ENO Twlight of the Gods

Not sure this message posted correctly. It appeared as a follow up to
a message I had never read from ages ago. If it did post correctly,
apologies for duplicating.

Anyone else catch any of the performances?

Daniel

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Attended ENO's concert performance of Twilight of the Gods last night,
in a new translation by Jeremy Sams.

Having been left cold by their previous concerts (Rhinegold and
Valkyrie), I had only expectations, but was pleasantly surprised.

It was, for me, a night for the men, Robert Poulton's flat, quiet,
unimpressive Gunther aside. The women were all more troubling.

Richard Berkeley Steele's Siegfried was powerful, convincing and
beautifully sung. I would imagine he was given little direction, but
brought the role alive, maybe slightly overplaying the impetuous
teenager, but never excessively (a body warmer served for armour) . A
real find for ENO. His enunciation of the text was wonderful. Singing
Wagner in English is pointless if the cast fail to project the words.
He made a powerful case for Wagner in English.

Alongside him, Gidon Saks as Hagen was equally impressive. Thick, dark
and brooding he also brought the role alive and also projected the
translation very clearly. Forceful and powerful in public, he crumpled
and cried like a baby in the scene with Alberich. Another real find.
Andrew Shore's Aberich was equally impressive.

On the female side, things were less happy for me. I have never warmed
to Broderick's Brunnhilde, although to be fair I was in the minority
here. She looks fantastic, and has the potential to bring the role
alive dramatically. Vocally she was sung off the stage by RBS however.
Her top notes were forced and brittle. She manages to cut through the
orchestra at loud moments, but only at the expense of the tone which
is shrill. I experienced that slight feeling of dread in Act II,
knowing long stretches of loud, shrill singing awaited. To be fair she
got better, and she sung her final scene beatifully. 99% of her words
were inaudible as well.

Claire Weston's Gutrune was a disgrace. One of the Norn's was
decidedly dodgy (3rd I think). Sara Fulgoni's Waltraute seemed good to
me, but it had been a long day and my attention was flagging by that
point.

Paul Daniels' conducting is a tricky one for me. I would never claim
to be an expert on conducting styles and speeds, and in a blindfold
test would probably not be able to tell a star conductor from a
workaday one. So a lot of it is about accuracy in the playing (ENO
orchestra good, apart from some laughable howlers. That interweaving
horn bit following the Alberich - Hagen duet was laughable, sounded
like a school band. I am guessing that bit is fiendishly hard, but
still). My other problem with Daniels is that he conducts like a
metronome. He looks so stiff and unnatural. You watch someone like
Pappano and it is like watching a dancer - the music seems to flow
through his entire body. (Personally I find impossible to spot any
semblance of a beat, but there you go. Presumably the orchestra
cope.). Watch Daniels and it is like watching a 16 year old in their
Grade 7 aural exam. Watching him, you can't help but feel the music
lacks flow and seems rigid. 99% psychological in my case, but there
you go.

The translation was very strong for me, although I did wonder how much
of a liberty Jeremy Sams took with the German. One or two clunky and
inappropriate idiomatic expressions "Nothung finished him off". "We're
all dying to hear your story" "Hey Gunther, grumpy old man...", "And
yet were I not true to Gutrune, then I'd be taming one of those
winsome girls across my knee!" (Surely the German doesn't say that at
the end of the Rhine Maidens scene???).

But there were some wonderful phrases. Hagen at the end of the
blood-bond scene:

"My blood would curdle your drink
It doesn't flow as nobly as yours
Stagnant, congealed, obdurate,
my blood is frozen within me..."

Again, I don't know if it is in the German, but Brunnhilde singing...

"Grane, my horse, our time has come.
Do you know where we are going together?
Aglow with firelight,
there is your lord,
Siegfried, the fire of my life"

... certainly does it for me.

All in all though, a great night. Sack Gutrune, sack Broderick, give
Robert Poulten a personality and a voice, get a different conductor
find some horn players who can play the notes and they would be there.

Daniel