RSNO, 25/08/2021

Strauss : Ariadne auf Naxos

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Lothar Koenigs

So, after last week's performance from the LSO of Strauss's Suite from Le bourgeois gentilhomme, tonight was the other 'half' of that over-ambitious project of 1912, a revised version of the opera that was planned as the divertissement for the play, introduced by a backstage-set prologue, to replace the play altogether.   In this form, since 1916, it has stood the test of time as one of Strauss's most popular operas.  Aside from considerations of quality, it requires smaller forces than most of his works, notably in the pit, and given that there's no chorus involved, in these present times, that makes it a particularly interesting work to present.  

Tonight was a concert performance, partially staged in that there was direction of the singers, organised by Louisa Muller, but no scenery, and modern dress that I think was only partially costume.  All the singers were miked, which given that I was sitting about fifteen feet from the platform wasn't entirely a happy experience for me, because I was getting the sound both directly from the stage, and from the speakers a little behind and to the side, and that occasionally caused odd types of echo, or positional oddities.  

Every time I've seen Lothar Koenigs conduct, it's been in this early 20th Century area of repertory, which he seems to particularly appreciate.  He delivered a fine, crisp reading, very well timed throughout, enough forward momentum to prevent it from ever sagging - and there are a few spots where that can happen, if the conductor's not careful - but expansive enough to give the singers the chance to really fill out their climaxes. Again, from where I was sitting, balance wasn't ideal, but I'll assume that for anyone further back it was fine, and for the first time that I can recall, I was actually aware of the harmonium playing, which was a minor revelation.

The vocal plateau was pretty strong throughout, starting with the Majordomo of the great German baritone Thomas Quasthoff.  Quasthoff has retired from singing classical music, but his speaking voice is as eloquent as his singing voice, and his Majordomo was a delicious blend of smug, supercilious and slyly amused.  Martin Gantner was a sound Music-Master, without being especially noteworthy, and I found Peter Bronder a little lightweight as the Dancing Master, though Ossian Huskinson made an excellent impression as the lackey.  The Prologue, however, belongs to the Composer.  For an audience of a certain age, anyone taking on the Composer in Scotland has big shoes to fill, as we all remember Dame Janet Baker in the 70s, Scottish Opera being the only company for whom she ever performed Strauss's two "breeches" roles of Octavian and the Composer, and both being memorable for all the right reasons.  Still, Catriona Morison promised much, and delivered, with a bright, gleaming timbre that soared to the climaxes, and an eager, impetuous demeanour.

Brenda Rae's suitably coquettish Zerbinetta occasionally seemed a little under-powered in the Prologue, but rose to the occasion for "Großmächtige Prinzessin" later on.  The chemistry between Zerbinetta and the Composer wasn't quite there, although that might have been as much a directorial choice as anything else, but she made the most of the aria, and in this production, connected more with Ariadne than is normally seen, which was a nice touch.  Her entourage never quite struck the right balance for me, vocally, I wasn't hearing the second tenor, and sometime even the bass, distinctly enough, although Joshua Hopkins was a suitably mellifluous Arlecchino.  The three nymphs, though, were very nice indeed, Liv Redpath (Naiad), Soraya Mafi (Echo) and Claire Barnett-Jones (Dryad) blending well and enjoying the deliberately extravagant posturing.  

As I've mentioned before, it's always nice to be able to feel confident about the Bacchus, and David Butt Philip certainly fitted the bill.  At first, it was almost too much, even, because Bacchus's first few passages - those clarion calls of "Circe, Circe" - are supposed to come from off-stage, which I imagine wasn't terribly practical in this venue.  Instead, he was right at the front of the platform, and directly in front of me, singing at the top of his voice (as I'm sure is marked in the score) and it certainly was loud! Once he settled into the duet properly, the volume became much more reasonable, and I could enjoy the ease of delivery of what is a notoriously difficult, not to say ungrateful, tenor role.

Dorothea Röschmann was the Ariadne, and aside from the ease with which she navigated the demanding tessitura of the part, she delivered a beautiful lesson in language.  She brought the finesse of the lieder recitalist to Ariadne, bringing the words out with eloquence and expressivity, and capturing and holding the attention at every moment, completely engaging in all ways.  It was an exemplary lesson in how to deliver a text, of the kind that one gets to hear all too rarely, and should far more frequently.  If Röschmann is teaching, or intends to, I really hope this is something she can impart to her students, because it's a lesson that a great many singers need to learn.

[Next : 23rd September]