As the year of Wagner’s bicentennial approaches its end, De Nederlandse Opera concludes its latest revival of Pierre Audi’s Ring cycle with his 1998 production of Götterdämmerung.
Visually, it is a very impressive production. The unique set, conceived by George Tsypin, is a colossal half-cylindrical construction of steel and wood, with a rectangular stone beam hanging in mid-air. The stage’s glass floor extends forward, at the front of the proscenium, into a half-circular wooden walkway that surrounds the orchestra, which sits on the stage, visible to the public. Throughout the performance, soloists take position at the edge of this walkway that brings them in front of the orchestra, and almost within reach of the audience of the front rows. They wear costumes designed by Eiko Ishioka, whose clean lines fit the minimalist staging.
The lighting by Wolfgang Göbbel and Cor van den Brink brings this atemporal and abstract set to life, transforming the stage to suggest, more than represent, various locations, scene after scene: Brünnhilde’s rock at dawn, the brightly lit hall of the Gibichungs, the deep waters of the Rhine, or Valhalla in flames. Whilst the staging is suggestive and leaves a lot up to the viewer’s own fantasy, the overall effect is always spectacular and the occasionally very close interaction of singers with the audience makes it an unusually intimate musical theatre experience.
Placed literally at the centre of the stage, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Hartmut Haenchen (a part of this Ring since 1997), played beautifully, with sounds almost transparent even in the loudest outburst. They deservedly received loud applause from the audience at the end of the performance. Despite the famous length of the opera, I found the conductor sustained the dramatic tension throughout, so that time seemed to pass quickly.
Stephen Gould, as the hero Siegfried, compensated unsubtle acting and a somewhat clumsy stage presence with unflagging, powerful singing throughout the performance. And it isn’t difficult to understand why Catherine Foster has become a much sought-after Brünnhilde in opera houses around Europe. Her voice is well-projected with beautiful high notes that easily cut through the orchestra. I found that she was at her best in Act II, when Brünnhilde discovers her lover’s deceit, and in her final immolation scene. It is, however, Kurt Rydl’s vicious and menacing Hagen that made the biggest impression. The veteran bass seemed to totally inhabit his Machiavellian, dangerous character, and gave a truly compelling performance. His voice might sometimes uncover too slow a vibrato when pressured, but as he stood at the edge of the stage with his neurotic gaze fixed onto the audience, he truly made one’s blood run cold.