Die Walküre in Bayreuth 2022: Focus on the relationships

Valentin Schwarz successfully transposed Die Walküre into a modern family affair. The superb cast featured among others Lise Davidsen (Sieglinde), Klaus Florian Vogt (Siegmund), Iréne Theorin (Brünnhilde), and Georg Zeppenfeld (Hunding). Tomasz Konieczny's ruthless Wotan concluded the drama in a lonesome, heart-wrenching end. 

 

The first scene took place in the backyard of a rundown house: a working room is in the middle of the stage, over which Sieglinde's room, and there's an exit on the left side of the stage. Siegmund enters, greeted by a pregnant Sieglinde. The battered wife had been keeping the illuminated pyramid in her room, the one we have seen before in Wotan's house in Rheingold. Hunding entered the scene: he was not a hunter, but instead a lower-class manager, nevertheless menacing in his 9-to-5 working attire. The second act played in Wotan's house, this time with more family conflict centred around the tradition and its questioning by Brünnhilde. The third act began in a sterile beauty clinic where the facially-operated Valkyries were, and finished in a barren space for the most poignant (incestuous) scene in the opera. Reinhard Traub's lighting in the concluding episode of the drama was among the most poetic ones I had seen since long. 

Lise Davidsen as Sieglinde was simply impressive; in fact almost otherworldly so. The evenness of the texture, the capacity of brilliance that she unleashed with ease and without hesitating made her one of the most memorable ones on stage that evening. She interpreted the vulnerability of her character; fragile and endearing at the same time, yet none of the inner sparks of the desire of revolt was completely hidden from us. Klaus Florian Vogt's Siegmund was surprisingly tough, yet without foresaking with his vulnerable and dubious nature. The boyish charm of his voice we had grown familiar with showed itself in the purity of the higher registers, although the voice generally incorporated a certain roughness to it. His Siegmund was  more of a dreamer than a fighter, and it showed nicely in the context of the staging. Davidsen and Vogt made a lovely and endearing pair on scene, encouraging and complementing each other nicely, and produced a memorable "Wintersstürme" sung against the backdrop of their backstory as children, who both had survived years of Alberich's abuse. The duo combined momentum and understanding, as well as richly-textured momentums from both sides, creating an incredible balance between force, brilliance and purity that almost moved me to tears. Dramatically, I liked the rendition because it showed how their love had grown gradually and over time, filled with longing perhaps nurtured in mutual misery, rather than representing it as an abrupt moment of transfiguration or revelation. In my eyes, it strengthened the audience's sympathy for the characters and what they had been through, together and individually.

Tomasz Konieczny as Wotan was the star of the evening, right next to Davidsen's Sieglinde. His timbre of that specific intense, metallic resonance, in the meantime recognisable to Wagner fans, brought of the ruthless side of his character with conviction. He was both vocally and dramatically impressive, combining precision with momentum and cold heat in his singing, and an acting worthy of a theater play. As I mentioned in my last Rheingold review, I appreciate that Schwarz shows us Wotan for who and what he really is: a fraud, a bully, and overall, someone with debatable morals. By way of contrast, this representation strengthens the farewell scene, here staged as a meltdown. "Leb' wohl, du kühnes, herrliches Kind" was incredibly powerful, and it made things even better that Konieczny sang it two times (a real treat!). The second repetition was staged like a solo, with Wotan shut off behind what could be interpreted as a metaphysical prison. He was writhing on the ground because of his own decision, and I really liked this falling-apart of his character, because it brought a clear focus on his humanity and his relationship to Brünnhilde. Iréne Theorin's Brünnhilde was ardent and intense as expected. Here she was a fiery, rebellious child, the black sheep of the family whose fighting spirit is anchored to her frustration of being imprisoned in the status quo of the family. The confrontations with Wotan were both effective and dramatically charged, demonstrating how the crushing weight of the conventions attempt to violently iron out those whoever dares to question them. Christa Mayer's brief return as Fricka was one of the drama's high points. The clash between the piercing heat of the timbre encountered the somber density of Konieczny's was a real delight both dramatically and musically. It helped that they both played their characters unbelievably well. Georg Zeppenfeld portrayed a convincing Hunding (here Wotan's employee, who was given Sieglinde in exchange of his service), combining the thunderous quality of the voice and the character's horrible manners reflected in the dilapidated decors. Finally, the Valkyries skillfully and playfully contrasted their energetic, piercing battle cries (here cries of pain following extreme facial procedures) and the irony of their figures. Cornelius Meister understood well this interest on the humanness of the characters, and conducted with sensitivity and good understanding of momentums. The lyrical density of the violins was powerful without abandoning its sweetness, and the brass section punctuated the most dramatic moments with ardor, at times haunted with foreboding. 

Die Walküre in Bayreuth 2022. In red and pink are the "scandalous" beauty-enhanced Valkyries...

Many found it shocking that instead of fierce female warriors surrounded by bodies, we see the ladies with bandaged faces flirting with the security guys, and tossing around new high heels in the foyer of a beauty salon. In fact, the scene of the Walkürenritt and the fact that Sieglinde is already pregnant (and not during the night following the love duet with Siegmund as we know it) are two elements of the staging that evoked many questions and provoked a lot of audience. During the meet-and-greet with Valentin Schwarz in the morning of the 27^th at the Kammermusikssaal of the Steingraeber piano factory, he gave a good answer for both. Sieglinde's pregnancy is to emphasize her vulnerability. She is already vulnerable, being in an unhappy and abusive marriage with Hunding, but her being pregnant in the staging puts more focus on her vulnerability, and at the same time to show the depth of Siegmund's affection, such that he is willing to admit the child as his own. Then, regarding the Valkyries in the beauty salon, Schwarz explained that although we often see the Valkyries as strong, independent warriors, the fact remains that they are actually under Wotan's control and are dependent on him. Unlike Brünnhilde, they are actually not free and do not question the roles. Hence it was quite fitting to portray them thus, the beauty procedure being also a symbol of "fitting in". There was no Loge in the end, and no fire effect. Asked about this during the meet-and-greet, I liked Schwarz's answer that "the focus on the characters and their relationships with each other is much more important than whether the orange light [to simulate the fire] is properly adjusted." 

In regards to his goals, Schwarz had, in my views, successfully transposed Die Walküre into our time. It was interesting to see how he interpreted the characters (and having done do, he also questioned a long line of traditional interpretation). Love or hate the staging, Wotan's meltdown in his own mental prison is not something one would easily forget. 

Die Walküre in Bayreuth 2022. Main cast from L to R: Georg Zeppenfeld (Hunding), Christa Mayer (Fricka), Iréne Theorin (Brünnhilde), Tomasz Konieczny (Wotan), Lise Davidsen (Sieglinde), Klaus Florian Vogt (Siegmund).