Bayreuth Festival - Gotterdammerung

Published Friday 29 August 2008 at 16:35 by Penelope Turing

At the end of a Ring cycle at Bayreuth, it is traditional that first the chorus and then the orchestra fill the stage and are greeted with round after round of applause. Rightly, for they and the marvellous acoustics form Wagner’s greatest treasure here.

With Christian Thielemann conducting this is indeed a triumph.

Gotterdammerung is a temptation for many producers to experiment with the ending. Tankred Dorst has been tempted in this way too. His first scene with the Norns is visually exquisite - the three singers in graceful, silvery costumes are gathered on a rock in front of a black night sky dotted with twinkling stars. After that, we return to the ruined castle where Brunnhilde was awakened.

Then the problems begin with the Gibichungs’ Hall of stairs and balconies and steps. Is it a palace? A hotel? An expensive brothel? When Hagen calls up the vassals, out come dozens of men in dress suits and boiled shirts. The Gibichungs’ servants? But then women in evening dress join them, and waiters with trays of glasses.

Individual performances, however, can overcome oddities of production, and there are several fine ones here. Stephen Gould’s Siegfried seemed vocally tireless, a fine heroic figure but lacking romance. Linda Watson’s Brunnhilde seemed to be singing under difficulties - some soft passages were beautiful, but for the most part the voice was strained. Hans-Peter Konig on the other hand has a magnificent bass voice, but his Hagen was more like a kindly Hans Sachs than the embittered bastard Gibichung brother. The legitimate Gibichungs however, Gunther (Ralf Lukas) and Gutrune (Edith Haller) sang and acted admirably, and Christa Mayer was a poignant Waltraute.