Tears with Tristan und Isolde at the ROH

Photo Bill Cooper at musicalcriticism.com


You all know by now I am a sap and prone to sit teary eyed through opera performances :-) No news here…However, last night’s Tristan und Isolde was to be a different kind of experience.

Today I am not on friendly terms with Mr Wagner! Not at all… but fear not, it is just lovers’ quarrel… I’m sure I will forgive and forget pretty soon :-)

This was my first Tristan und Isolde live and I feel shamelessly privileged for this to have been it! There might be better recordings as I am sure people will point out, but last night was enough to leave me with a memorable experience of it.

Strangely enough it wasn’t the music in itself that moved me to tears, or the story (not during at least) ..it was the final applause and my seat neighbours. The lights in the House went out but I could still make out the shadow of a slowly moving Nina Stemme who helped Ben Heppner up from the stage floor and holding hands they slowly approached the stage edge. The lights went on and they were showered by Bravos and applause among which they shared a warm hug. At which point I cracked under emotions :-) I sniffled my way through all the applause and am happy to say even hoarser than the performances last week left me. Among the boos for the production team the young women sitting next to me asked me: why are they doing this? I said: I have no idea, I guess too modern? She said: Ah, probably… have they not seen it before? Me: No, this is the premiere night. Did you like it? She and her boyfriends said in one breath: Oh yess, very very much! All I could do is nod and smile and quickly look away so they wouldn’t think I must be crazy for crying just then :-)

I’ll explain…

First about the neighbours… they were very clearly first time opera goers and very much in love ;-) Some date, ah? Opera, Wagner, Tristan und Isolde in a minimalist and very atmospheric production, all in German! There can’t be any more proof in the power of music than this! They had very cheap seats, we were all perched up in the lower slips, with a hand rail in front, luckily on the right side of the production so we had the privilege to see the singers all the time. All through the first introduction she was munching on a sandwich from a pretty noisy plastic bag. I though… o God noo, why mee!! Expecting the worse of the night, of course…. However as I was saying they were extremely quiet and watched and listened for 5 hours , half embraced or holding hands to Heppner and Stemme singing the story of Tristan und Isolde. And as you now all know, they absolutely loved it :-) Forgive me therefore if I think this is really romantic and somehow magical :-)

And I had one of my secret wishes fulfilled at least last night. .. have young people come to the opera and absolutely fall in love with it! Those two will be back, I know it!

Why the applause moved me so much? Or rather the singer’s reaction to it? Because I simply think that any singers who gloriously make it through this opera like Stemme and Heppner did last night deserve…. I don’t know what… but something beautiful and wonderful! Because they are survivors!

Which is where I come to my love-hate relationship today with Mr Wagner… what was he thinking??????? Yes, the music is beautiful and especially in the piano bits there are some instrumental solos to die for and be born again! But did he really think singers could get through this score unharmed? Did he ever try to sing it himself? My guess is no… I’ve never before had the sensation when listening to opera that I was witnessing sacrifice , last night I did. Nobody can tell me any singer gets through a Tristan und Isolde unharmed. I understand why they would wish to sing it and why this piece is performed, but I realise what it costs. It’s horrendous really come to think of it. I don’t think the story requires young singers, the intensity of love can be portrayed more convincingly in a more mature stage I life I think, however you need a fairly strong body to get through this. These are parts that will leave scars on your voice and possibly put an end to your singing. Yes, I know there are financial rewards that come with it, but I don’t believe singing like last night’s can be induced by any cheques.

It is a strange piece, I don’t think the libretto is a strong in characterisation like for example the one for Lohengrin. The music is grand and tender and sophisticated but also cruel and ruthless. Scenes are stretched over hours and singers are chained in the middle of the force of the orchestra in the most emotional passages. There is of course the argument that the story can be told in 3 hours rather than 5…. But seeing last night’s performance I wonder if the physiological impact would be the same. At the end of the day the potion induces irreversible and unfulfilable longing, which may only find relief in death. The ending cannot be believable unless you get to feel the intensity of the longing. It has to feel like torture to some point and in 5 hours the impact is achieved.

I think the hardest part is creating the story, making the emotions believable , outside time and almost outside the score. Trying to deliver more than the music, or making the music good enough to let the meaning flourish from within is what this piece needs to come alive. And last night it did!

I haven’t seen either Nina Stemme or Ben Heppner before so I can’t comment on how good they are as actors in general, but they fully inhabited Tristan und Isolde last night. I know people will find weaknesses in the singing ( maybe more with Heppner) but I think that would be unfair. From the very beginning there was a sense of purpose to every phrase, restrained emotion in every step, in every gesture. Even their embraces where touching and transmitted a very believable sense of longing and caring. For me there wasn’t one awkward moment during the 5 hours. I can’t say what was choreography and what was actually Heppner and Stemme becoming Tristan und Isolde. Whatever it was it worked! As to their singing she is absolutely glorious and the voice carries all the power and decision, engagement and pride one would wish from Isolde. Heppner’s voice does show what singing this part does to one, but it is still very very musical and beautiful to listen to and the ever so slight wobble for me is negligible. There weren’t any really harsh parts that I could say bothered me significantly. I am just left wondering what his voice might have sounded like before he sang the part… I can only say I greatly respect and admire him for what he still does with Tristan today.

The other total musical pleasure of the night was Michael Volle’s Kurwenal! A voice equally as warm and as powerful, who rode the orchestra with apparent ease and who created a very believable and engaged portray of a friend. His applause was very well deserved and I really hope we will see him on the ROH stage more often!

Sophie Koch as Brangane was good, but I can’t say I really warmed to either her voice or the character. But it could be due to the character itself, I find Brangane a bit one dimensional and slightly irritating, her only purpose seemingly being he exchange of the potions. John Tomlinson is a better Inquisitor than he is the King Marke, I have to say I missed Matti Salminen here. His king was as a character all he should be and for that he deserves Bravos, it is the voice I’m afraid that just can’t really fill the part anymore.

Pappano once again put his artist fingers on the orchestra strings and managed to convey both the grand and the delicate. He deserves many praise for mastering both the frightening waves and the soft caresses in this music, he showed how beautiful the score is and put another building stone in my appreciation for Mr Wagner and for that I am grateful.

Then there was the production… not at all deserving of booos in my opinion. I don’t know if I love it without reserve, it can be a bit hard on the eyes as very static all over the 5 h stretch. But it does work in creating the appropriate mood and convey the infinite longing as well as the desire to escape into death. What I absolutely loved was Olaf Winter’s lighting, magnificently atmospheric! I think the staging worked with Stemme and Heppner, I am not so sure lesser artists can carry the weight of the grey wall and grey stage floor and simplicity of black clothes as convincingly. The gymnastics around the table in the last act I felt were superfluous. A second chair instead of the table would have done the trick and would have required less effort and concentration on such detail in this most difficult of acts for Tristan. But it is a minor detail, which can be ignored. The blood bath in the end was eerie, but worked, as did the static almost still life images of people in the banquet background.

I don’t know what people want or expect of a Tristan und Isolde staging. It is not like any of the details of place and time really matter to the story. What would more clutter add? Nothing. It would of course add props to support singers in not doing anything else than sing it through. Forgivable in this score. I find this minimalist version more touching and effective, even if it required that extra something from the singers. It can only hope that in future revivals the cast will be able to do as amazing a job as the one I saw last night. Simply unforgettable!


Tristan und Isolde
Tuesday, September 29 5:00 PM
Composer Richard Wagner
Director Christof Loy
Designs Johannes Leiacker
Lighting Design Olaf Winter

Performers
Conductor Antonio Pappano
Tristan Ben Heppner
King Marke John Tomlinson
Isolde Nina Stemme
Kurwenal Michael Volle
Brangäne Sophie Koch
Melot Richard Berkeley Steele
Sailor Ji-Min Park¤
Steersman Dawid Kimberg§
Shepherd Ryland Davies


Nina Stemme Interview at musicalcriticism

Guardian article on Isoldes

And the reviews:
Telegraph
Independent
Times
Musicalcriticism
This isLondon
The Stage
Music OMH
Whatsonstage
Classicalsource
WienerZeitung

Intermezzo
TTTC
Boulezian