Wagner Gala on the Oos
The Berliner Philharmoniker under Kirill Petrenko in Baden-Baden (****) [live]
In fact, this was a reprise of the Sylvester concert from the Berlin Philharmonic, this time without Jonas Kaufmann but also without the announced Brandon Jovanovich. And I would rather have seen the Sylvester concert's wonderful Hunding, Tobias Kehrer, here. In the end, Klaus Florian Vogt is not an ideal Siegmund, Vida Mikniviciute is not an ideal Sieglinde, Kwangchul Youn is not an ideal Hunding.
What I wrote this morning about the Berliner Philharmoniker is obviously valid here as well. It is the same line-up as in Bruckner, including two harps and eight double basses. During the Tannhäuser prelude and Venusberg music, it is the orgy of tha bacchanal with which the orchestra demonstrates its class. Once again the Berliner demonstrate their masterful control of tension and relaxation. Razor-sharp and highly disciplined, the pagan woodwinds and trills in the violins sound from the Venusberg. Even the timpanist has his moment de gloire. The final relaxation was grandiose - I even heard snatches of Götterdämmerung in it - culminating in a langorous and breathtaking pianissimo.
On the occasion of the Sylvester concert, Kirill Petrenko explained that a Walküre I in concert form wins a little as a result of the dialogue between the soloists and the chamber-music moments in the orchestra. Actually, I find this to be true. And as with the Sylvester concert, the orchestra is the actual star of the evening. Back then, the Digital Concert Hall camera showed details you cannot possibly see in the concert hall : the dedication of the orchestra members and how that resulted in the precision of the performance. This is really not a civil service orchestra! In die Walküre, the lower strings were primarily the ones that stood out in a favorable way. Violas and double basses showed their commitment immediately when attacking the prelude.
And then there is Klaus Florian Vogt. Time and again he surprises with his crystal-clear delivery and well-projecting voice. From him you get a Wagner with reasonable nuances and all the consonants but the essential thing is missing : the baritone color. It is purely a matter of timbre. I can't summarize it otherwise. And it is essential in all of Wagner's heroic roles. It is what makes his Tristan indigestible. Never is the singing experienced as truly sensual. It must be frustrating for him but he knows he is supported by his many fans.
Kwangchoul Youn sings excellent German for a Korean but it never really gets exciting in his case either. It is details that declassify him as a first-rate interpreter.
Vida Mikneviciute is the biggest problem. Her ravishing appearance and acting talent is her greatest asset. She is currently proving this again, as I write this, in the Tcherniakov Ring at the Berlin State Opera. The voice is rather slender, the vibrato almost constantly interferes, the register transitions falter, the voice projects well in the dramatic passages but the timbre lacks warmth. What is needed here is a powerful voice with a good middle range and a developed chest register.