Author : Jos Hermans
Directors who bring sensuality to the theater can always count on my interest. One such person is former actor Herbert Fritsch, who recently managed to surprise with a colorful Carmen à la Offenbach in Hamburg. "It is always good when in the theater there is no place to hide on stage. That's where I see the most," Fritsch says. Those are words that could have been Robert Wilson's. The kinship with the famous Texan is therefore striking.
No orchestra can be seen at first, the orchestra being hidden behind the curtain. But the orchestra pit in its turn also seems to hide the music : why did the Sinfonieorchester Basel conducted by Clemens Heil sound so lacking in transparency? The double basses and timpani sounded woolly, details were rarely heard, only the soloistic moments of clarinet and bassoon sounded somewhat clear. For the "Dance of the Seven Veils," xylophone, additional timpani, and small percussion instruments were used on either side of the orchestra pit, and it all sounded crystal clear. It is one of the reasons why the Dance could become the musical and scenic highlight of the evening. This lack of transparancy cannot be explained by the reduced version Strauss authorized for smaller theaters. It differs from the usual version only in the reduction of the brass. So to me, Basel seems to have a giant acoustic problem as soon as it tries to accommodate a large orchestra in the orchestra pit, a phenomenon I never noticed before because the orchestra was usually on stage or because a chamber orchestra was used. To a work like Salome loss of detail is like a death blow No doubt Fritsch's scenographic solution was not compatible with an on-stage orchestra.
It is a sensual sight the stage offers after the lights in the auditorium are extinguished to Bayreuthean darkness. The cyclorama in the depth of the stage is Wilsonian blue, the moon is a white circle. The floor glistens in the moonlight with the head of John the Baptist at the center of a recess. Two gleaming golden thrones are the only set pieces. The scene soon loses its enchantment because there is little scenic differentiation : mainly a transition from blue light with white moon to purple light with red moon in the finale. The greatest enchantment comes from the scene during the Dance of the Seven Veils.
The Jews wear white stockings, long black coats and furry hats. The Nazarenes wear latex wigs, Herod and Herodias have the features of ancient characters from a Pasolini movie. Salome dances barefoot in a pink dress. Throughout the evening she will dance, not according to a choreography tailored to a seductive young woman but with the petulance and the improvisational talent of a child. She plops her feet on the floor, she bangs her head against the walls, she enjoys teasing her parents. Always in motion, Heather Engebretson reveals herself as a natural talent in the physical theater Fritsch demands of her here. Moreover, she also has the voice to match the role, which is all the more remarkable since her small stature condemns her to child-woman roles like Cherubino and Butterfly. The timbre is beautiful, the vibrato well controlled, the dramatic outbursts stunning.
Was Peter Tantsits suffering from a cold? His voice never really sounded clear to me. Jasmin Etezadzadeh sang a cool Herodias. Nice to hear a young soprano in a role that in major opera houses is always outsourced to a soprano past her prime. Jason Cox was a solid Jochanaan with a convincing depth of voice. Ronan Caillet and Nataliia Kukhar were apt as Naraboth and Herodias' Page.