Ariane in Naxos, from Salzburg and Vienna to La Scala in Milan – News
La Scala in Milan is presenting for its first time the staging by Sven-Eric Bechtolf of Ariane à Naxos (Strauss), a production adapted with Jonas Kaufmann as Bacchus in Salzburg in 2012, then presented regularly in Vienna where it came from with the French Superintendent Dominique Meyer:
Dominique Meyer, former Director of the Vienna Staatsoper and now of La Scala, is therefore offering another production ofAriadne in Naxos only three years after the inauguration of a homemade show named after director Frederic Wake-Walker and in which Meyer’s predecessor, the Austrian Alexander Pereira, played the spoken part of the Butler (Alexander Pereira was however Director of the Salzburg Festival during the creation of the staging by Sven-Eric Bechtolf).
The revival (directed by Karin Voykowitsch) differs slightly from the Salzburg and Viennese original but notably retains this postmodern mix of visual elements (sets and costumes), in particular with the dismantled grand pianos as rocks. A wide stage space generally divides the worlds between the back and the fore-stage (starting with the aristocratic Viennese salon and the backstage of the theatre) but this spatial width, used and essential given the number of actors and their importance in the story, does not do justice to the many intimate scenes. Similarly, the mise en abyme is highlighted visually and by the game, but at the expense of the comic verve carried by the troupe of the Commedia dell’arte (in this work which is nevertheless inspired by the Bourgeois Gentleman). A few comic gestures (such as those between Ariane and the conductor) do not arouse laughter from the audience.
The Primadonna/Ariane is interpreted by the Bulgarian soprano Krassimira Stoyanova. His dark, fleshy and dramatic voice unfolds with sovereignty in the treble, sometimes piercing at the end of its range. The bass relies on a nourished and stable base, allowing it dynamic finesse and nuance. Its long part of health reveals the discovery in beautiful vocals, manifesting a palette of noticed emotions, in particular for its love duet with Bacchus.
Sophie Koch shines once again in a straussian role in trousers, that of the Composer (as she distinguished herself on international stages with that of Octavian in The Rosenkavalier). His crisp and eloquent German reveals an articulate, solid and powerful vocal apparatus. The line is vibrant in the intense passages, but the high notes become somewhat sour and slippery. His performance nevertheless remains rich and polychrome on the expressive level, infusing a lot of tenderness into his lyrical duet with Zerbinette.
the Heldentenor Stephen Gould, with the great vigorous Wagnerian voice, offers all his conviction and many inequalities to the character of Bacchus. Its entrance on stage is punctuated by rhythmic discrepancies with the pit, sluggish peaks and (almost) outside its range, with issues of emission and an often insufficient dosage. Despite a phrasing lacking in finesse, he manages to regain his energy afterwards, relying on flawless German pronunciation, and by deploying his solar stamp at the top of his lungs, thus filling the room to the last rows.
Erin Morley is a clear and light sounding Zerbinette, sporting her flexibility with ease in the virtuoso feats of her vocal range. Its vibrating emission throughout the evening however harms the clarity of its line and of the text, this being sometimes veiled by its own volume and the sound mass of the orchestra. The expression is suave in the mild evenings and piano, unlike the other end of the dynamic palette which is less smooth. After a few vague vocalizations, she recovers all the control and the appreciation of the audience by her vocal fire deployed at the end of the evening.
The Master of Music (Markus Werba) is presented by a diligent and relevant acting (with a neat and sensitively articulated German), and by his baritone with luminous hues. He handles the vocal phrase elegantly and effortlessly, based on a nourished sonority, slightly vibrating but solidly elastic. As Dance Master, Norbert Ernst responds with a clear tenor, articulating his words and notes well but struggling to stand out from the orchestra or his colleagues on stage. The intonation is quite solid, but can waver between singing and speaking.
Samuel Hasselhorn sings Harlequin in a dark and robust voice, musically convinced but rather serious than comic in his acting on stage. The tenor Jinxu Xiahou presents in Scaramouche a radiant but limited line in the treble, unlike the bass of the fleshy and authoritative bass of Jongmin Park as Truffaldin, very confident in his role. Pavel Kolgatin (Brighella) is a tenor with a luminous and suave tone, offers a satiny and melodious phrasing.
Of the three nymphs, Caterina Sala’s Naiad is a velvety and supple soprano, although her high notes are sometimes forced and harsh, the Dryad by mezzo Rachel Frenkel makes a harmonious counterpart with its sustained and rounded bass, while the broad and solid ambitus by Olga Bezsmertna in Echo rests these two lines in a proportioned trio, but without great musical delicacies.
Among the singers of the Academy of La Scala, the public distinguishes the Lackey of Sung-Hwan Damien Park for his rich and powerful bass, Hyun-Seo Davide Park (Officer) with his slender and eloquent tenor, while the baritone Paul Grant interprets the Wigmaker with his radiant instrument and loquacious pronunciation.
Conductor Michael Boder conducts the House Orchestra with confidence, but, despite the small number (up to the quartet) compared to other Straussian operas, he does not manage to reveal the delicacy and sonic intimacy of –and demanding– certain lyrical scenes. The coherence between the sections is however flawless, the communication with the soloists being coordinated and proportionate, with an always resonant projection.
At the end of the show, the public applauded the soloists but the reception remained unenthusiastic, despite the efforts of the entire artistic team.