that I have never listened to a more subtle interpretation of these sublime pages The Orchester der Oper Zurich gave a wonderful performance under Metzmacher’s direction.

After this peformance however,  I'd be inclined to believe  that the title of the opera should be simply Isolde.  Who, having heard this performance, will remember anything other than the miraculous  Nina Stemme?  The Swedish soprano is not only the best Isolde of today, but also one of the best of all time. She has everything: a voice of impressive power; great intensity of expression; and she controls the tessitura as if the score  had been  specially written for her. In addition to all this, she is an exceptional actress. She alone was worth the trip. Her  Liebestod was a true miracle and on the strenght of it,  her Salome at Barcelona's  Liceu next spring will be something not to be missed.  Nina Stemme for ever!

The British tenor Ian Storey was a good Tristan. His singing is a kind of middle way between the power of Jon Fredric West and  the lyricism of Robert Dean Smith. He certainly has enough voice for the role and he is able to cope with all the difficulties of the score. The voice is not particularly beautiful, but he is clearly  a Tristan with enough power and vocal ability to sing the part very well indeed.

Michelle Breedt’s Brangaene  was vocally accurate and worked well in this theatre, although I suspect that in a larger house she might have more difficulty.  Matti Salminen was yet again an outstanding King Mark, at his considerable best in the long monologue in Act II. He sang with both  powerful voice and matching nobility. There were some slight signs of fatigue in the upper register, but he is a truly great interpreter of this role.

Martin Gantner's Kurwenal was also significant. He is not very well known on the international circuits yet, but he  is a very good  choice for thischaracter.  Volker Vogel made  a good  Melot and Martin Zysset a well suited Shepherd. In the first act,   Mexican tenor Javier Camarena was the Seaman’s voice - a sheer  luxury in this small part.

The theatre was full. There was  an enthusiastic reception for Nina Stemne and great ovations also for both Salminen and Metzmacher.

José M Irurzun


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