![\"Parsifal](\"http:\/\/www.musicalamerica.com\/mablogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/brkassikParsifal.jpg\")
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By ANDREW POWELL BAYREUTH \u2014 Clouds over Europe\u2019s festivals this summer are as figurative as they are literal. The trouble is not lower standards or Regietheater<\/em>, or even money, but has to do with Europe itself and macabre shifts that are gradually threatening the way of life accepted since 1945. Last year, you could see it in the organized beggars<\/a> at the very doors of the Salzburg Festival under the noses of undirected Austrian police. Now it shows, conversely, in a massive security operation around this city\u2019s Festspielhaus. Nobody knows what is coming for the various main seasons.<\/p>\n Consider: nine police vans at Wagner\u2019s theater, forty officers; Arndt Gruppe protective staff, carrying; no visitor walk-around of the building without recourse to the street; segmented access areas; Siegfried-Wagner-Allee<\/a> closed to vehicles; taxis on a footpath loop to the Liszt-B\u00fcste<\/a>; endless patrols; bag searches (but no metal detectors); and ticket checks at the doors, at the feet of the interior stairs, and on entry to the auditorium. Heightened security was announced months ago \u2014 before an Afghan asylum-seeker armed with an ax hurt four people on a train here in Bavaria on July 18, before an Iranian-German obsessed with mass killings shot nine people dead in Munich on July 22, before a Syrian asylum-seeker slew a pregnant woman with a meat cleaver near Stuttgart on July 24, and, pertinently, before another Syrian that same evening botched a plan to explode his metal-piece-filled backpack among two thousand listeners at a different music festival in this state.<\/p>\n No extra measures applied, the Bayreuth Festival<\/a> said, for Tristan und Isolde<\/em> (Aug. 1) or Parsifal<\/em> (Aug. 2, pictured) with Bundeskanzlerin<\/em> Angela Merkel in discreet attendance. Both performances upheld high levels of artistry, at least in terms of the listening.<\/p>\n Christian Thielemann<\/a>, whose impulsive musicianship suits the love-potion work, gauged the score\u2019s climaxes shrewdly and made as much of its barely pulsing nostalgia as of its ecstasies. His hidden orchestra \u2014 drawn from a roster of 198 musicians from no fewer than 55 orchestras, 52 of them German \u2014 delivered entrancing, duly rapturous sounds, though detail in this instrumentally driven Musikdrama<\/em> would have registered more luminously in a normal theater. Petra Lang<\/a>, a past Brang\u00e4ne for Thielemann and here for the first time an Isolde, produced consistently full and secure dark tones but swallowed much of the text; stage direction presented the promised bride as violent as well as sarcastic. Stephen Gould<\/a>\u2019s noble Breton tended toward blandness in the high notes, but a musically astute and unstinting portrayal in accented German emerged anyway. Georg Zeppenfeld<\/a> sang Marke richly, with solid lows, but projected little in the way of authority; being depicted as a kind of thug did not help. Claudia Mahnke<\/a>\u2019s Brang\u00e4ne got somewhat quashed by Lang\u2019s timbre and haughty stage presence, while Iain Paterson<\/a>, as Kurwenal, wobbled vocally on the approach to Cornwall before finding his form.<\/p>\n Hartmut Haenchen<\/a>\u2019s way with Parsifal<\/em>, finely executed by the orchestra, brought a perceptive sense of purpose to each phrase, not least in a deeply focused Act I Vorspiel<\/em>. But the conductor proved less potent in ensembles and dense passages, seemingly unwilling to home in on any single musical line. He had a strong cast: Elena Pankratova<\/a>, whose thrilling top notes, resonant chest voice and attentive musicianship as Kundry reinforced impressions of a major artist, albeit one who appears to have doubled her weight in three seasons; Klaus Florian Vogt<\/a>, a pleasing and relatively credible Parsifal; Ryan McKinny<\/a>, intoning suavely as Amfortas; and Gerd Grochowski<\/a>, musically incisive but dramatically betrayed as Klingsor. Zeppenfeld, alas, conveyed limited pathos in his neat delivery of Gurnemanz.<\/p>\n Neither of the two stagings offers an uplifting visual counterpart to the music or masterful use of color and form. Katharina Wagner<\/a>\u2019s considered production of Tristan und Isolde<\/em>, new last summer, at least allies its Personenregie<\/em> with cues in the score, and at Kareol musters a plausible probe of Tristan\u2019s mind. But its spaces are confined, notably in Act I when the composer is breathing the sea air. And the young r\u00e9gisseuse<\/em> undercuts the nobility of both Isolde and Marke. Uwe Eric Laufenberg<\/a>\u2019s Parsifal<\/em> staging is at its most poignant as Act III ends and the stage is left bare by exiting Muslims, Christians and a token group of Jews. What comes before is a leaden admonition, set in the unholy and here timeless Middle East, on the perils of religion. Topically for the German audience, it begins with Muslim refugees in Christian sanctuary. Act I\u2019s Verwandlung<\/em> lifts us on a cosmic flight out of Iraq courtesy of NASA and Google Maps. A quasi-Muslim Gurnemanz hands us off to a quasi-Muslim Klingsor who collects and fetishizes crucifixes. Kundry starts in a hijab, progresses to a mini-dress (in which she bizarrely nods off during her mission to seduce), and terminates as a graying kitchen hag in the service of the ruined knighthood. Less inventively, Laufenberg has Amfortas\u2019 wound parallel Jesus\u2019 stigmata; it won\u2019t heal because the knights keep knifing it open to refill their sacred chalice. So much for ambiguity. DVDs of both operas are promised under a new deal with Deutsche Grammophon<\/a>.<\/p>\n After a prolonged renovation, the wraps are off the Festspielhaus\u2019s iconic fa\u00e7ade<\/em> for this first summer under the sole leadership of Katharina. The place looks spiffy, an impression reinforced by the uniforms as much as the gowns. A window right next to the unused central door now ventilates a men\u2019s room. Newly sponsored carry-in cushions now enhance comfort in the auditorium. To their credit, festival staff are keeping up an amiable demeanor despite the security strictures. The caterer, meanwhile, is keeping up its margins. Steigenberger Hotel Group<\/a>, out of Frankfurt, sells a wild boar sausage on a roll for \u20ac7 and a small beer for \u20ac5.50 (versus \u20ac5 for a better sandwich and \u20ac3.50 for a beer in Munich\u2019s National Theater); its on-site manager jokes that steep prices pay for the security. In what amounts to a slap in the face for Landkreis Bayreuth<\/a>\u2019s own pilsners, such as the outstanding H\u00fctten Pils<\/a> made with water from the same mountain range as above Plze\u0148, Steigenberger serves a Saxon beer.<\/p>\n BR Klassik will audio-stream the Aug. 1 Tristan und Isolde<\/em> at 12:05 p.m. EDT on Aug. 27, 2016, here<\/a>. Video of the opening night of Parsifal<\/em> (July 25) is here: Act I<\/a>, Act II<\/a>, Act III<\/a>.<\/p>\n Still image from video \u00a9 BR Klassik<\/p>\n Related posts:
Published: August 19, 2016<\/span><\/p>\n
\nKaufmann, Wife Separate<\/a>
\nParsifal the Environmentalist<\/a>
\nSee-Through Lulu<\/a>
\nU.S. Orchestras on Travel Ban<\/a>
\nNitrates In the Canap\u00e9s<\/a><\/p>\n
![Liszt-B\u00fcste<\/a>; endless patrols; bag searches (but no metal detectors); and ticket checks at the doors, at the feet of the interior stairs, and on entry to the auditorium. Heightened security was announced months ago \u2014 before an Afghan asylum-seeker armed with an ax hurt four people on a train here in Bavaria on July 18, before an Iranian-German obsessed with mass killings shot nine people dead in Munich on July 22, before a Syrian asylum-seeker slew a pregnant woman with a meat cleaver near Stuttgart on July 24, and, pertinently, before another Syrian that same evening botched a plan to explode his metal-piece-filled backpack among two thousand listeners at a different music festival in this state.<\/p>\nNo extra measures applied, the Bayreuth Festival<\/a> said, for Tristan und Isolde<\/em> (Aug. 1) or Parsifal<\/em> (Aug. 2, pictured) with Bundeskanzlerin<\/em> Angela Merkel in discreet attendance. Both performances upheld high levels of artistry, at least in terms of the listening.<\/p>\nChristian Thielemann<\/a>, whose impulsive musicianship suits the love-potion work, gauged the score\u2019s climaxes shrewdly and made as much of its barely pulsing nostalgia as of its ecstasies. His hidden orchestra \u2014 drawn from a roster of 198 musicians from no fewer than 55 orchestras, 52 of them German \u2014 delivered entrancing, duly rapturous sounds, though detail in this instrumentally driven Musikdrama<\/em> would have registered more luminously in a normal theater. Petra Lang<\/a>, a past Brang\u00e4ne for Thielemann and here for the first time an Isolde, produced consistently full and secure dark tones but swallowed much of the text; stage direction presented the promised bride as violent as well as sarcastic. Stephen Gould<\/a>\u2019s noble Breton tended toward blandness in the high notes, but a musically astute and unstinting portrayal in accented German emerged anyway. Georg Zeppenfeld<\/a> sang Marke richly, with solid lows, but projected little in the way of authority; being depicted as a kind of thug did not help. Claudia Mahnke<\/a>\u2019s Brang\u00e4ne got somewhat quashed by Lang\u2019s timbre and haughty stage presence, while Iain Paterson<\/a>, as Kurwenal, wobbled vocally on the approach to Cornwall before finding his form.<\/p>\nHartmut Haenchen<\/a>\u2019s way with Parsifal<\/em>, finely executed by the orchestra, brought a perceptive sense of purpose to each phrase, not least in a deeply focused Act I Vorspiel<\/em>. But the conductor proved less potent in ensembles and dense passages, seemingly unwilling to home in on any single musical line. He had a strong cast: Elena Pankratova<\/a>, whose thrilling top notes, resonant chest voice and attentive musicianship as Kundry reinforced impressions of a major artist, albeit one who appears to have doubled her weight in three seasons; Klaus Florian Vogt<\/a>, a pleasing and relatively credible Parsifal; Ryan McKinny<\/a>, intoning suavely as Amfortas; and Gerd Grochowski<\/a>, musically incisive but dramatically betrayed as Klingsor. Zeppenfeld, alas, conveyed limited pathos in his neat delivery of Gurnemanz.<\/p>\nNeither of the two stagings offers an uplifting visual counterpart to the music or masterful use of color and form. Katharina Wagner<\/a>\u2019s considered production of Tristan und Isolde<\/em>, new last summer, at least allies its Personenregie<\/em> with cues in the score, and at Kareol musters a plausible probe of Tristan\u2019s mind. But its spaces are confined, notably in Act I when the composer is breathing the sea air. And the young r\u00e9gisseuse<\/em> undercuts the nobility of both Isolde and Marke. Uwe Eric Laufenberg<\/a>\u2019s Parsifal<\/em> staging is at its most poignant as Act III ends and the stage is left bare by exiting Muslims, Christians and a token group of Jews. What comes before is a leaden admonition, set in the unholy and here timeless Middle East, on the perils of religion. Topically for the German audience, it begins with Muslim refugees in Christian sanctuary. Act I\u2019s Verwandlung<\/em> lifts us on a cosmic flight out of Iraq courtesy of NASA and Google Maps. A quasi-Muslim Gurnemanz hands us off to a quasi-Muslim Klingsor who collects and fetishizes crucifixes. Kundry starts in a hijab, progresses to a mini-dress (in which she bizarrely nods off during her mission to seduce), and terminates as a graying kitchen hag in the service of the ruined knighthood. Less inventively, Laufenberg has Amfortas\u2019 wound parallel Jesus\u2019 stigmata; it won\u2019t heal because the knights keep knifing it open to refill their sacred chalice. So much for ambiguity. DVDs of both operas are promised under a new deal with Deutsche Grammophon<\/a>.<\/p>\nAfter a prolonged renovation, the wraps are off the Festspielhaus\u2019s iconic fa\u00e7ade<\/em> for this first summer under the sole leadership of Katharina. The place looks spiffy, an impression reinforced by the uniforms as much as the gowns. A window right next to the unused central door now ventilates a men\u2019s room. Newly sponsored carry-in cushions now enhance comfort in the auditorium. To their credit, festival staff are keeping up an amiable demeanor despite the security strictures. The caterer, meanwhile, is keeping up its margins. Steigenberger Hotel Group<\/a>, out of Frankfurt, sells a wild boar sausage on a roll for \u20ac7 and a small beer for \u20ac5.50 (versus \u20ac5 for a better sandwich and \u20ac3.50 for a beer in Munich\u2019s National Theater); its on-site manager jokes that steep prices pay for the security. In what amounts to a slap in the face for Landkreis Bayreuth<\/a>\u2019s own pilsners, such as the outstanding H\u00fctten Pils<\/a> made with water from the same mountain range as above Plze\u0148, Steigenberger serves a Saxon beer.<\/p>\nBR Klassik will audio-stream the Aug. 1 Tristan und Isolde<\/em> at 12:05 p.m. EDT on Aug. 27, 2016, here<\/a>. Video of the opening night of Parsifal<\/em> (July 25) is here: Act I<\/a>, Act II<\/a>, Act III<\/a>.<\/p>\nStill image from video \u00a9 BR Klassik<\/p>\nRelated posts:\nKaufmann, Wife Separate<\/a>\nParsifal the Environmentalist<\/a>\nSee-Through Lulu<\/a>\nU.S. Orchestras on Travel Ban<\/a>\nNitrates In the Canap\u00e9s<\/a><\/p>\n](\"http:\/\/mw2.google.com\/mw-panoramio\/photos\/medium\/71312278.jpg\"){kind=link}