1. Abend: Die Walkure
Die Walkure, 8/18/09
Siegmund - Stuart Skelton
Sieglinde - Margaret Jane Wray
Hunding - Andrea Silvestrelli
Wotan - Greer Grimsley
Brunnhilde - Janice Baird
Fricka - Stephanie Blythe
Gerhilde - Miriam Murphy
Helmwige - Sally Wolf
Waltraute - Luretta Bybee
Schwertleite - Jennifer Hines
Ortlinde - Marie Plette
Siegrune - Sarah Heltzel
Grimgerde - Michele Losier
Rossweisse - Maria Streijffert
Conductor - Robert Spano
Director - Stephan Wadsworth
Set Designer - Thomas Lynch
Costume Designer - Martin Pakledinaz
The second act of Die Walkure isn't the longest act in the Ring: the single act Das Rheingold and the massive first act of Gotterdammerung easily exceed it. However, at times, it can seem the longest with the Fricka-Wotan argument, the Wotan monologue, and Wotan threatening Brunnhilde for what seems like forever. And that's only scene 1.
But with singing actors who take care of the text... ah, then it gets interesting. Especially when the Fricka is Stephanie Blythe, telling Wotan the truths he chooses to delude himself about. She is the superstar of this quarter of the Ring, with her acting, enunciation, and vocalism at their peak.
And the others aren't too shabby either. Stuart Skelton as Siegmund, who I had only heard previously on an ENO Peter Grimes webcast, had a tenor with heft without resorting to barking. Margaret Jane Wray repeated her previous local success in her role: Sieglinde suits her low-lying soprano well.
Walkure was Greer Grimsley's most sucessful opera in the cycle four years ago, and he's just as good this year in portraying the gamut of Wotan's emotions.
Notices about Janice Baird from the first cycle were mixed. Not having had the benefit of hearing those earlier performances, I would still guess that she has turned up her intensity in the meantime. She was very good as Brunnhilde, and her high notes in her initial batch of Ho-jo-to-ho's were spot-on.
Andrea Silvestrelli's Hunding indicates he may be better suited for villainy than a semi-sympathetic character like Fasolt. I have nothing but compliments for the rest of the Valkyries.
The staging, which portrays the characters as feeling individuals rather than symbols, continues to impress. Still, I would have liked to have seen the climax of Act II over again. So much happens in just a few seconds, that it's easy to miss.
From the "neither here nor there" department: there was at least one onstage snafu: Siegmund got murdered a little bit too forcefully--Wotan's spear was bent from the impact. As Wotan stormed off, the head of the spear flew off and fell down onto the set. And so the spear broke four acts prematurely: d'oh!
Siegmund - Stuart Skelton
Sieglinde - Margaret Jane Wray
Hunding - Andrea Silvestrelli
Wotan - Greer Grimsley
Brunnhilde - Janice Baird
Fricka - Stephanie Blythe
Gerhilde - Miriam Murphy
Helmwige - Sally Wolf
Waltraute - Luretta Bybee
Schwertleite - Jennifer Hines
Ortlinde - Marie Plette
Siegrune - Sarah Heltzel
Grimgerde - Michele Losier
Rossweisse - Maria Streijffert
Conductor - Robert Spano
Director - Stephan Wadsworth
Set Designer - Thomas Lynch
Costume Designer - Martin Pakledinaz
The second act of Die Walkure isn't the longest act in the Ring: the single act Das Rheingold and the massive first act of Gotterdammerung easily exceed it. However, at times, it can seem the longest with the Fricka-Wotan argument, the Wotan monologue, and Wotan threatening Brunnhilde for what seems like forever. And that's only scene 1.
But with singing actors who take care of the text... ah, then it gets interesting. Especially when the Fricka is Stephanie Blythe, telling Wotan the truths he chooses to delude himself about. She is the superstar of this quarter of the Ring, with her acting, enunciation, and vocalism at their peak.
And the others aren't too shabby either. Stuart Skelton as Siegmund, who I had only heard previously on an ENO Peter Grimes webcast, had a tenor with heft without resorting to barking. Margaret Jane Wray repeated her previous local success in her role: Sieglinde suits her low-lying soprano well.
Walkure was Greer Grimsley's most sucessful opera in the cycle four years ago, and he's just as good this year in portraying the gamut of Wotan's emotions.
Notices about Janice Baird from the first cycle were mixed. Not having had the benefit of hearing those earlier performances, I would still guess that she has turned up her intensity in the meantime. She was very good as Brunnhilde, and her high notes in her initial batch of Ho-jo-to-ho's were spot-on.
Andrea Silvestrelli's Hunding indicates he may be better suited for villainy than a semi-sympathetic character like Fasolt. I have nothing but compliments for the rest of the Valkyries.
The staging, which portrays the characters as feeling individuals rather than symbols, continues to impress. Still, I would have liked to have seen the climax of Act II over again. So much happens in just a few seconds, that it's easy to miss.
From the "neither here nor there" department: there was at least one onstage snafu: Siegmund got murdered a little bit too forcefully--Wotan's spear was bent from the impact. As Wotan stormed off, the head of the spear flew off and fell down onto the set. And so the spear broke four acts prematurely: d'oh!