Germany Bayreuth Competition 2024 [1] – Wagner, Tristan und Isolde: Soloists, Bayreuth Competition Refrain and Orchestra / Semyon Bychkov (conductor). Recorded stay (directed by Michael Beyer) on the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, 25.7.2024. (JP)
Forgive a visit down reminiscence lane however I first went to Bayreuth virtually – however not fairly – 4 a long time in the past and a spotlight of these early idyllic days weren’t solely the operas however the interval suppers with Wolfgang and Gudrun Wagner, household (together with latterly a younger Katharina) and different buddies. My visits had been more and more frequent till the world shut down due to the pandemic. That and the sooner heightened safety for numerous causes in 2016, in addition to tempus fugit means my time standing atop the Inexperienced Hill is changing into a distant reminiscence. Fortunately I can nonetheless be in contact with new productions by these livestreams from STAGE+.
Why look again? Effectively, one characteristic of my first visits to Bayreuth was how unforgiving the audiences had been to singers giving lower than stellar performances. Booing – and I’m not advocating anyone needs to be ‘booed’ ever – is now principally restricted to the manufacturing staff on the primary evening of something new. Whereas it appears probably the most unsatisfactory of musical performances as of late raises the roof of the Festspielhaus.
I do know I’m reviewing a recording and my colleague Mark Berry will report quickly on listening to this new Tristan und Isolde stay, however I stay assured in what I noticed and heard. On this event I heard Andreas Schager as Tristan run out of vocal stamina lengthy earlier than the top of his Act III ravings; though he nonetheless had the bodily power to thrash round onstage. Schager had sung relentless very loud for a lot of the efficiency and whereas a few of his softer singing had a lot to commend it that was the exception reasonably than the rule. Equally Camilla Nylund as Isolde – who might not have the quantity for the function anyway – was throwing her head again and infrequently singing louder than beautiful. I don’t assume this was a fault of Semyon Bychkov’s singer-friendly, passionate account of a rating wealthy in orchestral color, although he appeared to be accompanying what was occurring on the stage reasonably than bringing thrust and impetus to the drama. The worst factor was that this can belto – and really mannered (watch Nylund and Günther Groissböck) – singing distracted from the nuanced performing the forged had been able to when not singing. Absolved of all criticism was Christa Mayer who melded empathetic and anxious performing with a wealthy, intense and expressive mezzo-soprano.
So, this was one other new Tristan with Roland Schwab’s 2022 manufacturing having been swiftly changed for some purpose. It’s directed by Icelandic theatre director Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson (with stage designs from Vytautas Narbutas) and appears to hark again to earlier Bayreuth Tristans from Wieland Wagner (I do know solely from images), Heiner Mϋller’s 1995 wasteland and Christoph Marthaler’s 2005 ship’s decrease deck (each of which I did see a number of occasions). What we get from Arnarsson might need been extra provocative had it had extra coherence and dramatic cogency.
There are parts of rigging with ropes hanging down onto the stage and characters wander by a lot dry ice and stay on the very darkish stage for a lot of the first act. Sibylle Wallum’s costumes are comparatively plain all through the opera, principally greys or black with some leather-based (or pleather?). That is other than Isolde who’s in a voluminous – and I imply enormous! – marriage ceremony costume (accomplished by a blinged-up headpiece) on which with a quill she appears to be scribbling phrases from the libretto and including to these it’s lined in. Few within the Festspielhaus would realise that’s what she is doing even when they had been within the first few rows. Her enormous prepare is a big leitmotif of this staging and reappears over the three acts and is one thing referred to by the characters as if it recounts the continued story. In any other case, Isolde typically has puffed sleeves which provides her the looks of an avenging angel. There isn’t a potion drunk from a goblet only a small bottle which is forged apart unopened when Tristan and Isolde’s eyes lastly meet (they’ve been principally singing out into the viewers) and their destiny is sealed. On the finish of the act a chasm seems centre stage and the lovers peer down by it to the deck under.
For Act II we seem like within the engine room of a wrecked ship, stuffed with Isolde’s (?) piled-up belongings being taken to her new life in Cornwall. Is {that a} picture of her youthful self Isolde appears longingly at? There’s additionally a big globe, statues, stuffed animals, skeleton, clocks, books, newspapers, empty image frames, in addition to a Casper David Friedrich portray, amongst a lot else. There are small lighting bars inside this detritus which will probably be lined or uncovered in the course of the act. Tristan and Isolde are sometimes on totally different sides of the stage and particularly in the beginning of ‘O sink’ hernieder, Nacht der Liebe’ which heralded a number of the higher singing of this efficiency. There’s a lot staring into one of many image frames which I didn’t realise wasn’t an empty one – however supposedly a mirror – solely when Tristan smashes his hand by it. Although Tristan brandishes a sword and cuts his hand at one level there isn’t a swordfight with Melot and Tristan drinks from the bottle of potion and collapses.
Lastly for Act III I wonder if the ship has now beached as we get the ropes and dry ice as within the first act together with a number of the stuff from the second. The Shepherd has an attention-grabbing shaggy white coat whereas Tristan’s shirt and trousers are written on now and he may even write on his personal arm at one level. Tristan sings about ‘That evil wound’ which is extra psychological than bodily as a result of for Arnarsson it’s all in regards to the ‘Accursed drink’ and close to the top he introduces a Romeo and Juliet second as Isolde tries to drink from the empty poison bottle. King Marke might sing ‘Tot denn alles!’ nonetheless there isn’t a combating and no one is lifeless other than Tristan, with everybody (once more) sitting or standing about. Nylund begins her Liebestod und Verklärung gently and quietly on the ground of the stage and ends it ravishingly as if carried by it on waves of emotion earlier than sinking down once more.
I assumed Olafur Sigurdarson was miscast as Kurwenal; he was too bluff and simple for my liking and has a reasonably rough-textured, stentorian baritone voice. Günther Groissböck wore a black sparkly Astrakhan overcoat and gave a reasonably odd Baron Ochs-like rendition of King Marke’s Act II narration, passable but not significantly memorable while surprisingly uncomfortable to look at in close-up at occasions. At his second interval curtain name Groissböck truly did undergo some booing however not on the finish. Finishing the forged there have been wonderful vignettes from Birger Rådde (Melot), Daniel Jenz (Shepherd), Lawson Anderson (Steersman) and Matthew Newlin (Younger Sailor).
So, make of all this what you’ll although possibly with Werkstatt Bayreuth Arnarsson’s Konzept will coalesce higher in coming years for these privileged to be there.
Jim Pritchard
Featured Picture: Camilla Nylund (Isolde) and Christa Mayer (Brangäne) © Enrico Nawrath
Manufacturing:
Director – Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson
Stage design – Vytautas Narbutas
Costume – Sibylle Wallum
Lighting – Sascha Zauner
Dramaturg – Andri Hardmeier
Refrain director – Eberhard Friedrich
Solid:
Tristan – Andreas Schager
Isolde – Camilla Nylund
King Marke – Günther Groissböck
Kurwenal – Olafur Sigurdarson
Melot – Birger Rådde
Brangäne – Christa Mayer
A Shepherd – Daniel Jenz
A Steersman – Lawson Anderson
Younger Sailor – Matthew Newlin
