The Opera Tattler

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Siegfried at the Bayreuther Festpiele


Siegfried-2013 * Notes * 
A second performance of the new Siegfried at Bayreuth was held on Saturday. It seems that Frank Castorf put more time into this opera than the previous two of Der Ring des Nibulungen, and the results are unfortunate. The action is set at Bahnhof Alexanderplatz in Berlin and an alternate version of Mount Rushmore with depictions of Marx, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao. These settings are very specific, so using them to represent different scenes is problematic. On the positive side, the projections are fairly subdued. Showing backstage before Erda’s entrance is engaging and less irrelevant than much of what we have seen in previously.

None of the characters seem to act in human ways, their movements are rarely motivated by anything in the libretto or on the stage. More than one of the singers climbs the stage right stairs to touch Marx’s mustache. The staging is also very noisy, Siegfried throws lawn furniture and books, Mime cuts carrots as loudly as possible. The worst part is when Siegfried shoots Fafner with a machine gun. This Siegfried is a brutish, violent lout, so it is hard to see why the showgirl Waldvogel is so taken with him, much less Brünnhilde.

Kirill Petrenko continues to conduct the orchestra with a translucency and lightness. The harps sound particularly gorgeous. The horn solo in Act II was strangely vulnerable. The balance between orchestra and singers remained fine.

Mirella Hagen is a charming Waldvogel, gamely flitting about the stage in her clumsily enormous costume. Her voice is markedly bird-like. She is inexplicably eaten by a crocodile at the end of the opera. Nadine Weissmann (Erda) sounded unearthly. Sorin Coliban threatened as Fafner. Martin Winkler’s Alberich has a differentiated sound from Wolfgang Koch’s Der Wanderer. Koch sang with mastery and beauty. Burkhard Ulrich sounded bright as Mime, his German was particularly easy to understand. As Brünnhilde, Catherine Foster floated her opening notes hailing the sun, light, and day. Lance Ryan (Siegfried) was inconsistent and not terribly secure. He did sing the line “So starb meine Mutter an mir?” with particular tenderness.

* Tattling * 
There was strong booing for the production at the end of each act and when the principals took a bow on the set after the opera.

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3 responses to “Siegfried at the Bayreuther Festpiele”

  1. Dave R. Avatar
    Dave R.

    The thing I didn’t get about Bayreuth was whether the audience stomped on the floor boards after each act because they liked what they saw or because their feet had fallen asleep. The other thing I didn’t get was how it was possible that my wife and I were the only ones sweating up a storm and fidgeting in the uncomfortable seats, even with pads. Everyone else seemed to be comfortable. Is this some kind of German self-torture test?
    I’m surprised you haven’t commented on your table-mates at intermission. They were among the highlights when we were there. A woman in traditional dress and her husband had been given a pair of tickets and had no idea of the significance of where they were. Another table-mate, a 60ish German man, explained to me with a straight face that the U.S. was responsible for every war over the past 200 years.
    Bayreuth is quite a scene. Hope you’re enjoying it.

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  2. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    I think the stomping is a positive indication. It is sort of crazy that all those people can tolerate all the heat and discomfort, isn’t it? I did notice a few Germans being very quietly uncomfortable though. You are right, they somehow manage not to fidget.
    Our table-mates for this evening were from Vienna. They hated the production and were very concerned about the NSA. They told us we should go to the Salzburger Festspiele next time.
    Bayreuth really is an experience, and I was surprised how quickly it went!

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  3. Dave R. Avatar
    Dave R.

    Yes, it is crazy that so many people not only endure it but come back year after year. But Bayreuth is wonderful despite the heat and discomfort of the seats. The sound is marvelous, like nowhere else I’ve heard.
    I’m sure you’ve been to Salzburg, but I did Bayreuth last summer, Salzburg this summer, and there’s no comparison. The acoustics in Bayreuth are a 100 times better than in the two main houses in Salzburg, but that’s only the beginning of Bayreuth’s overall superiorty if you love music. When you’re in Bayreuth, you’re surrounded by people who (mostly) love Wagner and music. In Salzburg (I saw Meistersinger and Gawain plus a few concerts), I felt as if I was at a social event. Obviously, Salzburg is much more comfortable with padded seats and (some)air conditioning, but for me, if I had a choice between going back to one of the two places, it would be Bayreuth in a second.
    Did you visit Klaus at the little beer garden halfway down the hill from the Festpielhaus? I think it’s on Tristanstrasse. He’s a trip, but he serves good beer and food. Doesn’t everyone in Bayreuth?

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