Tristan und Isolde - Nationaltheater Munich, 27 July 2011
A superbly-executed Festspiele performance of one of Munich's great productions. Covent Garden's older Wagner efforts are so embarrassing they're practically unrevivable. But thanks to Peter Konwitschny, the Bavarian State Opera has several that can be reliably resuscitated year after year, each time gripping/fascinating/provoking a new audience.
He came back to personally direct the latest iteration of his Tristan und Isolde, first seen more than ten years ago. Taking clues from the music, he radically rethinks the opera, substituting joy for pessimism and redrawing its trajectory on a more human scale. It becomes a celebration of love. Whether this is WWW (What Wagner Wanted) is debatable, but then so is benchmarking an evening out against WWW in the first place, so I'll defer.
In Konwitschny's conception, Tristan and Isolde have already fallen in love, the love/death potion is never consumed, and King Marke is compassionate and forgiving from the start. Most of the opera takes place on a naively-crafted smaller replica of the Nationaltheater stage. By stepping out on to the real stage the lovers enter their own private world.
Only the final act takes place in a real-looking space, a bare and dirty room. The first act's cruise ship setting is built from crude flats, and the second act's forest looks as if it was painted by small children.
Music is never relegated to mere accompaniment or decoration - every second becomes a part the story. The Sailor taunts Isolde with his song, the cor anglais players (two of them) come on stage, the pied pipers of death, and try to lure Tristan away with them. The narrative becomes believable because nothing is intrusive or improbable.
Kent Nagano complemented Konwitschny's with his clean and unsentimental reading, sparing in its moments of passion.
And what a fabulous cast! Ben Heppner occasionally sounded tight or wobbly, and even swallowed a couple of notes in the second act. But amazingly, he got better as the night went on, and finished heroically. In a perverse way his vocal difficulties helped lend his character a sympathetic quality. What makes him the best Tristan out there is not the vocal quality though, it's the way he seems to understand and believe in every word he sings. That is now becoming true of Nina Stemme too. I've often found her cold in the past, but this time she was singing to, not at, the audience. She hit a couple of dangerously thin top notes (straight after Heppner's bottling, which perhaps unnerved her) but for the most part her full, gleaming tone was intact.
René Pape's King Marke was as close to perfect as it gets. The velvety tone, the crisp yet unmannered diction, the liquid line all fed into a purposeful yet compassionate characterisation, magisterial in its self-containment. All the singers were roundly applauded, but the foot-stomping and the sheer volume of Pape's ovation beat anything I've witnessed in Munich.
Ekaterina Gubanova's Brangäne and Alan Held's Kurwenal were excellent too, as were most of the rest of the cast. I somehow doubt if Bayreuth's Tristan, opening tomorrow, could beat this.
Act 1 (with a previous cast):
Act 2:
What a cast! I wish I could see this production!
Posted by: Mags | 29 July 2011 at 01:16 PM
That's very good news about Heppner - he still seemed to be going through vocal hell in Peter Grimes, as well as in his Covent Garden Tristan. "Occasionally sounded tight or wobbly" is tremendous progress! It shows things can get better.
I'm pretty jealous of you. I've still never seen a Konwitschny production live, but I enjoyed his schoolroom Lohengrin on DVD. I'd like to have seen the Meistersinger that comes to a halt in the 3rd Act so they can discuss German history...
Posted by: Giuseppe W | 29 July 2011 at 02:25 PM
I love going to the opera in Munich. And they still do curtain calls after each act. Proper-like, unlike Covent Garden these days. Sigh.
Posted by: Justin Chapman | 31 July 2011 at 10:01 AM
Oh, and I meant to say having listened to some of the relays from Bayreuth this year that you can hear and see better Wagner performances in Munich and London these days. The Royal Opera's Tannhauser was infinitely better played and sung, as was ENO's Parsifal than either of this year's offerings from the 'Green Hill', so what's the point of waiting 50 years for a ticket to see something that is probably of the standard you'd get in Mannheim (no offence to anyone from Mannheim)?
Posted by: Justin Chapman | 31 July 2011 at 10:04 AM
Theorin's Isolde is not to be sniffed at, Intermezzo. Her voice may be less reliable than Stemme's but it has a brilliant edge which occasionally reminds me of Nilsson (whom I didn't hear sing Isolde, in the flesh but I did see her as Elektra and Fidelio). I think we are lucky that two such fine interpreters of the role are singing at the same time.
What a treat it must have been to hear Pape's Marke. I wish we got him in Wagner occasionally at Covent Garden. When was the last time? Lohengrin in 2003? At least he's here for Mephisto in September.
Posted by: Nikolaus Vogel | 01 August 2011 at 10:42 AM
Having gone to last Sunday's Tristan, I definitely agree with you on Nina as the best Isolde we have today, and OMG gorgeous Rene Pape!!!! The public just didn't want to let the artists leave for a well deserved rest...we clapped for another 20 mins until Rene begged us to go home :-))!
But unfortunately I cannot share the public's enthusiasm with Ben Heppner. Yes, he acted well, and his phrasing was sensitive and full of emotions, but there were cracking spots in Act II, and in Act III he was really struggling. Unless that is part of the plan?! Interestingly he and Nina also derailed in Act II's duet...who's to blame? Too Late Einsatz from the conductor (way too bland for me)? Nina and Ben had to resort to the prompter for help. More about Kent Nagano's conducting later.
Coming to this Tristan after revisiting Markthaler's production in Bayreuth, which is no Publikumsliebling (two people were selling tickets at HALF price just right before the start), and expecting to be more inspired, this Peter Konwitschny production certainly wasn't "gripping/fascinating/provoking", according to Intermezzo. I really hated these kitchy and bright postcard card background colours, but the bright yellow sofa with big pink roses really during Act II really killed it for me!!! Why why why???
The Personenregie is even worse!!! Why did Brangäne ignore her Herrin's anger and desperation in Act I by reading a trashy tabloid magazine and looking at herself in a pocket mirror, while lying on the yellow striped sun lounger? Totally NOT Bragäne. So much self absorbed vanity from the most trusted, truthful maid? Hummm?? Her appearing on stage (instead of off stage, as in Markthaler's), lightening more candles, and Tristan and Isolde eyeing her every move instead them being oblivious to everything else, totally destroyed the "absorption with each other" lovers' scene. Then she was made to climb very clumsily over the rather high window in Act III, instead of just through the door which was already broken open by König Marke's entourage.
But making Tristan, Isolde and König Marke sitting tightly next to each other, holding hands, on this horrendous bright yellow with pink roses sofa, right after this GORGEOUSLY heart wrenchingly sung lament from Rene Pape, is just plain Dumm!!! Sure, you can say König Marke was forgiving right from the start, but where is his deep pain? The hurt? The cruel betrayal?
Act III had the two cor anglais players on stage (albeit on the dark "other" side") playing way too slowly and mellow, instead of edgily and offstage to reflect Tristan's anguish and suffering. Then they walk slowly toward Tristan, one offers the cor anglais to Tristan, who takes it and returns it. I find it very intrusive and totally improbable, as Tristan is trying fervently to fight off death! All that keeps him still breathing is by clenching to the slim hope of seeing Isolde one last time! Is this due to Nagano's conducting or the Regie, or both?! Ach oh Wehe!
Altogether this Peter Konwitschny production lacks the mystery, the anguish and the sublime for me. Nagano's reading of Tristan was too bland and felt very heavy and slow (although time-wise it wasn't). Thankfully Nina, Ben (disregarding the weak spots), Ekaterina and Rene were SOOOO superb!
Back to Bayreuth, yes, it's DEFINITELY worth waiting for as long as you need to. For its unique acoustics, for its total darkening of the audience, for the magical moment when the music just rises mysteriously and hauntingly from the Orchestra Graben, for its fantastic and always reliable chorus, for its mostly dedicated musicians, for its total obsession with and possession by Wagner!
Markthaler's production and Personenregie make much more sense to me than Peter Konwitschny's. It transmitted much more Isolde's anger, Brangäne's tender loving and obedient care, Tristan's anguished Sehnsucht, and Kurwenal's dogged unwavering loyalty. König Marke's static and staid portrayal was a tad disappointing.
Peter Schneider may be getting on in age, but the orchestra was lush, dynamic and sublime under his baton.
The singers in Bayreuth were vocally very good, and acting-wise coherent on 29.7.2011. Irene Theorin's portrayal was much more edgy, angry and aggressive in the first act, dreamy and lyrical in the second, then transcendent, resigning in the third, before finishing off radiantly, as to look forward to be reunited with Tristan on the other side. Yes, her voice is not as "rounded and smooth like a vintage red wine" of Nina Stemme, but she soars and sustains powerfully with ease over the orchestra, and projects a more energetic Isolde. Robert Dean Smith painted a much more anguished portrait, with some very moving moments, especially in the third act. In Act II he had to fight the lowered ceiling of the production, which very unfortunately projected and expanded the orchestra out of its normally well-balanced acoustics. Markthaler overlooked this important detail. Michelle Breedt was a most touching Bragäne, lovingly fussing over Isolde and watching over her Herrin like a hawk (putting thick glasses on to make sure, such a sweet gesture). Jukka Rasileinen was a more loyal and truthful Kurwenal. Robert Holl is still very capable, but of course everyone else pales next to OMG Rene Pape's lusciously smothering, melting dark chocolatey, smooth and noble König Marke.
Posted by: Brainpack | 02 August 2011 at 08:40 AM
To Brainpack
Having seen the August 27 performance, I can't but totally agree with your comments. Of all Tristan I have seen, this was certainly the less interesting one and aside from Stemme, Pape and Gubanova there was no reason AT ALL to go to Munich.
First act Club Med, Second act Ikea and third act Emmaus don't justify Intermezzo dithyrambic words. It was staged with bits and pieces and at no time could we see any true singer supervision; they did whatever they thought may be nice or appropriate but being not led in any direction they didn't succeed at creating an atmosphere, good or bad; it must be said that Heppner is so clumsy that anyway... Some people on that evening would have probably shared the present comment because applause at the end of 3rd act was merely polite one and some boos could definitively be heard.
Posted by: Jacques Bermond | 02 August 2011 at 07:30 PM
@Justin Chapman
It sounds like you've never been to Bayreuth, and therefore, is judging the whole Wagner experience based on broadcasts! Same with Munich.
Get thee to Bayreuth first, then criticise to your heart's content. It doesn't work the other way around.
Posted by: sub opera | 03 August 2011 at 02:17 PM
Saw this marvellous production a few weeks after seeing Grange Park's new Tristan. Was surprised there seemed to be some remarkable similarities, for example: in Act II Tristan and Isolde sitting either side of Marke, each holding a hand; in Act III Tristan's fisherman's hut, the flashbacks to Tristan's earlier life, Tristan 'coming back to life' after Isolde's arrival, the Liebestod in front of the curtain, and the final cameo of Marke and Brangaene attending the lovers' funeral, white coffins and all.
Too many similarities to be a coincidence?
Posted by: Beobath | 28 August 2011 at 12:31 PM