German soprano Gunbritt Barkmin (Isolde), Swedish mezzo-soprano Martina Dike (Brangena) and Estonian bass Ain Angers (King Mark).
Publicity photo (Anete Rudmieze).
Armands Znotiņš, “Kultūrzīmes”, AS “Latvijas Mediji”
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Rajev: “We must ensure that the Russians prepare for a guerrilla war in the event of a conflict!”
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Krievi at least half a thousand women are held captive there. That’s why Ukrainian women are cutting off their braids and preparing to release theirs
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The slide outlines how the dead are brought to Russia: “The dead are packed in boxes together with the wounded”
The question of whether Richard Wagner was ever in Cēsis in his life will have to be addressed to those historians who have studied the composer’s life day by day. It is not excluded, because Wagner’s biography records two years (1837–1839) as the conductor of the Riga City Theater.
What’s the big deal – between your duties as a conductor and the writing of the opera “Rienci”, will you ever go to Cēsis? Even in the 19th century, it would be quite conceivable. In Wagner’s life, however, another two-year period (1857–1859), spent in both Zurich and Venice, is more significant.
At this time, the opera “Tristan und Isolde” was created, at that time Wagner experienced the end of his relationship with Mathilde von Wesendonck (this is the first obvious key to the explanation of the newly created opera) and read Arthur Schopenhauer’s work “The World as Will and Image” (this would be the second key).
“Tristan and Isolde” premiered in 1865 in Munich under the direction of Hans von Bielow. On July 9, 2022, a concert performance of the opera took place in the Cēsu concert hall, filled with listeners, as part of the Cēsu Arts Festival – the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Andris Poga, the role of Tristan was sung by the German tenor Marko Jenčs, and the role of Isolde was played by the soprano voice of Gunbrit Barkminas.
“Tristan und Isolde” is one of the grandest operas in the classical repertoire – Carlos Kleiber’s canonical setting lasts four hours without six minutes. In the Cēsis concert hall, the flow of the music seemed smoother, but it was clear that everyone had expected a long timing and long breaks. At the same time, “Tristan und Isolde” is often regarded as the first modern opera – and such a statement seems challenging, since Claude Debussy’s “Pelleas et Mélisande” and Richard Strauss’s “Salome” have to wait another forty years.
However, modernity is really there – both in terms of harmonious language and ideas. And just like that, there is an unmistakable reference to the two operas created much later – all three scores are tragic love stories intertwined with philosophical reflections. So – a blow in the consciousness of the listener. With this, Wagner once again strengthened his fearsome reputation.
I must say right away that the musical quality of the concert was even better than I expected. This also applies to the episodes, which in Wagner’s dimensions will rather be very serious roles (Mhailo Chulpaev and the young sailor, the shepherd – Artyom Safronov, the helmsman – Rinald Kandalintsev), which were performed on July 9 in decent quality.
The same goes for the details in the diverse fabric of the orchestra – Jana Zeļenska was especially highlighted in the program with an English horn solo, and deservedly so, but all the other brass players also played equally precisely and expressively, and the percussion instruments also fit into the ensemble just as successfully. Soon after the beginning of the opera, it became clear that the participation of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra could be relied on, and Andris Poga had great merits both in unraveling the nuances of the string group, and also in incorporating all the great emotional passions into a clear dramaturgical architectonics, a unified flow of musical thought.
The vocal lines of the interpretation can be debated, whether they perfectly corresponded to the power and intensity required by Wagner’s main roles. Of course not, but I prefer not impersonal voices with, for example, hard-to-control vibrato, but the kind of singing that Marko Jenč and Gunbrita Barkmina had – engaging, sensitive, colorful, sometimes a little tired, but in any case always interested in the revelation of characters.
And the fact that Martina Dike’s Brangena, Olivera Cvarga’s Kurvenāls, Aina Angera Marks could surely shine in such a line-up of soloists was only good for the overall scene of the performance – there were actually no supporting characters, and both the low voices of the men and the timbre of Martina Dike, already known in Latvia sounded brilliant.
Aleksandr Lobanov’s video work helped to formulate many expressions. First of all, I must admit that such a serious and detailed performance to some extent replaces scenography and direction, so it was a clear stopping point for the purposefully realized system of images and ideas in the concert performance. And then follow Wagner’s questions.
Does the libretto and concept of the opera, which would be more aptly described as “suicidal”, tell more about the decline of 19th century romanticism, or about today’s reality? What is the perspective of a world where young people die and old people live (researchers of Wagner’s work have pointed out that this is the most painful ending to the sad story of Tristan, Isolde and King Mark)?
How does it feel to live in an era where everything has already been, and the leap into a fundamentally different future is clearly beyond the capabilities of an individual? Last and most important, what is the solution to the mystery of love? Needless to say, I have answers to all of these questions, but they go beyond the scope of a laconic review.
Undoubtedly, it would be very useful and also very inspiring for listeners interested in classical music to search for these answers together with opera directors – as the July 9 performance occasionally raised thoughts about how valuable the result could be if this soloist ensemble, orchestra, conductor and the video artist’s performance would be accompanied by a message by Alvjas Hermaniš, Viesturas Kairis or Pēteras Krylovs along with scenography.
And here we really return to modern reality, where “Tristan and Isolde” was last staged in 1921 at the Latvian National Opera. There is also a lack of literary primary sources, because unlike other European countries, “Tristan und Isolde” by Gottfried Strasburg has not been revived in Latvia, nor “Parsifal” by Wolfram von Eschenbach or “Lancelot” by Chretien de Troyes.
But on the other hand, we have the Cēsu Art Festival, which has consistently shown that it is definitely worth striving for creative ideals. Even if the aftertaste remains as sad as at the end of the July 9 interpretation, watching Isolde’s fading star accompanied by the last pages of Wagner’s music.
Really sad and touching – and also indescribably beautiful.
Themes
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