From July 20 to August 31, the Salzburg Festival presented 199 performances (opera, concert, theater). Nine operas were on the program: five new productions, two revivals, and two concert performances.
The new productions: Idomeneo (Mozart), Médée (Cherubini), Oedipe (Enescu), Orphée aux Enfers (Offenbach), and Simon Boccanegra (Verdi); the two revivals: Alcina (Händel) and Salome (R. Strauss); and the two concert performances: Adriana Lecouvreur (Cilea) and Luisa Miller (Verdi). Finally, there was a production for children "Der Gesang der Zauberinsel" (Marius Felix Lange) performed by singers from the "Young Singers Project".
Concert performances, pricey vehicles
The concert opera performances were primarily vehicles for star singers, far less appealing when the star in question—Anna Netrebko—called in sick and the audience found the ticket prices (up to 330 euros) rather steep! Four of the operas that received staged productions were inspired by myths from antiquity: Médée, Idomeneo, Orphée aux Enfers, and Oedipe, and they received very different stagings. However, Médée, Orphée aux Enfers, and Oedipe unfortunately shared a defective projection of the French text, making it often impossible to understand anything at all!
Pole dancing with Médée
The staging of Cherubini's "Médée" was entrusted to Australian director Simon Stone, who presented primarily a visual spectacle with numerous scene changes (set design by Bob Cousins), costumes (Mel Page), lighting (Nick Schlieper), and a host of extras, resulting in fairly colorful and lively scenes but with the loss of genuine dramatic tension. For example: the telephone conversation between Médée and Créon, who apparently owned a nightclub whose operations Stone showed us in great detail, pole dancers included! Because naturally the myth has been adapted to our times and is presented with video images, parallel scenes, and the insertion of spoken fragments (written by Simon Stone) that convey Médée's emotional states. Her confidante Néris directs her comforting words to an image of Médée she sees on a television screen while Médée tries to convince Créon at the airport to let her stay in the country!
In the final scene we see Médée again at a gas station where she locks her children in her car before setting it on fire. This happens in front of a watching crowd, Jason and firefighters included, who make no attempt at any moment to overpower Médée! High praise goes to Russian soprano Elena Stikhina, who portrayed Médée's passion, despair, and vengeance with an expressive, ample voice. Her stage commitment was total, her interpretation of Cherubini's music quite personal but in any case more convincing than the portrayal of Pavel Cernoch, who presented a rather detached Jason and remained vocally quite weak. Rosa Feola brought charm and emotion to Dirce, and Alisa Kolosova sang the role of Néris with an emotionally charged mezzo. Vitalij Kowaljow was a bellowing Créon. Thomas Hengelbrock led the ensemble, the Vienna State Opera Choir, and the Vienna Philharmonic in a rather restrained performance.
The Hulk or is it Oedipe? In any case, musically worthy of a standing ovation
Under the musical direction of Ingo Metzmacher, the Vienna Philharmonic seemed far more inspired to perform George Enescu's "tragédie lyrique" "Oedipe," an opera that has gained genuine recognition in recent years. For the performances at the Salzburg Festival, the festival chose the Felsenreitschule as an appropriate setting for this impressive fresco and entrusted the staging to Achim Freyer, who was also responsible for the set design, costumes, and together with Franz Tscheck for the lighting. Benjamin Jantzen provided the video images. A whole team then, ultimately presenting a production that came to life primarily thanks to the music. This score, which is a historical document (1910-1931) and which received justice through the creative, tender, and stimulating hands of Ingo Metzmacher and the opulent sound and dramatic impact of the Vienna Philharmonic. This was also thanks to the performances of the singers who gave life and voice to characters that were primarily and essentially part of artist Freyer's colorful and highly personal cosmos rather than the world of myth.
What an idea to present Oedipe as a combination of Rocky and the Hulk! Poor Christopher Maltman, who was condemned to this but who nonetheless managed to portray Oedipe as a man with a tragic destiny and move us. Not least through his intense vocal delivery. He was surrounded by a commendable ensemble of human puppets dressed in Freyer's imaginative costumes, which hardly helped to distinguish the various characters. Is it because he is blind that Tiresias walked around in a kind of white shroud that covered him completely and from which the clearly recognizable but regrettably also quite weary bass voice of John Tomlinson rose from the depths.
There were beautiful, engaged vocal performances by Eve-Maud Hubeaux (le Sphinge), Chiara Skerath (Antigone), Anaïk Morel (Jocaste), Brian Mulligan (Créon), the other cast members, and the choirs. The audience, clearly impressed, treated the entire team to an ovation.
Euphoric Orphée aux Enfers
In their exploration of the world of myths, the Salzburg Festival was not limited to grand dramatic and lyrical repertoire. There was of course Jacques Offenbach, who was inspired more than once by the ancient world. And since 2019 marks his 200th birthday celebration, his opera-bouffon "Orphée aux Enfers" was also on the program in a staging by Barrie Kosky, the Australian director, head of the Komische Oper in Berlin, and a virtuoso artist with a rich imagination.
It was initially announced that the work would be performed in its original French version but that the spoken dialogues would be in German. Ultimately, all dialogues were entrusted to German actor Max Hopp, who also played the role of John Styx. Max Hopp accomplished this task with admirable virtuosity, but the audience had to be particularly attentive to follow what was being said by whom in this whirlwind presented by Barrie Kosky. He presented "Orphée aux Enfers" as a grand "farce," not particularly refined but full of spirit, with delightful moments and others of sometimes questionable taste, set in a 1900 theater decor by Rufus Didwiszus, costumes by Victoria Behr, lighting by Franck Evin, and mostly charming choreography by Otto Pichler.
Kathryn Lewek as Eurydice (in negligée, bosom and bottom corseted in) jumped from one bed to another and sang virtuosically with a fluid soprano and brilliant high notes in her attempts to escape her musical husband (Joel Prieto with lovely tenor) and follow Aristée/Pluto (excellent Marcel Beekman) to hell. But even in the realm of Pluto, Eurydice is bored and is easy prey for Jupiter, who offers himself in the form of a beautiful golden fly (Martin Winkler not so convincing). Finally, and despite the efforts of Public Opinion (a majestic Anne Sofie von Otter) to restore order, Eurydice will become a priestess of Bacchus and the spectacle ends in general euphoria, clearly much enjoyed by the audience. But I must honestly confess that despite my appreciation for individual performances, I was not particularly wild about this overloaded production. Offenbach was nonetheless well served by the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted with great flair by Enrique Mazzola. There were also excellent performances by the choir Vocalconsort, the ensemble of dancers, and the entire cast, who enthusiastically embraced Barrie Kosky's concept.
No meaningful or convincing modernization
With "Adriana Lecouvreur" (Cilea) and the two Verdi operas "Simon Boccanegra" and "Luisa Miller," the Salzburg Festival also offered operas that did not belong to the world of ancient myths. "Adriana" and "Luisa" had to content themselves with concert performances, but "Simon Boccanegra" received a staged realization in a production by Andreas Kriegenburg (set design: Harald B. Thor, costumes: Tanja Hofmann, lighting: Andreas Grüter, video: Peter Venus). Kriegenburg moved the action from the 14th century to today and presented the people of Genoa as a group of civil servants, apparently interested only in their smartphones. Otherwise, there was no meaningful or convincing modernization of the drama in a plot that more than once got lost in the elegant, spacious, bare set with cold, gray walls.
The staging of the characters and the choral movements offered little dramatic tension, and emotion was virtually absent. Even the orchestra, an excellent Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Valery Gergiev, couldn't really bring tension, vitality and warmth into this sterile environment. The cast nonetheless featured committed singers with fine voices who knew how to sing Verdi. The character who made the strongest impression was René Pape's Fiesco, a proud man, wounded father and formidable adversary with an authoritative voice, sonorous and expressive. Luca Salsi brought humanity and vulnerability but also authority to Simon with his homogeneous, warm-toned baritone. Marina Rebeka was a lovesick and devoted Amelia who especially convinced in the most dramatic moments but encountered some difficulties in her entrance aria "Come in quest'ora bruna". Gabriele Adorno had the impetuosity of Charles Castronovo with a supple tenor. André Heyboer lent his somewhat rough voice to Paolo and Antonio Di Matteo delivered a solid Pietro. The choirs of the Vienna State Opera performed as desired. Salzburg Festival 2019
- WHATKlassiek-Centraal.be » explores the world of myths reactions feed
