Gurrelieder Directed by Mariss Jansons. BR KLASSIK DVD (900110), 2011. $24.99.
This seldom-performed behemoth has, in terms of production costs, truly given frugality the finger. After all, any self-respecting choral/orchestral work written in Wagnerian style is going to require at least four choruses, six timpanis, four Wagner tubas, and a set of iron chains, and Gurrelieder does not disappoint. (In the spirit of Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9, the patient chorus does not even see any action until the third and final Teil.) Though it was originally conceived in 1900 as an entry for the Vienna Music Society’s song competition, Schoenberg did not complete Gurrelieder until 1911. Because he’d begun composing the work early in his career, this story of unrequited love is infused with enough Romanticism to have sold tickets that bore the name “Schönberg,” for by the time Gurrelieder received its acclaimed premiere in 1913, his overall adherence to Western tonality had all but disappeared and the public was not thanking him for it. (In case you’re wondering, Castle Gurra was the residence of 14th-century heroine Tova, the soprano soloist in this work.)
This October 2009 performance was held and recorded in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and is the only recording of Gurrelieder available on DVD. Due to various illnesses, the five vocal soloists cover six roles is this production, with Michael Volle acting as the narrator in addition to his role as the peasant, and tenor Stig Andersen having filled in at the last minute for the substantial role of Waldemar. Deborah Voigt soars as Tova, though her character does not live past the first part. The disc includes documentary footage and interviews in German. Though you may someday have the good fortune to attend a live performance of Gurrelieder, this one is a fine and guaranteed opportunity.
Medea. Conducted by Michael Boder; directed by Marco Arturo Marelli. Arthaus Musik, 2011. Available in DVD (101551) and Blu-ray (101552) versions. $29.99/$39.99.
This fabulous recording of a commission by the Wiener Staatsoper, in collaboration with the Frankfurt Opera, brings us the world premiere of Medea. Reimann’s eighth opera and his first in ten years, Medea was awarded World Premiere of the Year by the German magazine Opernwelt. Reimann focuses on a few hours of the life of Medea, a mythological Greek protagonist who seeks revenge on her husband, who has fallen in love with another woman. Visions from Reimann’s scarred childhood—during which he saw Berlin and Potsdam bombed and blazing—are incorporated into Medea as they were in his other operas Traumspiel, Melusine, and Troades.
The primary cast of six features German coloratura Marlis Petersen, who is intense and accurate as Medea. Her angular leaps sound effortless, and she easily elicits sympathy from the viewer with her desperate, wailing melismas. She spends most of her time crawling around on a desolate, futuristic landscape. The score is dense, powerful, and atonal, yet the music reflects the physical ambiance and actions of the characters so artfully that its accessibility to the general listener is pretty much a non-issue. Conductor Michael Boder was wisely chosen for his familiarity with Reimann, having premiered his Schloss in 1992, and stage director Marelli’s reputation for world premieres will continue unscathed. This production is not one to miss.
Die Vögel. Conducted by James Conlon; directed by Darko Tresnjak. Arthaus Musik, 2010. Available in DVD (101529) and Blu-ray (101530) versions. $29.99/39.99.
Here is another DVD world-premiere from James Conlon and the LA Opera’s “Recovered Voices” project. Braunfels’s libretto for Die Vögel—his second staged opera and probably his best-known—is based on the ancient Greek comedic play of the same name. After Bruno Walter premiered and put in a good word for the work in the early 1920s, it was quickly adopted in post-World War I Germany and rivaled any Strauss opera in popularity. Polyphonic, tonal, and lyrical, it reflects Braunfels’s conservative style and his adherence to German Romanticism.
It seems like one would have to try to make a satire filled with colorful beasts visually unappealing. The staging is barren to the point of appearing cheap, and the poor lighting fails to highlight much of the Chor der Vögel. And any singing character called Nightingale probably deserves more than what Désirée Rancatore offers here. The Italian coloratura makes her LA Opera debut in this role, and while her top is clear and flexible, her tone is dull and her overall presence seems disengaged. Matthew Moore as Zeus, too, sings with vigor but looks like a terrified fifth grader at a spelling bee.
Gripes aside, Brandon Jovanovich and James Johnson both produce rich, spinning waves of sound, and whether they’re traversing the cardboard heavens or fending off flapping fuchsia mezzos, they’re just a delight to watch. I’m tempted to say “wait for the DVD,” but you already did.
– Anne Shelley
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