Erwartung-Bluebeard Proves a Stunning Double Bill at NY Phil
/By Raymond Beegle
11/4/2019
Photo credit: Chris Lee
Nina Stemme in Bluebeard's Castle
On this beautiful autumn Saturday night (September 28), half a million people gathered in Central Park for a rock concert, generally of love songs, that through a blessing or a curse of modern technology was loud enough to be heard, at least in the tech rehearsals, as if it were held in my living room a good two miles away. At the same time, several hundred people filled Geffen Hall to hear music addressing the same subject but scarcely in the same manner. Schönberg and Bartok plumb the depths, and their music is without question beautiful, but beautiful in a way that makes one understand Rilke’s phrase “…beauty is but the beginning of terror we are just able to bear.”
Erwartung, Op. 17 was prefaced by the opening movement of the four-song cycle Op. 2 to texts of Richard Dehmel, evocatively arranged for mezzo-soprano and harp by L. Stephenson and S. Lundberg. The enigmatic verses of Marie Pappenheim, used in the later work were intended by the composer to represent in half an hour’s time a single moment of excitement in the mind of a deranged woman who has lost, or perhaps murdered her lover. Bluebeard’s Castle, Op 11, no less enigmatic, presents Perrault’s famous fairytale by way of the symbolist Maurice Maeterlink, and librettist Bela Balazs, in a sinister fashion, discarding both the violence and the clarity of the original story.
Johannes Martin Kränzle and Nina Stemme in Bluebeard's Castle
All three works represent a seismic shift in music, literature and painting to a preoccupation with the dark side of the human psyche. Salome, Elektra, Max Ernst, and Picasso seem to testify to this and prophesy as well the ineluctable horrors of the century’s two world wars.
The language of Schönberg and Bartok might be rather elusive from an intellectual standpoint, but viscerally, no misunderstanding is possible. Its emotional power is undeniable, and it could not have been more evident than in this evening’s absolutely stunning performances. Katarina Karnéus executed the treacherously difficult Schönberg pieces with technical transcendence and impeccable musicianship. Her dramatic palate was immense, and her skill as an actress compelling. Johannes Martin Kränzle as Bluebeard, and Nina Stemme as Judith gave the best performances this listener has yet heard either by way of recording or several decades of Metropolitan Opera productions. Both artists are superb actors and masters of their opulent voices. Nina Stemme is unquestionably the finest dramatic soprano of the present time, and it was proven many times over in her work tonight. Although Jaap von Zweden took his post at the New York Philharmonic under a cloud of doubts from various critics, he has become one of the brightest lights in his field, surpassing in integrity and vision the more mannered and glib readings of Gergiev or Barenboim. His precise and aggressive conducting never overpowered the singers, and the orchestra, matching the artistic excellence of their new director, provided strikingly secure rhythmic support and sumptuous sonority.
Katarina Karnéus in Erwartung
An immense video screen, capable of casting transparent images, was placed at the rear center of the stage, revolutionizing the entire aesthetic of operatic scenery. Picture postcard sets and revolving platforms seem to have instantly become remnants of the past. One was captivated by the power of the projections. A morgue, redolent with white sheets and chrome evoked the stark finality of death in the Op.17 Erwartung; expansive scenery, appearing and dissolving, represented what Judith found behind each of the castle doors without upstaging the artists or the music.
Raymond Beegle reviews classical music and opera for the New York Observer and Fanfare Magazine. For many years he was Contributing Editor of Opera Quarterly, the Classic Record Collector (UK), and also appeared on The Today Show (NBC) and Good Morning America (CBS). As an accompanist, he has collaborated with Zinka Milanov and Licia Albanese. Currently Mr. Beegle serves on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music in New York City.