The Regent Opera Ring has been slowly built up over four years, with each opera usually being staged in the Freemasons Hall in central London. For Götterdämmerung, finally staged as part of this set of complete cycles with some additional performances, the venue has moved to York Hall in Bethnal Green – and a fine venue for voices it has proven to be. The staging is essentially on an elongated rectangular thrust stage, with the audience on three sides and the orchestral forces on a stage on the fourth side. Reductions of Wagner’s scores are not unusual in the UK – think Jonathan Dove’s ‘Ring Saga’ staged by the then City of Birmingham Touring Opera in the early 1990s. Here Ben Woodward has kept the entire operas intact and skilfully created a performing edition scored for only 24 instruments, including an organ but eschewing the normal army of harpists! It is extraordinary how well this works, how Woodward has managed to retain the thematic complexity of the whole and how miraculously the colours of the original orchestration seem to be retained. Those with great familiarity of the work will adjust quickly and in their mind’s ear fill in the gaps. Only rarely is a little more dynamic oomph wanting. Ben Woodward conducted his forces himself, with drive and a fleet quality that really enhanced Caroline Staunton’s provocative staging. His players were exceptional in what must be an exhausting few hours for them. Bravi tutti!
The orchestral reduction could have been taken as an indication that the vocal contributions might be on the lighter / lyric side of the scale – but not so. This Das Rheingold showcases some notably big-voiced performers; singers clearly at one with their acoustic, and all singing and pointing the text with aplomb. Two performances dominated this evening. Ralf Lukas was an authoritative Wotan, gravelly of voice and depicting the flawed god’s expanding dilemmas resulting from his dodgy dealings with the giants with growing awareness of their import. The other dominant force was James Schouten’s complex portrayal of demi-god Loge, sung with charm, wit and dramatic insouciance; his attractive tenor sounding more heroic than is often the case when character-tenors take the role on. This was an outstanding assumption on any terms; he’s a singer with a career to watch for sure. However, all the singers make much of their roles. Mae Heydorn’s Erda is as beautifully sonorous as her portrayal is imposing whilst Ingeborg Novrup Børch’s lovely mezzo-soprano is mettlesome – her meddling streak there from the start. Oliver Gibbs, announced as going on whilst in recovery from illness, gave a fine Alberich nonetheless. He is incisive with the text and deftly characterised the Nibelung’s fall. If he was evidently ‘saving’ a little for the curse this was understandable – it chilled when it came. Completing the balanced cast is a trio of well-matched Rhinemaidens, a characterful Mime, a bright-voiced Froh, a forceful Donner and two well contrasted giant brothers. Henry Grant Kerswell’s Fasolt is not played for sympathy but as a gullible being, though he evoked much pathos before death. Craig Lemont Walters dour Fafner complements this well.
Given the limited stage space access and lighting facility Caroline Staunton’s staging is full of arresting images, and some thought provoking touches. Isabella van Braekel’s designs conjure up thoughts of an art gallery with key objects of the story, such as one of Freia’s apples, exhibited atop plinths. That Alberich sports a back tattoo of ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ (Total work of art) supports this. In the end the ‘gallery’ becomes the fortress of Valhalla. Curiously, at the end Wotan inhabits this space alone, his spouse, her sister and brothers seemingly deserting him in response to his actions a telling touch and providing a driver for what is to follow. More anon!
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