giovedì 13 febbraio 2014

Bold and Daring in Music and Vision 15 Gennaio



Bold and Daring

A new production of Wagner's 'Parsifal',
reviewed by GIUSEPPE PENNISI


When Brussels' Théâtre de la Monnaie decided to produce a new Parsifal for the Wagner bicentenary, its management had a bold and daring idea. Because, in 1882, Ein Bühnenweihfestspiel ('A Festival Play for the Consecration of the Stage') -- as Wagner called the opera -- was seen as the utmost of musical avant garde, it was decided to entrust the staging of the opera to Romeo Castellucci who had made a reputation for himself as top experimental theatre director in Italy, France and many other countries. The Brussels opera house took a calculated risk because Castellucci also had the reputation, rightly or wrongly, of being a fiercely anti-clerical atheist. Thus, prima facie, he was not necessarily suited to fully appreciate the religious and philosophical implications, and intricacies, of Ein Bühnenweihfestspiel. The production had its debut in Brussels. Now, it is in Bologna, where I attended the 11 January 2014 preview. The cast has not significantly changed. However, in Brusssels the conductor was Hartmut Haenchen, a German well accustomed to Wagner's work and following the school of thought that makes the tempos faster than the composer had in mind.

Anna Larsson as Kundy in Act I of Wagner's 'Parsifal'. Photo © 2014 Rocco Casaluci. Click on the image for higher resolution
In Bologna, the conductor is Roberto Abbado, making his debut with this complex score. Abbado follows Engelbert Humperdinck's notebook very closely as he was Wagner's assistant during the preparation of the 1882 Bayreuth world premiere and carefully kept track of the composer's desires. For instance, the first act lasts exactly a hour and forty five minutes (as in Bayreuth in 1882) and not two hours as in most live performances or recordings, with the exception of that conducted by Boulez which barely reaches an hour and thirty five minutes. In addition, Abbado is well versed in conducting Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini. Thus the production acquires an Italian 'bel canto' flavor, also because the protagonist, Andrew Richards, is a slender lyric tenor with clear timbre and a generous volume, not the usual oversized heldentenor with a register bordering that of a baritone.

Andrew Richards in the title role of Wagner's 'Parsifal' (Act I). Photo © 2014 Rocco Casaluci. Click on the image for higher resolution
Before dealing with the musical aspects, the dramatic features of the production need to be summarized. No one would expect Castellucci to set Parsifal in a cardboard Middle Ages setting. Neither is the action brought forward to present times as in the staging at London's Royal Opera House (Stephen Langridge) or in Stuttgart (Calixto Bieito). The first act is in a primordial forest with lush trees and full of animals, the second in a modernist palace at the beginning of the twentieth century, and the third in an empty stage with, in the final moments, the painted plan of a contemporary town as backdrop. Gradually all the population of the town fills the stage and in the last half a hour, they march slowly towards redemption. At the very end, the protagonist, now a priest and the king of the Grail territory, is left alone on the stage whilst off the set a voice reminds the full congregation (singers, choruses, extras, orchestra and, of course, the audience) that, through Redemption, human beings and God Almighty will join each other. Thus, Wagner's key concept remains central to Castellucci's staging, ie the need to have full awareness of what sin is, in order to acquire the empathy to help himself and others and be able to take the path toward redemption.

Andrew Richards in the title role of Wagner's 'Parsifal' (Act II). Photo © 2014 Rocco Casaluci. Click on the image for higher resolution
There are some excellent points in Castellucci's staging. For instance, in the first act, the celebration of Holy Communion (always difficult to present in a theatre) is behind a white curtain whilst the choruses are set in some of the boxes and in the upper tier to provide stereophonic effects and enrapture the audience. In the second act, however, some of Castellucci's details require a very deep knowledge of the libretto (as well as of its philosophical and religious underpinnings) and others are excessively sexually explicit. True enough, to go toward Redemption, sin must be known, but there is no need to show it at its most shocking.

Anna Larsson as Kundy in Act II of Wagner's 'Parsifal'. Photo © 2014 Rocco Casaluci. Click on the image for higher resolution
On balance, however, the bold idea proved to be brilliant as, after the Brussels debut of the production, well-respected American reviewer Michael Milensky wrote 'the pit won after all, Wagner's magnetic score received a magnificent reading'. In Bologna, as already said, it had a more Italian touch than in the Belgian capital. To many in the audience, a real discovery was the young American tenor Andrew Richards. In Brussels, his debut in Parsifal was a coup de théâtre in itself. In Bologna, he was a Parsifal of pure innocence in the first act and grew gradually in mature awareness thereafter. Almost to juxtapose Richard's clear timbre, Anna Larsson was Kundry, not a dramatic soprano but an excellent 'alto'. This made their second act match even more tense, vocally as well as visually. In the rest of the cast, Gábor Bretz, Detlef Roth and Lucio Gallo are all veterans in their roles. The choruses deserve special praise, as the Teatro Comunale chorus was strengthened by a local children's chorus.

Detlef Roth as Amfortas in Act I of Wagner's 'Parsifal'. Photo © 2014 Rocco Casaluci. Click on the image for higher resolution
The preview audience applauded warmly, but what reception the more conservative regular subscribers give the production remains to be seen.
Copyright © 15 January 2014 Giuseppe Pennisi,
Rome, Italy

Nessun commento: