Dhe Wagnerians will hate Valentin Schwarz after this “Valkyrie” at the latest. A super nasty Wotan who even wants to rape his own daughter Sieglinde, who is probably pregnant by him, shortly before Siegfried is born. A self-murdered Freia, who is screechingly mourned by an overweight, busty group of Valkyries in Russian disco Netrebo copy Versace chic. And whose legendary rock is ridden without a dead hero as a botox clinic for an XXL breast comparison. No spear, no helmet, no fire magic, just a candle.
Not even Siegmund may be killed by Hunding, clan leader Wotan does that himself with his revolver, which acts here as a spear as well as a sword Notung. On the other hand, he is a momentarily sad, touching god who wriggles fetal all alone on the almost naked Bayreuth giant stage for the third finale. And at the end of the day he snaps the ring into the red wine glass, takes the slouch hat his wife Fricka has handed him and steps down as a future “Siegfried” hiker.
Incidentally, Wotan, the splendidly stepping-in Michael Kupfer-Radecky, actually scheduled two operas later than Gunther, is already the second of this memorable “Valkyrie”. Because the first, Tomasz Konieczny, who was unfortunately quite incomprehensible to the text and only strong when speaking loudly, collapsed with his (fake) Eames lounge chair in the second act and was no longer able to play the third act due to back problems. But the Bayreuth Festival also got a grip on that, as it certainly did at the end of the massive traditionalist boos from the hardcore fans who were deprived of their admiration and Brunhilde farewell. Yes, bad luck, because hardly anyone can be as consistently evil as a young Austrian director.
And he’s daring, this Valentin Schwarz. After he had already disturbed, undermined and broken expectations in “Rheingold” with many characters and constellations that did not belong here. Some things are now unraveling, others have yet to be deciphered. But first of all, the assembled house is happy with Lise Davidsen as Sieglinde, who shines like a rocket from the darkest depths, the always idiosyncratic Klaus Florian Vogt (Bayreuth veteran, without sounding old) as Siegmund and the reliable super dog Georg Zeppenfeld. Finally we can hear real Wagner world stars on his house stage!
First on a short leash
And they really tear themselves apart in the first act. If Valentin Schwarz lets them. At first he keeps her on a short leash. In his shabby dwelling, built by Andrea Cozzi with great attention to detail, and through whose garage the world ash spreads like a squid tentacle, Hunding has to frantically tinker with the fuse box because of constant electricity problems. He leads the opposite of a blossoming two-person relationship. The desolate bedroom halfway up speaks volumes. There, the heavily pregnant Sieglinde opens the gleaming white cube with the pyramidal symbol of Valhalla’s purity, which here only stands for the good and the beautiful. And finally sparks between the siblings.
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Hunding, sedated in the armchair, remains behind with his hut, Wotan’s secret “Rheingold” room descends, now the double children’s room of the twins who find themselves again. Who now see themselves as silvery-abstract children, approaching them tentatively, tenderly feeling a love that even then went beyond the usual level.
If you get involved in such Valentin-Schwarz settings, even the constantly limping Sieglinde now dances weightlessly joyfully, then there are touching moments that can be seen in a completely new way and also allow the music to be experienced. But if you want to get upset, you’ll be bothered by the fact that Siegmund is offered a revolver from the White Cube instead of Notung from the ash tree. But a weapon is a weapon. And at the end of the second act Siegmund also dies very obviously. Not murdered by henchman Hunding, but shot much more cruelly by his own father.
Stream ready yet amazingly true to the original
You should have seen (among others) “The Sopranos”, “Succession” and “The Honor of the Prizzi”, then you will have fun and enrichment with this very streaming-friendly and somehow amazingly true to the work, which deepens the figure panorama that is to be assumed as known expanding “Ring des Nibelungen” interpretation. Bayreuth is doing pretty well right now.
Because Sieglinde is already an expectant mother – Siegfried is born here between the second and third acts – there is no need for incestuously blooming Wälsungen blood, a hug is enough. Later, this Siegmund very consciously strokes the big belly of his beloved sister, who has fled to Valhalla’s outside stairs of all places. Here, the continuation of the beginning of the second act can be staged as a dramatic narrowing, a hopeless family tragedy in which not only Brünnhilde, who has been ordered to announce the death, but also Wotan and Fricka, unperturbed, cleaning the silver and initiating the subsequent murder of the children, are involved. Who only wants to take revenge on her husband, who has once again cheated on her. Siegmund, the child isn’t even his, becomes the even more innocent victim, the mafia’s collateral damage.
This clan is even worse than in the “Rheingold”. But Christa Mayer in her over-the-top frock is a wonderfully murder-resistant, illusion-free Clan Mama Fricka with more mezzo-satiated balls than her killing guys. Wish-maiden Brünnhilde comes as a glitter goucho to the shrill Hojotoho and to the impasto death announcement as a grieving widow. It is sung by Iréne Theorin in an elderly way, with sharp treble and wobbly vibrato: the current highly dramatic state of emergency is also affecting Bayreuth. And she’s no longer a virgin either, thanks to her personal assistant, Ross Grane (Igor Schwab). Another Valentin Schwarz invention. You can like it, you don’t have to. But it never gets boring in this surprising “Ring” in “Valkyrie”.
Although Cornelius Meister has still not reached the expected operating temperature musically. There remains too much clumsy, small and poor in color. In the third act he finally turns it up, but then lets the new Wotan starve, not the biggest voice but trying to be as emotional as possible, with very slow tempi. It’s not yet a ringing facial expression, too much poking around, too little precise formulation. He still has two chances.
We definitely want to know how Valentin Schwarz, who keeps juggling new balls of meaning in the interpretative air at the same time, progresses carelessly, knowing nothing more about Wagner. The “Ring” failure is not yet ruled out. But even if: It would be an extremely brave one.