Munich and Vienna remain very lively centers for opera, and both companies employ American singers. At the Bavarian State Opera in Munich this year, the Italian director Luca Ronconi staged a fascinating production of Verdi’s Il trovatore that emphasized decaying pillars and churches as symbols of a doomed aristocracy.
Paoletta Marrocu sang Leonora beautifully—with a lovely soprano voice that was audible in all registers. Luciana D’Intino sang the mezzo-soprano role of Azucena with fire and dramatic presence, which made her an effective foil to the angelic Leonora.
Of the men, Paolo Gavanelli as the Conte di Luna offered the audience wonderful baritone singing and an intense presence as this tormented character. Dennis O’Neill sang Manrico with vocal ease, though his Italian diction sometime suffered from a lack of clarity.
At the Vienna State Opera, this year’s summer season was devoted to Puccini’s Tosca and Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri. Conductor Michael Halasz conducted a very intense reading of Puccini’s exciting score, and Margarethe Wallman’s very old production was still serviceable. She herself was a fascinating woman—she began as a ballet dancer, tragically got polio, and turned herself into a very successful opera director.
Salvatore Licitra was the star of this show; he sang Cavaradossi with true Italianate sound and a dominating vocal presence. Licitra was clearly the audience favorite, though Sylvie Valayre’s Tosca was an exciting dramatic force, despite a not-very-beautiful voice. Great singer-actors can make beautiful singing seem of secondary importance in their performances.
American Alan Titus was suitably villainous as Baron Scarpia, the tyrant who was trying to control Rome during Napoleon’s invasion of Italy. Titus made Scarpia a fascinating villain with obviously sexual intentions toward his victims. Virtually every army in Europe was fighting its way through Italy during this bloody period.
Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri benefited from Frédéric Chaslin’s colorful and rhythmic conducting of this comic gem. He knew how to keep the tempos light and lively so that this droll score could please his audience. Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s production is a more elaborate version of his Met production, which he did several years earlier than this version for Vienna. This staging presents us with a fairy tale Arab setting, full of gorgeous architecture and costumes.
Ferruccio Furlanetto has become famous for his tragic roles, but his performance of the Mustafà proved that he could be funny as well. His singing did not quite have enough vocal flexibility for this coloratura role—but his acting made up for it and he kept the audience laughing.
Agnes Baltsa has sung the role of Isabella many times, but she has not worn out the role. She is still sparkling and funny as the wily Italian determined to outsmart the Muslims who have captured her. Juan-Diego Flórez remains the best Lindoro around these days, and he impressed in Vienna as well. First, he is a true coloratura tenor and can sing this killer role with distinction—and he is a real clown in the part as well—in short, irresistible.
The Vienna State Opera actually does stage some German opera, and often they do a very good job. This summer, Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman and Strauss’ Daphne both livened up the June season.
Daphne is rarely staged these days—often considered one of the justifiably neglected late Strauss scores. But Nicolas Joel’s dreamy and highly symbolic production made a strong case for this score. Semyon Bychkov conducted with real dramatic conviction, though the orchestra was often too loud and ignored most of the quiet passages in this wonderful score.
Ricarda Merbeth possesses a large, dramatic voice and she sang the difficult role of Daphne with ease. She forcefully conveyed the character’s passionate and divided loyalties—loved by both a shepherd and the god Apollo—and could easily sing over Strauss’ large orchestra.
One of the reasons this score is done so rarely is that it demands two very good tenors, and this production succeeded on both scores. Johan Botha was wonderful as the god Apollo, and his heroic tenor voice made this god dominating and unforgettable. Michael Schade sang the shepherd, Leukippos, equally well, emphasizing the desperation of a human being trying to outsmart a god for the love of a woman.
The Vienna Opera also staged a wonderful Flying Dutchman. Wagner’s very nautical score needs a first-rate conductor, and Seiji Ozawa captured both the drama and the nautical and folk-like rhythms of this mighty score.
The Swedish soprano Nina Stemme impressed mightily as Senta—the Norwegian maiden in love with the tormented and doomed Dutchman. Stemme has a large, beautiful, dramatic voice—and she can act. This is a winning combination for Wagnerian opera.
Matti Salminen all but owns the role of her father, Daland, and he gave his usually wonderful performance. Franz Grundheber’s Dutchman has a rather wooly and worn quality, but his tormented acting made the Dutchman a living presence. He was presented as a suffering figure—who also causes much suffering for the other characters.
Torsten Kerl’s Erik was much more lively than most Eriks. He was determined to fight the Dutchman for his Senta, and though he ultimately loses her, the intensity of his fight—and the beauty of his voice—made him a pivotal character in this fascinating opera about the torments of the life of seafarers.
Both Vienna and Munich continue lively operatic seasons well into the summer months.
