Classical review: Prom 18, Siegfried, Daniel Barenboim, Berlin Staatskapelle

 

Jessica Duchen
Saturday 27 July 2013 10:33 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Proms’ Ring has reached episode three: Siegfried, the one where a fearless beefcake falls in love with his aunt. After the incestuous passions of Die Walküre it doesn’t seem so risqué. Its five-hour span moves from darkest foreboding to love music intense almost to the point of insanity, which Justin Way’s semi-staging matched by flooding the whole auditorium with pinky-gold light.

Act 1 introduces our brawny hero – Wotan’s mortal grandson – as a petulant adolescent, tormenting the dwarf, Mime, who has brought him up. In Act 2 matters brighten in the famous Forest Murmurs scene, a modicum of comedy (yes, actual humour) and a spot of dragon-slaying. But 12 years went by before Wagner finished the opera – he was busy with small matters like Tristan und Isolde – and the final act inhabits another world as Siegfried breaks through Brünnhilde's protective fire to win her, even if his first reaction to her slumbering body is to be scared witless.

Wagner manipulates his magic web of leitmotifs through textures, transformations and aural visions evoking everything from Mime’s description of what fear feels like (the Magic Fire music gone mad) to Siegfried’s reflections about his mother’s fate. Daniel Barenboim, masterful in his control of the huge structure and the ebb and flow of its transitions, extracted every drop of colour from dragon’s den to mountain sunrise; the Berlin Staatskapelle, with rich lower strings and silky brass, responded to him as one. Plaudit to the concertmaster, Wolfram Brandl, for a breathtakingly gorgeous violin solo.

But Siegfried belongs to its Heldentenor. The charismatic Lance Ryan, from Canada, who sings the role at the Bayreuth Festival this year, seemed in his element, meeting its gargantuan demands with only a hint of tiredness near the end. Nor was he above horsing about with the horn player who came forward to deliver Siegfried’s personal fanfare (“Got any others?” Ryan quipped).

Peter Bronder’s Mime offered a touch of genius, infusing each syllable with character; add the world-weary, smooth-toned Wanderer of Terje Stensvold, the glittering Woodbird of Rinnat Moriah at the top of the choir seats, the incomparable Eric Halfvarson as Fafner the dragon, Anna Larsson’s deep-set lava of an Erda and a brooding Alberich from Johannes Martin Kränzle, and the performance was a glory.

Yet Nina Stemme as the awakening Brünnhilde raised even this to new levels, for behind her open-hearted, strong-centred voice and apparently calm presence lay a fervour that matched the cool exterior with equal parts of fire. Another hot evening in the hall, but worth every second.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in