**** (out of five)
Reviewed by James
Karas
Any opera company
that dares to produce Tristan und Isolde had better be
armed with heavy vocal, orchestral and artistic artillery to match operatically
what the Prussian army could do militarily. Not to mention a bank account that
may surpass the budget of some small countries. Companies like that can be
numbered on one hand with New York’s Metropolitan Opera being at the front of
the line.
The new production of
Tristan und Isolde, conducted by Sir
Simon Rattle and directed by Mariusz Treliński, is bold, innovative and
brilliant. The three critical components of the opera are delivered by the top
tier talents in the industry. Sir Simon Rattle, the out-going conductor of the
Berlin Philharmonic and the Met orchestra gave a stellar performance of
Wagner’s complex and lengthy score.
Stuart Skelton as Tristan in Wagner's
Tristan und Isolde. Photo by Ken Howard/ Metropolitan Opera.
Soprano Nina Stemme
is at the top of the rarified field of Wagnerian singers. As Isolde she
displayed vocal power, immense stamina and variation of tone for the gamut of
emotions that the captured Irish princess expresses as she is being transported
by Tristan, the man who killed her betrothed and whose life she saved. Wagner
piles up vocal and emotional demands that only the best singers can tackle and
Stemme is clearly one of the best.
Tenor Stuart Skelton is
relatively new to the role of Tristan but he has the full vocal prowess and
control that it demands. His Tristan is a modern naval officer who falls in
love with Isolde, the woman that he is bringing to marry King Marke, the man
who has appointed him as his heir. The troubled Tristan has another side, at
least in this production: he kills Isolde’s betrothed Morold with his pistol at
point blank range while the victim is blind-folded and tied up. That qualifies
as a war crime. A great performance by
Skelton.
Mezzo soprano
Ekaterina Gubanova sings Brangäne, Isolde’s faithful and sympathetic servant.
Gubanova holds her own and gives a first-rate performance in the role. Bass
René Pape sings the role of the troubled and betrayed King Marke, the man who gave
everything to Tristan but was betrayed by him. Pape has a resonant bass voice
that emanates his decency pain and generosity as Marke.
What gives the
production perhaps an even greater “wow” review is the production values
brought by Treliński with Set Designer Boris Kudlička, Lighting Designer Marc
Heinz and Projection Designer Bartek Macias.
Nina Stemme as Isolde in Wagner's Tristan und
Isolde. Photo by Ken Howard/ Metropolitan Opera.
What we see first is
a radar screen and then a modern battleship navigating a raging ocean (and a
perfect image of the raging emotional turmoil of the main characters). Images
of the radar screen, the violent waves and the battleship will recur regularly
throughout the five-hour performance. The dominant colour is gray.
The characters wear
modern clothes. Tristan and Marke are in naval officers’ uniforms. The sailors
with the black berets could pass for commandos. They engage in pretty egregious
sexual harassment of Brangäne and it may be a directorial whim that we could have
done without. Brangäne is dressed tastefully and attractively, whereas Isolde in black slacks and a coat looks like
a suburban mother who threw something on so she can take the children to school
on time. Both Tristan and Isolde smoke making them, I suppose, just ordinary
mortals who will eventually shed their normality and mortality in love/death.
The stage is divided
into a number of sections for the scenes on board the ship. We see Isolde in
her suite on the ship which alternates with the iron stairs leading to
different decks as well as the helm.
The second act takes
place in the hull of the ship where barrels full of explosives are stored. The
final scene in Tristan’s castle looks like a hospital room where the hero
recalls his past as he dreams or imagines Isolde arriving. In his coma, he sees
much more that adds to the brilliant interpretation by Treliński.
The lovers beat death
with death. All was caused by the love potion. In death there is
reconciliation, redemption and apotheosis through the power of love and
Wagner’s music.
Where did the five
hours go?
____
Tristan und
Isolde by Richard Wagner
was transmitted Live in HD
form the Metropolitan Opera on October 8, 2016 at the Cineplex VIP Cinema, Don Mills Shops, Toronto and other theatres across Canada. It will be shown again in select theatres on
November 12, 14 and 16, 2016. For more information: www.cineplex.com/events
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