Pittsburgh Festival Opera opens Wagner’s cycle with ‘Rhinegold’
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Festival Opera comes to life every summer Wagner’s dark humor — with repertory not likely to often lost in full-scale productions. be tackled by mainstreamoriented Pittsburgh Opera. Scenery and costume This city’s smaller company’s designs by Danila Korogodsky ongoing projects include are the same as before, lesser known works by but directorially, and Richard Strauss — this season especially in the quality of the Pennsylvania premiere the singers, this year’s effort of “Arabella” (July 20 is far superior to the and 22) — and the revival of previous. its pared-down version of Mr. Eaton has made this “The Ring of the Nibelung,” into a totally watchable Wagner’s monumental fouropera show. Musically, Walter parable depicting the Morales held a tight rein rise and fall of civilization as on opening night, with the we know it. orchestra of about 40 – notwithstanding
Saturday evening in some bloopers Winchester Thurston from the brasses — School’s commodious Falk holding up valiantly in Auditorium, Festival this difficult score. Opera opened its “Rhinegold,” Notable as well, was the the first of four annual precision and intonational installments that will accuracy of the Rhinemaidens culminate with the entire (Hanna Brammer, cycle in 2021. Emily Hopkins, Kathleen
English composer Jonathan Shelton), whose important Dove created this trios can be painful mini-”Ring” for the City of when not perfectly on Birmingham Touring the mark. Opera, trimming Wagner’s In the single act of “Rhinegold,” 15-hours of music by the Nibelung approximately one-third, (dwarf-race) Alberich renounces reducing the orchestration love to steal gold and adapting the voc from the Rhine River and a l lines to Andrew forge a ring that will make Porter’s excellent English him master of the universe. translation.
Festival Opera first produced Alberich and Wotan are the entire cycle at “Rhinegold’s” main protagonists the Byham Theater, Downtown, (antagonists, actually), in 2006, but the intim who represent evil a c y of the present and greed in post-Industrial smaller venue i nIndustrial Revolution society. Shadyside makes it a personal Alberich was brilliantly experience, allowing sung and enacted by Barrington ever-inventive director Lee, whose commanding Jonathan Eaton to bring bass voice and out details — including superb stage presence enhanced every scene in which he appeared.
Mr. Eaton gives the dwarf additional prominence by bringing him back to dominate the final scene — the entrance of the gods into Valhalla – where the Nibelung’s presence reminds us that this apparently happy ending is not meant to last. As Wotan, baritone Kenneth Shaw was no less imposing, exuding authority in voice and demeanor, delivering his majestic lines extolling Valhalla with clarion force.
This “Rhinegold” is strong on the low male voices. Alexander Charles Boyd’s lyrical baritone served well for the wouldbe-macho thunder god Donner, whose counterpart Froh (God of Spring) is trimmed out of this edition. Basses Adam Cioffari and Andrew Potter embodied the giants Fasolt and Fafner with relish.
Robert Frankenberry may not have the Heldentenor voice to sing Loge, but he conveyed cannily the fire god’s malice and fun in trickery.
Opulent-voiced mezzo Mary Phillips was dominant and domineering as Wotan’s beleaguered wife Fricka, while Demareus Naomi Cooper’s massive voice and presence made Earth goddess Erda frightening and formidable in her warning aria. As Freia (with her essential apples of eternal youth) Brooke Dirks revealed a penetrating soprano of genuine Wagnerian potential.