February, 2006 - Nr. 2
Götterdämmerung
by Lucille de Saint-Andre
The last of Richard Wagner’s four-cycle œuvre, Götterdämmerung, a soap opera (with two intermissions) of 5 ½ hours of love, greed, betrayal and vengeance which culminate in mortal and divine apocalypse, was offered opera aficionados at the Toronto Hummingbird Centre premiere in late January.
The Canadian Opera Company sofar produced two of the operas, "Die Walküre" and "Siegfried", during its past two seasons and will open its new home at Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto’s long awaited opera house, in September with an ambitious repeat of the entire "Ring" des Nibelungen Cycle, including the not yet seen "Das Rheingold".
Based on early myths of Norse sagas and later on German mythology, such as "Das Niebelungen Lied", Wagner’s convoluted cycle plot deals with the fate of gods and men, and their conflicts on Earth and in Valhalla. Their weaknesses and strengths are tested and found wanting, bringing about the collapse of an entire value system and, hopefully, a better future for this world.
![ltr: Guang Yang as the Second Norn, Brigit Beckherrn as the Third Norn and Mette Ejsing as the First Norn [photo: Michael Cooper]](602c-Lucille-210.jpg)
It
opens on a dark stage with the Norns (Guang Yang, Mette Ejsing and Birgit
Beckherrn) spinning their ropes of fate and features: The Valkyrie
Brünnhilde’s love for her hero, Siegfried, who rides through the flames to
awaken her to mortal love, only to betray her through the evil Hagen’s
trickery. It’s all about the magic Rheingold ring, a prize of power stolen
from the Rheinmaidens. Siegfried won it in battle but it comes with a curse.
Hagen wants it and tricks Siegfried into drinking a love-potion administered
by his half sister Gutrune. A descendant, through his father, Alberich, the
Nibelung of a race; which practiced the black art, Hagen, of the house of
the Gibichungs, wants Gutrune to marry
![Christian Franz as Siegfried & Frances Ginzer as Brünhilde [photo: Michael Cooper]](602c-Lucille-062.jpg)
Siegfried
and her brother Gunther to marry Brünnhilde. To make sure the plot works
Hagen kills Siegfried. But first the unwary hero drinks the potion, forgets
Brünnhilde, marries Gutrune and helps her brother Gunther marry Brünnhilde.
Swearing revenge, Brünnhilde helps Hagen kill Siegfried. Dying, Siegfried
realizes what he’s done. Brünnhilde rides into his funeral pyre (although we
never see a horse) and as the Rhinedaughters take back their ring the curse
is lifted. Too late. Valhalla is set aflame, the old world of gods and men
![Frances Ginzer as Brünnhilde (lying down) and John Fanning as Gunther [photo: Michael Cooper]](602c-Lucille-391.jpg)
passes
and we’re faced with a new world of only men. Is it an improvement?
The COC’s ambitious undertaking is much admired in opera circles. Deservedly so. The hardworking orchestra got large ovations and delivered a wonderfully deep and consistent score under the baton of COC general director Richard Bradshaw. In spots it gave me goose bumps. The voices of the singers were excellent and easily filled the Hummingbird, reaching out to a spellbound and very attentive audience. German Heldentenor Christian Franz, his voice recognized as a great Siegfried, showed real dramatic depth although personally I like tenors looking more like Placido Domingo. Canadian soprano Frances Ginzer was a powerful Brünnhilde, especially in the second act confrontation with Siegfried. Young Canadian soprano Joni Henson overcame Gutrune’s limited dramatic opportunities with her lustrous voice and soprano Guang Yang’s Waltraute’s was most eloquent. Baritone John Fanning as Gunther looked tall and handsome and passive as required. Richard Paul Fink as Alberich shone in a brief scene. But Swedish bass Mats Algren’s wily and agile Hagen was wonderful to behold as he hopped up and down the platform, calling the Gibichung warriors together in his powerful voice.
The sets are post-modern, sparse and dark, with splashes of red, very much from our own world.
In Bayreuth after WWII there was an outcry when Wagner’s grandson Wieland moved from the tradition of spears, armor and battle gear to modern sets and dress. Hailed a genius, Wieland fought bitterly with his younger brother, Wolfgang, who preferred tradition. Production designer Michael Levine’s sets are a natural evolution of this trend and forecast doom and blood with red flashes (and a red computer) and a type of Enron boardroom filled with Gibichung vassals in grey business suits and ties, sometimes doffing their jackets, only to retrieve them and obediently occupying the proffered metal chairs to watch the spectacle of confrontations and ceremonies.
Tim Albery’s direction succeeded particularly in the conclusion of act II and the encounter of Siegfried with the teasing and sexy Rhinemaidens of Laura Whalen, Colleen Skull, and Allyson McHardy.
The Ring Cycle, as George Bernard Shaw saw it, represented early capitalism of the 19th century. According to Levine, Wagner, when he was writing the Ring cycle, was under the influence of the anarchist movement which at the time, he explains, "— was a response to the beginning of the industrial revolution — in a way, a desire to turn back time or stop it in its tracks." Nevertheless, Wagner’s patron, the eccentric King Ludwig II of Bavaria, a dreamer who built fairy castles and supported musicians, made possible through his generous patronage the enormous œuvre that is Wagner’s Ring. Levine, in a 2003 interview, speaking of Wagner, said, "He wrote the entire libretto in 1837 - - - - but he didn’t finish the complete work until years later. His music becomes much larger and by the time we reach Götterdämmerung we’re in a much more sensual, elaborate musical landscape than we were in Das Rheingold."
The last act conflagration of Götterdämmerung was not shown in hot flames but soft, pinkish lighting, designed by David Finn, gently enveloping funeral pyre, men and Valhalla.
We look forward to the complete Cycle this September.
