Friday March 29, 2024
DAS RHEINGOLD - MELBOURNE
Review

DAS RHEINGOLD - MELBOURNE

By Diana Simmonds
November 25 2016

DAS RHEINGOLD, (“prelude” to Der Ring des Nibelungen – The Ring), Opera Australia at the Victorian Arts Centre, 21 November-16 December 2016. Photography - various 

The 2013 debut of this first-ever complete Ring by Opera Australia caused excitement and consternation in equal measure. Excitement – because it was a long-awaited first – and consternation because according to some, it was musically pretty good but theatrically it apparently left a lot of punters bewildered

It’s nothing new for a Ring to cause angst and controversy in the auditorium, so it was no surprise that – after Das Rheingold began the event’s three cycles of Wagner’s greatest achievement on Monday, November 21 – two and a half hours later there were as many puzzled faces as there were happy ones.

Musically, under the baton of the Finn, Pietari Inkinen, the undertaking is in safe hands. He is the one who stepped in for OA at the last minute in 2013 and since then has gone on to become one of the more sought after younger conductors in the world. The glorious four minute opening of 136 bars of slowly building E flat major are thrilling and the 100-piece orchestra was superb in its steady rise through it. It thrillingly signifies dawn, sunrise, birth, the beginning of the universe and hope and in this production, the back-of-the-neck-prickling sound is complemented by an intriguing visual image.

Slowly undulating on a vast revolve on an even vaster and darkly cavernous stage, and reflected from above in a sharply-angled and distorted mirrored overhang, the forms of many human bodies gradually become apparent. They are clad in bathers – men and women – and the muted colours of variously pale skin and pastel suits are enlivened by an occasional splash of red. It’s a most effective imagining of a gently running river and human life. And then the Rhine Maidens arrive.

Dominica Matthews, Jane Ede and Lorina Gore are vocally splendid but it’s impossible not to be distracted into wondering why – after the ethereal beginning just described – they teeter in looking as if they’ve recently run away from the Folies Bergere in their glittery chorus girl bustiers and ostrich plume headgear. That aside, they frolic about until interrupted by the dwarf Alberich who of course lusts after them. As played by Warwick Fyfe, Alberich is both menacing and one of the vocal highlights of the evening. 

As the sun rises it lights on the Rhine gold entrusted to the care of the Maidens by their father. It’s not just any old gold: it can be fashioned into a Ring that will entitle the wearer to world domination. Will Alberich steal it? The Maidens think not because he’ll have to renounce love in return. But they reckon without his male pride in the face of their feminine scorn. Off he goes with the gold, leaving them in disarray.

DAS RHEINGOLD - MELBOURNE

Meanwhile, back at the Gods’ mountaintop (in this instance, another bit of the stage), top god Wotan (James Johnson) and his wife Fricka (Jacqui Dark) are exultant at the completion of their new palace by giants Fasolt (Daniel Sumegi) and Fafner (Jud Arthur). Unfortunately – and there’s always an unfortunately with Wagner – Wotan previously agreed to hand over Fricka’s younger sister Freia (Hyeseoung Kwon) in payment for the home.

Fricka is as appalled and blood curdling as only a powerful and true mezzo-soprano can be; but Wotan – a rather weak old geezer in every way – says don't worry, my man Loge (Andreas Conrad) is off looking for something to substitute for the gorgeous gal in the gold cocktail frock. Fasolt and Fafner are no push-over giants, however, and Wotan should have realised this as they arrive to claim Freia aboard a couple of wobbly Health and Safety nightmare cherry-pickers. It’s another odd choice as the two – magnificently sung by Sumegi and Arthur – don’t deserve the titters from the audience as the platforms lurch and totter down to the stage; and while the fearless giants unhook their safety lines and wriggle under the safety bars to alight and be threatening. Oh dear.

Unfortunately... Loge returns with bad news and the giants make off with Freia who’s not had much chance to show off her delicious voice and also can’t leave her golden apples behind, so their gift of eternal youth is withdrawn from Fricka and Wotan. Fricka is even less pleased than hitherto. The fast-ageing Wotan decides to go after Alberich and get back the gold to swap it for Freia. He and Loge depart while the audience is entertained by the sound of the Nibelungen – the slave dwarves – banging away on their anvils. (A truly magical sound because, as it happens, OA has its own set of tuned “anvils” for the job.)

Despite the volunteer extras (see opening sequence, above) returning en masse to shake glittery gold pompoms in a kind of Dame Edna-style “colour and movement” distraction of the protagonists, nothing good comes of the greed and ambition displayed by all. 

As Baron Acton (1834-1902) once said although not of Wagner’s greatest work, “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. And it’s no more apparent than in what happens to the Rhine gold and those who would have it. At home in Nibelheim (another bit of empty dark stage) Alberich forces his skilled blacksmith brother Mime (Graeme Macfarlane) to make a magic helmet – the Tarnhelm. It can make the wearer either invisible or disappear, become small or even teleport. 

In a rare display of wit, this production’s helmet is a kind of magician’s box on wheels and when Loge tricks Alberich into demonstrating it, the die is cast for the dwarf to lose his loot. Furious, Alberich curses the ring: whomever wears it will be killed by whomever steals it from him. When Fasolt and Fafner return with Freia to trade her for gold, another die is cast: one will kill the other for the Ring, meanwhile... 

DAS RHEINGOLD - MELBOURNE

The giants, surprise surprise, decide they want more than promised and demand the pile of gold be high enough to conceal Freia. This makes for a rather compelling scene where she is bricked in, gold bar by menacing gold bar. Shades of Goldfinger, shudder. When Fasolt declares himself still unsatisfied and commands that he be given the Ring too, Wotan says no. But Loge tells them all that the wretched metal actually belongs to the Rhine Maidens anyway and some mightily dramatic music accompanies the altercation. The giants prepare to make off with Freia. Enter Erda (Liane Keegan) the earth goddess and possessor of a spine-tingling soprano and song to match.

They all listen, spellbound, as she warns that the curse of doom is just around the corner if they don’t all shape up. Wotan pays attention and returns the ring to Fasolt. The giants start divvying up the gold between them but the Ring instantly becomes a bone of contention. Fafner kills Fasolt – making good Alberich’s curse. 

Chastened – somewhat – Wotan goes back to find Fricka and get ready to move in to their new place. Donner (Michael Honeyman) cooks up a great and cleansing storm while it’s up to Froh (James Egglestone), in its aftermath, to come up with a rainbow bridge to the palace, which Wotan wants to call Valhalla. In an image that is now the most recognisable of this production, a mob of chorus girls wibble their rainbow-coloured ostrich feather fans to form a tableau on an immense flight of stairs. For the moment at least, greed, death, lost love and innocence are left behind as the Gods ascend amid soaring horns and strings.

Unfortunately... all is not well. the Rhine Maidens are heard, lamenting the loss of their gold and reminding the heedless Gods that they may be on the up right now, but just you wait until Die Walkure come a-calling. And call they will: Wagner was just warming up with Das Rheingold...

Part II – Die Walkure: tomorrow!

 

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