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Opera Today, 11 Jul 2018 |
Anne Ozorio |
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Wagner: Parsifal, Bayerische Staatsoper, ab 28. Juni 2018 |
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Vintage Audi — Parsifal, Kaufmann, Pape
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From the Bayerisches Staatsoper Munich, Wagner Parsifal with a dream cast - René Pape, Jonas Kaufmann and Nina Stemme, Christian Gerhaher and Wolfgang Koch, conducted by Kirill Petrenko, directed by Pierre Audi. The production is vintage Audi - stylized, austere, but solidly thought-through. |
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Audi, veteran of decades on the cutting edge of music theatre, knows what
he's doing, even if what he does isn't flashy. So darkness and desolation
greeted us on the stage. The Grail community is in trouble, desiccated like
the skeleton in the corner beneath which Kundry shelters, a wild, lonely
outcast. Audi's focus on the main characters focuses attention on what they
are singing about. Just as in Greek tragedy, there's little need for fancy
decoration. In an opera like Parsifal austerity is no bad thing, abstraction
will suffice. This also means more room for the music itself which is hardly
a minor distraction. In many ways it is the whole point of the drama,
greater than the stars or scenery. Without the music there'd be no opera !
René Pape is cloaked in black, Amfortas (Christian Gehaher) in white,
with Kundry (Nina Stemme) in black/red moiré. Lest we get caught up, too
soon in simplicity, Pape and Stemme remove their "armour". (Lucky for them
in this blistering heat) So when the "Innocent Fool" Parsifal arrives (Jonas
Kaufmann), he's wearing a bizarre breastplate. Minor detail but don't
dismiss it yet. The Grail Knights are in heavy armour. But for what purpose
? In their fortress they have no enemies to fight but themselves. The
orchestra wells up, magnificently, Parsifal bells booming. Of course
Parsifal is impressed. But the children's choir sing of sacrifice. What is
this blood ritual that's re-enacted without question ? Amfortas is suffering
but the knights look on, but then remove their cloaks to reveal body suits.
Of course they're not "beautiful". It's easy to judge a production by
shocking images but what really matters is to figure out why. Under their
armour, they are human, capable of compassion. Though ugly, they are
redeemable. Compassion is a greater gift than conventional beauty. As
Parsifal wanders off, deep in thought, we should be thinking, too.
The realm of Klingsor (Wolfgang Koch) is depicted through images of dead
bodies, hanging upside down. Again, simple but effective. The Flower Maidens
are seen in fat suits Like the dead men, they are Klingsor's victims,
creatures of his sick mind, created to trap and deceive. If we judge them on
surface appearances we are buying into his game, treating women as objects
to be consumed by men. Besides, listen to their voices - seriously good
casting here - Tara Erraught among them. There is a lot of misogyny in
Parsifal, such as the Knight's mistreatment of Kundry, which needs to be
addressed because abuse is the opposite of compassion. Part of the reason
the Grail community is in trouble is its dismissal of women and the
principles they represent. Kundry, after all, "never lies" as Gurnemanz
tells us right out, though the Knights malign her. Though she's controlled
by Klingsor, she's the vehicle through which Parsifal connects to his mother
and awakens his conscience. In this act, Stemme (as Kundry) looks lovely in
evening gown and blonde wig, but her lines are forcefully delivered. She's
too real to do mock-temptress. And so the walls of Klingsor's kingdom are
rent apart, his victory denied. Kundry reveals how she was cursed : I liked
the personality in Stemme's performance. And thus Parsifal's self-discovery,
Kaufmann's voice swelling with magnificent resolution.
"Hier bist du
an geweihtem Ort:da zieht man nicht mit Waffen her, geschloss'nen Helmes,
Schild und Speer.". Mark those words from Gurnemanz. They explain a lot.
Parsifal creeps back to the Grail Community garbed in strange armour but
disrobes, handing the spear - a neat, elegant cross, not a weapon. Instead
of violence, bigotry and obsession with outward appearance, redemption comes
through kindness. The steel in Kaufmann's voice gleams, evoking the inner
strength Parsifal has learned from years of wandering and searching. Pape
and Kaufmann can do no wrong in this performance, they pretty much steal the
show. As Parsifal baptises Kundry, the stage lights up : utter simplicity
and purity, "Wie dünkt mich doch die Aue heut so schön!". The textures in
the orchestra open out, with clarity and ineffable sweetness. Kaufmann's
timbre became infused with tenderness. . Meanwhile the Knights are back
in their formal black armour intoning their ritual dirge. Like Amfortas,
they're still acting out guilt, blood sacrifice and immutable agony.
Christian Gerhaher sings a good enough Amfortas though somewhat
one-dimensional. Amfortas carries baggage, he's ridden with conflicts and
should ideally be characterised with more engagement. This is a pity since
Audi's clear, unfussy staging puts so much emphasis on the part.
Mission accomplished, Kaufmann stands with the chorus, one among equals and
prays - not with this hands together but over his eyes. Durch Mitglied
wissend, empathy, kindness. Don't judge people by surface appearances but by
what they might be inside. And above all, the need to rise above self for
higher purposes. An excellent ending : the focus shifting from the mortals
on stage to an abstract depiction of light, more spiritual than specific.
This reflects Wagner's stage direction "Lichtstrahl: hellstes Erglühen des
Grales". So we don't see a literal dove flying around, but the meaning is
clear. The orchestra has the last word, so to speak : we are in the presence
of the sublime.
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