What was Act 3 like? Please feel free to add your thoughts and impressions about the entire performance.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Die Walkuere at the Met
I listened to the first two acts of a broadcast of "Die Walkuere" at the Met with great anticipation. This performance marked the long-awaited return of conductor Lorin Maazel and augured well. Unfortunately, Maazel's conducting lacked any frisson and was executed with military precision, so counter-intuitive for Wagner. Luckily, the tenor Clifton Forbis (Siegmund) came to the rescue by singing his heart out. His music was full of passion and care. At times his notes were inaccurate, but I readily forgave him. The other singers were more than up to the task also. James Morris as Wotan was in fine form and gave a nuanced rendition, at least vocally. Lisa Gasteen's high notes seemed to be missing, but she was a powerful Bruennhilde.
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1 comment:
Act 3 was terrific. Maazel's reading was detailed and nuanced, leading to a powerful climax. The tempi picked up in the Farewell and Fire Music, providing a satisfying contrast with the deliberate pace of the great Act 1 finale. Overall his reading gave us a great arch that unified the work on a symphonic scale. The orchestra rose to his demands magnificently. /
The only great singing that I heard was Stefanie Blythe's commanding Fricka. James Morris fell apart in Act 3, as he usually does toward the end of a long evening.
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