OVERNIGHT REVIEW: LA Opera's "Götterdämerung" at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News

Sensational!

I’ve spent several hours without coming up with a better one-word description of Los Angeles Opera’s opening-day performance of Richard Wagner’s Götterdämerung yesterday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. I don’t think I’ve ever used the word in a review before but yesterday showed just how glorious opera can be when everything clicks.

Among other things, I can’t wait for LA Opera’s upcoming Ring cycle (which begins May 29). I’m dying to see how (or if) German director Achim Freyer will alter his production ideas of Das Rheingold and Die Walkure, the first two music dramas (to use Wagner’s own description), based on what he has learned from Götterdämerung (and, to a lesser extend, Siegfried). On the other hand, if 17 hours of Wagner (the length of the entire cycle, give or take a few minutes) is more than you can handle, then don’t fail to snag a ticket for the remaining performances of Götterdämerung, which would be the next best thing to seeing the entire cycle.

Reason No. 1 for my opening adjective about Götterdämerung, (Twilight of the Gods) was Freyer’s production. This cycle is the 76-year-old (as of March 30) veteran of the theatre’s first Ring. In addition to the sets, Freyer has designed (with his daughter, Amanda) the costumes and masks and, with Brian Gale, the lighting, which was particularly atmospheric yesterday.

Fryer’s concepts have drawn polarizing reactions from audience and critics alike over the first three productions. However, whether it’s that I’m getting more used to Freyer’s ideas, the cumulative effect of seeing many of them for the fourth time, or that nearly everything clicked yesterday, this production grabbed me from the first note and never let go.

There were symbols aplenty: some — like Wotan’s missing eye and Loge’s flickering flames — flitting in and out and others, such as the Tarnhelm and what I think was Wotan hovering with his shattered spear, present throughout the performance. As has been always the case throughout the evolving cycle, a couple of symbols left me scratching my head. You could see this production several times and not grasp all of it, another good reason to plan on attending the upcoming Ring cycle, even if you’ve seen all four of the operas individually.

As he did in the three previous operas, Freyer used contrasts effectively, mostly with lighting and projections on a scrim that sometimes divided the production horizontally, sometimes vertically and once even diagonally. The ever-present turntable revolved only once; it was an inventive way of handling Siegfried’s death and the Funeral March music.

Even with an occasional technical glitch, the production was extraordinarily gripping. Nearly everyone in the audience agreed; when Freyer came on stage for a bow, he was greeted with a thunderous ovation that easily drowned out the few boos, a far cry from his reception at Das Rheingold.

Freyer’s design was so mesmerizing that I could even ignore the distracting spotlights in the last 45 seconds; whether they were a technical mishap, a miscalculation or some weird symbol that I didn’t grasp, my advice would be to dispense with them and let the fire, river and Redemption Through Love theme produce the cathartic conclusion that Wagner wrote. Incidentally, I did what I recommend to anyone when encountering a visual that you don’t like: close your eyes and let the glorious music take over.

And glorious, indeed, was the music yesterday. Music Director James Conlon has been a bedrock of strength and sensitivity for the entire cycle and yesterday was his best work to date; his ovation was even more massive than Freyer’s. Conlon’s pacing during the Prelude and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey had a spot-on sense of urgency but he was even more impressive in the lengthy conclusion to Act I in which he maintained the tension of the duet between Waltrute and Brünnhilde with unflagging zeal. Siegfried’s Funeral Music was majestic and the Immolation Scene, with that radiant Redemption Through Love conclusion, brought the entire production to a triumphant conclusion.

The unexpected star was the LA Opera Orchestra, which has grown into the Ring music with each succeeding production, culminating in a truly first-rate performance yesterday. It’s too bad that the Pavilion’s pit doesn’t project the ensemble better. Special kudos go to Principal Horn Steven Becknell, who handled the endless repetitions of Siegfried’s horn call flawlessly, and also to Principal Trumpet Tim Morrison.

That Conlon was able to maintain excellent balance between his orchestra and singers was helped immeasurably because Freyer found imaginative ways to keep his singers facing forward almost constantly and downstage at every possible opportunity. The Pavilion is a tough house in which to project from the middle to back of the stage and Freyer overcame that liability skillfully.

John Treleaven as Siegfried and Linda Watson as Brünnhilde certainly benefited from that placement; each has never sounded more radiant than they did yesterday. The entire cast seemed to grow ito its parts from movement to movement; the catalyst may well have been when Michelle De Young, who sang the twin roles of the Second Norn in the prologue and then Waltrude, brought gripping pathos to the latter’s first-act duet with Brünnhilde.

Eric Halfvarson became more menacing as Hagen from measure to measure, Alan Held brought rich pathos to his portrayal of Gunther, and Jennifer Wilson made her company debut a winner in the role of Gutrune. Richard Paul Fink was Alberich, Jill Grove and Melissa Citro (clad in weird globe-like costumes) joined De Young as the Norns, and Stacey Tappan, Lauren McNeese and Ronnita Nicole Miller were the Rhinemaidens.

Much has been made of the $32 million total price tag for LA Opera’s Ring cycle. What we heard yesterday and the fact that the entire cycle will, in fact, be staged this May and June makes it seems like money very well spent. Perhaps by the time LAO’s Ring is revived (according to LAO’s Chief Operating Officer Stephen D. Rountree not before 2018), the Pavilion will have been renovated into a first-class opera house worthy of the production.
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Hemidemisemiquavers:
• I continue to find it amazing that there appears to be no collateral material — posters, tee shirts, etc. — on sale in the Pavilion. Perhaps they’re coming when the cycle opens but it seems curious that those who have attended the four productions thus far have had nothing to purchase.
• I needled LAO officials about opening this production on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Thus, it was interesting to see in the third act that Alberich’s spear and Wotan’s spear combined to form a cross.
• Although not everyone agrees, I think the concept of beginning at 1 p.m. (or 12 noon if you attended James Conlon’s informative and enjoyable preconcert lecture) and being out of the theatre by 6:30 p.m. is a highly civilized way to attend a performance.
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Los Angeles Opera’s production of Richard Wagner’s Götterdämerung
Saturday, April 3, 2010 • Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Next performances: April 11, 17 and 25 at 1 p.m. and April 21 at 5:30 p.m.
Preconcert lecture by James Conlon one hour before each performance
Tickets: $20-$260.
Information: 213/972-8001; www.laopera.com
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(c) Copyright 2010, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

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