A successful performance is when you say to yourself at curtain call: Let's do it again !
ForumOpéra in conversation with Andreas Schager
Interviewer : Tierry Verger
Andreas Schager is Siegfried in Der Ring des Nibelungen in the new Tcherniakov / Thielemann production in Berlin. Between the second and third day of the cycle, Schager talks about this production and his career.
After this Siegfried, what are your first impressions?
The musical quality is there, I sing with fantastic colleagues. We have been rehearsing intensively since February; at that time I was in Madrid and because of the covid I could not go to Berlin for the rehearsals between each performance. So the Staatsoper Berlin came to Madrid! Tcherniakov, pianist and translator went back and forth. Tcherniakov's staging is, as usual, a challenge, because he does a very precise job. Some people have an absolute ear, he has an absolute eye! For example, if such and such a candle is placed here on the table and the next time it is moved a few centimeters, he will interrupt us and put it back in its place. The rehearsals can be very long...
This staging has been much commented on...
This staging is particularly interesting, in that Tcherniakov concentrates on the characters; he evacuates all mythical and mystical considerations: the ring has no meaning, the sword neither, nor the helmet, there is no magic potion, no gods, etc. For example, in Twilight of the Gods, when Siegfried appears as Gunther; normally he has to put on the magic helmet and change his voice a little. Tcherniakov sees this scene differently: Siegfried returns to Brünnhilde exactly as he was when he left her. There is therefore no external transformation, in his physiognomy, but he is completely different internally. This means that between the two moments something has happened; he is no longer the same man and she sees him as a different man: he speaks differently, he does not have the same gestures, the same reactions. What interests Tcherniakov is the psychological evolution of the characters; this is why he sets the action of The Ring in a center of human experimentation, which in itself is terrible! What is sure is that this staging is not conventional.
In general, do you adapt to directors, no matter what they demand of you?
No, no, I have already said, not with Tcherniakov, but with other directors, "No, I won't do that". But here it is not the case; I know Dmitri very well, I know how he works. I know that this staging works very well with those who have never seen the Ring before. For those who know the Ring by heart, and there are many of them, it may not work!
Which Siegfried do you prefer: the one from Siegfried or the one from Götterdämmerung?
I'll return the question : if you have children, which one is your favorite? (Laughter). It is obvious that these are roles that require a lot of energy, but it is this energy that makes us live, we artists. A successful performance is when you say to yourself at curtain call: "Let's do it again! For this Siegfried [on November 3], I had to concentrate a lot because I had just come out of a slight cold; but these are often the best performances when you have to concentrate on your voice more than usual.
Tristan and Siegfried are your two big roles right now.
Yes, they are two incredible universes that you immerse yourself in every time. And in those moments, nothing else matters. I couldn't say which one I prefer. There is also Lohengrin, which I like very much; it is almost another language, there is an Italian touch to this role that I like very much.
And in Bayreuth in 2023, you will sing, in addition to Siegfried, the role of Erik!
Yes, this was my first role in Bayreuth and it's a bit of a comeback, and I must admit that I'm taking it on because Tcherniakov asked me to! I think I have sung all the Wagnerian roles that Tcherniakov has directed.
We were talking about Italianness. When will Andreas Schager sing a great Italian role?
Well, it will be in 2024 at the Staatsoper Wien in Otello! It is really the perfect Verdian role for a heldentenor. I started learning the role three or four months ago; then I leave it aside and come back to it and listen to some recordings. I think Otello will be my only Italian role. When you take on great Wagnerian roles, they take up all your time. And the opera houses hold you back a long time in advance. For example, for Siegfried, I have commitments until 2029, because there are not so many of us on the circuit and so the houses have to make arrangements a long time in advance and decide on the casting of the great roles even before the directors!
Enée?
That would be fantastic; for the moment nothing is planned, but I am certainly thinking about it. The only French role I have played is Samson, here in Berlin. Dalila was to be Elina Garanča. She was on the plane to Berlin and when she got off she learned that she was positive for covid.
How did you get through the covid period?
It wasn't all bad; I have a four-year-old and it was a blessing to be able to take care of him. But I know that for many colleagues, including some very well-known names, it was a difficult time.