John Tomlinson’s Raw, Wild Wotan
Die Walküre
Bayerische Staatsoper
Zubin Mehta, conductor
Farao Classics, CD and DVD-A surround sound
Siegmund: Peter Seiffert; Sieglinde: Waltraud Meier; Wotan: John Tomlinson; Brünnhilde: Gabriele Schnaut; Hunding: Kurt Rydl; Fricka: Mihoko Fujimura
Live recording
Time: 3:45:43
Rating ***
Culled from three live performances at the 2002 Munich Opera Festival, this 3-DVD hybrid set of a new production of Die Walküre provides much enjoyment for the Wagnerite. With an ever-changing parade of stills and adequate, if not excellent, singing, this performance keeps the listener interested in the music and slide show for nearly four hours of dramatic action.
The stage sets leave much to be desired (they are dull and poorly designed), but the vivid singing, coupled with the surround sound, gives this performance an immediacy and clarity that are rare in ordinary CD recordings. The orchestra, however, frequently sounds muffled rather than crisp. The conducting by Mehta is brisk and colorful (the strings are particularly satisfying) but lacks the depth and grandeur that Wagner’s music requires. Mehta supports the singers well, without overpowering them. Steiffert as Siegmund is in good heroic voice, with nary a hint of the vulnerability of a wounded hero. Throughout the first two acts, he sings at the top of his lungs, never faltering or slowing down; too bad that subtleties are lost on him. Meier as Sieglinde is too angular in Act 1, although she does her best to soften the hard edges of her voice. In Act 2 her singing finally acquires a round, soft, and jewel-like quality that is attractive. Schnaut as Brünnhilde, although adequate in the role, is long past her prime, with the attendant ponderous wobble in her voice and some shrill and flat notes. The most successful performance is by Tomlinson, who has terrific German diction for a non-native speaker. His raw and wild quality, like that of a prehistoric man, is wholly appropriate for Wotan, if not always pleasant. Tomlinson is so much in the moment that one can’t help but fall in love with his rough singing.
– Dalia Geffen