Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer. Michael Volle, Amber Wagner, Franz-Josef Selig, AJ Glueckert, Dolora Zajick, Ben Bliss. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. May 4, 2017.
NEW YORK CITY — Opera fans are fond of stage lore, so here’s one for the ages. When Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin appeared on the Met stage for his solo curtain call on opening night of The Flying Dutchman, members of the orchestra threw long stem roses at him from the pit, an extraordinary gesture of admiration and respect. Historically, the great conductors have a reputation of being disciplinarians and tough taskmasters. I am thinking of the likes of George Szell and Arturo Toscanini. Feared and respected — absolutely. Loved? Not so much.
On May 4, I found out why. Rarely have I experienced such a performance as that evening, one that combined great singing with magnificent orchestral conducting/playing. From the first bar of the overture on, for two and a half hours without an intermission, Nézét-Séguin had the audience in his grip, with torrents of magnificent sounds coming from the pit, in a performance that was exciting, dramatic, yet refined and lyrical. It bodes well for the upcoming tenure of Nézet Séguin taking over as Music Director in 2020.
Opera is also about singing, and we had great singing this evening from all the principals. Baritone Michael Volle is a singer I’ve heard many times in my European travels over the years. Since his Met debut in 2014, I’ve heard his Hans Sachs and Mandryka in that house, both etched in memory as extraordinary. His Dutchman this time around was every bit as impressive — mellifluous, almost bel canto singing combined with a real air of mystery in his characterization, so essential to this role. He dominated his scenes throughout, a tour-de-force of a performance.
He was well partnered by soprano Amber Wagner, one of the winners of the Met Auditions in 2007. I had the good fortune of hearing her Ariadne in Toronto when she replaced an indisposed Adrianne Pieczonka on opening night. Her Senta on May 4 was outstanding, singing with a huge, opulent sound, the most generous-voiced Senta I’ve heard. One could wish for more chiaroscuro in the form of a high pianissimo, so important in Senta’s Ballad given the many repeats. Other than that, she has all the vocal attributes for a great career in the jugendlich-dramatischer sopran fach.
The performance was also blessed with two very fine tenors. AJ Glueckert, a voice new to me, replaced Jay Hunter Morris as Erik, and he sang with gorgeous tone. Erik is a rather thankless role with two difficult arias, particularly the second one with a high note coming out of nowhere. Gleuckert dispatched both pieces with ease. Ben Bliss was perfect as the Steuermann, offering bright, attractive tone and an endearing stage persona. As Daland, Franz-Josef Selig, familiar to Toronto audiences, was properly sonorous, if occasionally a little unsteady and dry of tone. Veteran mezzo Dolora Zajick took on the comprimario role of Mary, wheelchair-bound in this production. She did her best in the brief moments in the spotlight. The true star of the evening was the superlative chorus, so important in this work. The sound of the sailors’ chorus took one’s breath away.
It’s hard to believe that this August Everding production is now nearly thirty years old. It is very much a naturalistic (as compared to realistic) production, highly atmospheric, enhanced with expert lighting, clever use of scrims and projections. It remains one of the most haunting treatment — Halloween-spooky if you will — of this opera I’ve seen. Too bad the overture was played with the curtain down. If this is a good indication of Nézet Séguin’s way with Wagner, one is in for a treat, as he is slated to conduct a concert performance of Parsifal at the Lanaudiere Festival this summer. Book your tickets!
Remaining performances of Der fliegende Holländer on May 8 & 12. www.metopera.org
For more REVIEWS, click HERE.
#LUDWIGVAN
