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The Australian, August 11, 2017 |
Murray Black |
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Wagner: Parsifal, Sydney, 9. August 2017 |
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Parsifal powerful but could use more of the rite stuff
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Parsifal was Richard Wagner’s operatic swan song. In its renunciation of
worldly pleasures and desires in favour of redemption and transcendent
grace, it encapsulated the composer’s intellectual and spiritual journey.
It also is the most problematic of Wagner’s operas to present in
concert. By eschewing any visual or design element apart from lighting, this
Opera Australia performance unwittingly diluted the opera’s impact.
The religious ceremonies in the first and third acts, for instance, are
accompanied solely by long stretches of orchestral music. Despite being
exquisitely played by the Opera Australia Orchestra, one had little sense of
their ritual power. Ultimately, one was left marvelling at the genius of the
music but slightly unmoved by the drama.
Wagner had strong views
about how tempos should be employed in his operas. Fortunately, conductor
Pinchas Steinberg unerringly chose the right tempos. His measured pacing
enabled the composer’s expansive, long-breathed lines to soar. Maintaining
good balances and clear textures, his subtly applied doses of accelerando
and smoothly shaped crescendos generated momentum and excitement when
needed.
German tenor Jonas Kaufmann was acclaimed for his
performances as Parsifal at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 2013. His
interpretation here was just as fine. Through voice and gesture alone,
Kaufmann charted the protagonist’s spiritual journey. All wide-eyed,
clear-voiced innocence in Act I, his exquisite soft-grained sotto voce
passages captured his character’s sense of wonder and ultimate serenity
while his forceful clarity and ringing top register power realised
Parsifal’s moments of anguished uncertainty.
Although Kaufmann was
the star drawcard, his castmates were equally outstanding. American
mezzosoprano Michelle DeYoung made a spectacular impact as Kundry. Strong
across her range, her sinuous phrasing, strong dynamic control and appealing
tone colours conveyed Kundry’s dual role as siren and penitent. Displaying
remarkable stamina and superb diction, Korean bass Kwangchul Youn
(Gurnemanz) sang with stentorian power and a focused sense of line,
embodying his noble character’s moral authority.
Firm-voiced baritone
Michael Honeyman gave an expressive performance as the guilt-racked
Amfortas. By contrast, the hard-edged timbre of fellow baritone Warwick Fyfe
created a gripping portrayal as the evil sorcerer Klingsor. Bass David
Parkin was an imposing Titurel while six of Opera Australia’s leading
sopranos and mezzos made an alluring bevy of flower maidens.
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