Virginia Opera introduced Siegfried to Fairfax Saturday evening, after opening the week earlier than in Norfolk. I’m an enormous fan of Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle (Der Ring des Nibelungen), a tetralogy of operas that proceed so as The Rhinegold (Dad Rheingold), The Valkyrie (Die Walkũre), Siegfried (Siegfried), and The Twilight of the Gods (Götterdämmerung); I used to be vastly trying ahead to episode three. Wagner wrote the libretto, largely based mostly on Nordic legends, ranging from the ending to the start, as every new episode led him to put in writing a prequel after which composed the music from the start to the top; the method took 28 years. The Ring Cycle is a monumental, multilayered work that’s an intriguing amalgam of political, social, ethical, and philosophical points encapsulated in gorgeous music, vocals, and storytelling. As has been substantiated and broadly written about, Wagner the individual was odorously flawed, however his music and operas have been watershed occasions for these genres within the latter half of the nineteenth century.
l to r: Kyle Albertson as Wotan, Alissa Anderson as Erda, and Cooper Nolan as Siegfried. Picture by Dave Pearson Images; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
VO is presenting the Jonathan Dove and Graham Vick abridged variations of the Ring in 4 succeeding years, having begun in 2021 with The Rhinegold. Siegfried is a hero in Norse mythology from the twelfth century who did slay a dragon and later was impacted by the dragon’s blood and did fall in love with a good looking lady, however in Wagner’s Siegfried, there may be much more. Siegfried is the one hope of Wotan, the chief of the gods, to change the trail to destruction of the gods that Wotan himself has set in movement by way of his personal corrupt instincts. The younger Siegfried should first reforge a strong sword to slay the dragon that possesses the magic gold ring which is able to permit its possessor to rule the world, then he discovers he should rescue Brünnhilde, Wotan’s disobedient daughter, whom he has positioned asleep in the midst of a hoop of fireside; all of that is a part of Wotan’s plot to perform what he can’t do himself. Only a easy fairy story concerning the starting and the top of the world, and the deadly flaws that introduced all of it down. I’ve learn that Wagner was fascinated by Siegfried and meant this episode to be a comedy, at the very least partly. Personally, whereas there are a number of humorous moments, I’ve by no means been capable of see it as a comedy, extra later.
Cooper Nolan as Siegfried reforging the sword Nothung, and Matthew Peña as an excited, frightened Mime. Picture by Dave Pearson Images; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
Clearly, the key spotlight of Saturday night’s efficiency on the George Mason College for the Middle for the Performing Arts was the gifted forged of singers giving robust and pleasing performances throughout the board. The forged included tenor Cooper Nolan as Siegfried; tenor Matthew Peña as Mime, a Nibelung (a member of an underworld tribe) who reared Siegfried when his mom died; bass-baritone Kyle Albertson as Wotan, who he additionally performed within the first two installments of VO’s Ring Cycle and on this model is disguised because the Wanderer; baritone Joshua Jeremiah as Alberich, the Nibelung who began all of it by stealing the gold and fashioning the highly effective ring; bass Ricardo Lugo as Fafner, the large/dragon; contralto mezzo-soprano Alissa Anderson as Erda, Mom Earth and mom of Brünnhilde; soprano Alexandra Loutsion as Brünnhilde, a task she additionally portrayed in VO’s The Valkryie; and, soprano Alicia Russell Tagert as A Woodbird/robotic, who sang warnings to Siegfried. Mr. Nolan, Mr. Peña, Ms. Anderson, and Ms. Tagert have been of their first roles for Virginia Opera.
Kyle Albertson disguised because the Wanderer, standing, to quiz and warn Mime performed by Matthew Peña, seated; the robotic standing within the background holds Alicia Russell Tagert as A Woodbird. Picture by Dave Pearson Images; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
There have been three moments of their performances that I’ll lengthy keep in mind. The primary was soprano Taggert lifting the visor in her robotic go well with and singing the function of The Fowl. First, midway by way of Siegfried, it was the primary look of a feminine voice, and Ms. Tagert’s voice and singing was rapturous, an ideal match, and a complete delight. The subsequent second I’ll spotlight, and my favourite of the evening, was the scene the place Wotan calls upon Erda for recommendation. The costumes and staging right here have been used to nice impact, with bass-baritone Kyle Albertson being a wonderful Wagnerian singer, and soprano Anderson matching his efficiency; I want I may watch it once more. Kudos to Scene and Costume Designer Courtroom Watson. Lastly, and within the remaining scene, Siegfried passes by way of the ring of fireside and encounters the sleeping Brünnhilde, his first sight of a girl; he experiences concern for the primary time – chew on that one for some time, properly performed and sung by Mr. Nolan. Then Ms. Loutsion as Brünnhilde awakens in a fancy dress extra befitting a stunning maiden than the warrior gear she needed to put on in The Valkyrie. She can be a wonderful Wagnerian singer and animates the scene explosively. Her thunderous welcoming of the solar woke me up and made me glad I used to be there. Normally, the second act had much less distraction and was superbly achieved.
Cooper Nolan as Siegfried (foreground) slays the large/dragon Fafner performed by Richard Lugo. Picture by Dave Pearson Images; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
The Virginia Symphony Opera and Conductor/Creative Director Adam Turner are an excellent mixture. The rating for Mr. Dove’s model of Siegfried is paired from the unique’s 4 hours to rather less than three hours, and the chamber-sized orchestra employs lower than half the musicians referred to as for within the authentic. Conductor Turner says, nevertheless, that each notice performed was composed by Richard Wagner. Within the first act, I felt the music appeared a tad skinny and never solely in sync with and supportive of the singers. Nevertheless, which may be unfair; my response to the music was influenced by the problem I had with the staging within the first act, as I’ll subsequent talk about. The music within the second act greater than met my expectations. The intricate music was superbly performed and executed, one other spotlight of the opera for me.
Alissa Anderson as Erda and Kyle Albertson as Wotan. Picture by Dave Pearson Images; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
Now let’s take care of the staging. The Ring touches on many necessary points and stage administrators sometimes slender the main focus of a manufacturing to a most important one or two. Director Joachim Schamberger used the same modernized symbolic strategy to the staging of Siegfried that he employed for VO’s The Valkyrie about which I supplied important feedback in my report on the distractions created by that staging. I applaud inventive and modern staging generally, however these didn’t work properly for me. I listened as I all the time do to scholar in residence Joshua Borth’s “Let’s Speak Opera” episode on-line, this one overlaying Siegfried, and he admonished his viewers to concentrate to what VO’s opera director was attempting to perform. That is good recommendation, and I attempted. I as soon as defended Washington Nationwide Opera’s excellent, modernized Ring Cycle in 2016 with this remark praising the improvements: “With Wagner, simply get into the fantasy and depart the driving to the director. The reality is not going to seem on the floor, however it is going to seep into your bones and coronary heart; you can be mystified, possibly even spell certain, however modified”. Then again, I recall disliking a Met Opera manufacturing of the Ring that was staged on an enormous piano keyboard. Let me provide one other reflection as a part of my clarification for my discontent. I’m keen on attempting to unravel the NY Instances day by day puzzle referred to as Connections the place you attempt to organize 16 phrases into 4 teams of phrases every associated by a theme. Just lately, I attempted to unravel one of many groupings whereas watching a soccer recreation on tv. I’m proud to say I solved the puzzle. Nevertheless, I used to be oblivious to the performs that led to a landing whereas I used to be engaged on the puzzle. Making an attempt to grasp Director Schamberger’s staging – what was the aim of the robotic and what was the robotic doing, for instance – made me much less attentive to the music and singing and the movement of the storytelling. I welcome modern stagings, however one hopes that each one the weather of the opera will work collectively to boost the viewers’s expertise of every factor.
Cooper Nolan as Siegfried finds and awakens and falls in love with Brünnhilde portrayed by Alexandra Loutsion. Picture by Dave Pearson Images; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
That stated, the modern strategy to staging was attention-grabbing and didn’t forestall me from having fun with the opera, simply made it extra of a problem than I needed. Keep in mind I stated I had problem experiencing Siegfried as a comedy. The efficiency started with a big leaf (representing nature?) projected onto a big scrim that shaped the backdrop for the stage. A circle opened within the leaf with purple after which black smoke or liquid filling the circle, paying homage to blood and the darkish forces. Wotan seems within the circle breaking a limb from a tree, to vogue a spear – nature being violated to serve the pursuits of energy and management. Nothing humorous right here. Whereas I’m important of the staging, it ought to be stated that Driscoll Otto’s work on the lighting and Mr. Schamberger’s projection work was glorious. The opening scene in Mime’s forge might be humorous. Siegfried is an unruly, impulsive teenager kind who creates problem for his caretaker Mime. Nevertheless, Siegfried is portrayed as obnoxious and we all know Mime is evil, utilizing Siegfried as his instrument to seize the ring for himself. Keep in mind the scene within the first Indiana Jones movie the place Harrison Ford was within the room with snakes? That was humorous as a result of we favored him and knew he would survive the hazard. Nothing lighthearted to me about this early scene in Siegfried that seems to be a recent of the movie “Deliverance”. The air resistance bike appeared misplaced; I suppose that might be humorous if this was cartoonish and so may the mini fridge with canned drinks, however this opera by no means appears to differentiate itself on this degree. It goes on like this all of the whereas with pictures shifting onto and across the scrim to remind us, I suppose, of how AI has seeped into our lives. Within the remaining scene, Brünnhilde has been positioned in a high-tech chamber whereas she sleeps. It didn’t appear so on the time however that might be seen as humorous, however magic doesn’t want excessive tech to work and there may be severe enterprise afoot – the gods must be destroyed.
Alexandra Loutsion as Brünnhilde, now in love with Siegfried embraces her new life and goal. Picture by Dave Pearson Images; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
I hope it’s clear that I assist VO’s ahead considering and its strategy of reaching out to all of its followers in its programing decisions. I additionally hope it’s clear I like to recommend Virginia Opera’s Siegfried as an entertaining night and a worthwhile creative expertise, regardless of my reservations with the staging, and I hope that my feedback have piqued your curiosity and is likely to be useful to these readers who intend to absorb a efficiency.
The Fan Expertise – Siegfried was scheduled for performances in Norfolk on September 29, October 1; in Fairfax on October 7 and eight; and in Richmond October 13 and 15. The opera is sung in German with supertitles in English proven on an overhead display; the efficiency lasts for rather less than 3 hours plus a 20 minute intermission. Tickets can be found at this hyperlink. Virginia Opera intends to complete its Ring with a manufacturing of the ultimate episode, Gotterdammerung, subsequent season.
VO’s subsequent manufacturing this season might be The Barber of Seville in Norfolk on November 3, 4 and Fairfax on 11, 12 and Richmond on 17, 19. See this hyperlink for particulars.
I like to recommend the pre-opera speak on Siegfried, given by Joshua Borths, Virginia Opera’s scholar in residence, which begins 45 minutes earlier than the start of the opera. Get there early to get a very good seat. In case you can’t make a efficiency however wish to know extra concerning the opera, Mr. Borths covers the identical materials and extra in his “Let’s Speak Opera” lecture obtainable on Youtube.com; actually, I like to recommend each. For a conventional viewers attending an avant garde manufacturing, it is likely to be useful for Virginia Opera to go even additional and level out with extra element in this system guide what’s going on with the symbolism in modern productions, only a thought. I think that spending this a lot time enthusiastic about the staging, I might get pleasure from it extra if I noticed it a second time.
