Wagner, Royal Opera House
Bryn Terfel’s quite remarkable Dutchman has the feel of a man meeting his destiny. Never have I heard and seen Terfel in better form and thankfully in a production that is a magnificent vehicle for this great talent.
From the lighting of a rippling front cloth during that glorious overture to the closing seconds of this macabre tale when Senta collapses clutching her model ship, this production is innovative and interesting rather than annoyingly gimmicky.
What a difference enjoying Terfel soar to his true Wagnerian heights in Tim Albery’s take on the psychological nightmare compared to Welsh National Opera’s recent offering.
The set is stark and dominating but it allows Terfel and the other towering presence of this production, Anja Kampe’s Senta, the freedom to thrill without distractions. Designer Michael Levine gives us a heavily raked, curved sheets of iron panels atmospherically lit to let our imagination see, for example, the Dutchman’s ship.
Terfel appears dragging the ship’ rope that ties him to eternal damnation – a weary figure seemingly devoid of hope as he tells of his fate in a majestic, sweeping monologue that allows our great singer to show his impeccable Wagnerian credentials.
In this 30th anniversary year since winning the Lieder Prize in Cardiff Singer of the World, his return to the Royal Opera stage could not be more successful and the audience relished having him back.
But this was by no means a one-man sensation.
The frighteningly intense Senta from the German soprano matches his dark despair with manic obsession that instantly makes the role understandable and the conclusion inevitable. Both are seeking redemption.
The chorus is breathtaking as a modern day fishing village where the men go out to sea and the women work in a sewing factory, eager to glam up when the boat comes in. The meeting of the live and the dead sailors is more chillingly than anything Hollywood can muster.
Hans-Peter König sings a solid Daland while Torsten Kerl makes is a weighty Erik and John Tessier is a chirpy steersman.
Wagner’s gargantuan score is handled with finesse by conductor Marc Albrecht, rich in dramatic timing, gut wrenching at times while allowing the charm from our fisher folk rise out of the darkness.
But the night belonged to Anja Kampe and to Terfel. Who knows? Maybe this year’s BBC Cardiff Singer of the World will see the start of another journey to match our unparalleled Dutchman.
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