Wagner: Die Walküre
Stuart Skelton tenor, Siegmund
Markus Marquardt bass, Wotan
Ruxandra Donose mezzo-soprano, Sieglinde
Stephen Milling bass, Hunding
Claudia Mahnke mezzo-soprano, Fricka
Svetlana Sozdateleva soprano, Brünnhilde
Ruxandra Donose mezzo-soprano, Sieglinde
Stephen Milling bass, Hunding
Claudia Mahnke mezzo-soprano, Fricka
Svetlana Sozdateleva soprano, Brünnhilde
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Vladimir Jurowski conductor
Royal Festival Hall, London 27 January 2019****************
How often does Act 2 of Die Walküre trump the outer Acts? This is what happened here where Vladimir Jurowski's fast paced directness, Markus Marquardt's subtle Wotan and Claudia Mahnke's strongly characterised Fricka made for an effortless dramatic experience. And there to cap it all was Stuart Skelton's superb Siegmund. The scene when Brunnhilde announces Siegmund's impending death in battle was hypnotic, with Skelton achieving a lyrical expressiveness beyond most.
Skelton was no less wonderful in Act 1, despite Jurowski's almost comically fast speed for Wintersturme. His cries of Walse! Walse! were thrilling. In Act 3, the valkyries were vocally uneven, not helped by their positioning in the choir gallery behind the orchestra. The biggest loser from this bit of semi-staging was Sieglinde who had to sing her climactic outpouring of admiration for Brunnhilde in Act 3 from the very back of the stage.
Svetlana Sozdateleva was a solid Brunnhilde, but not entirely on top of the characterisation. Juroswki's London Philharmonic blended well with the voices, but was a little breathless and the Magic Fire Music at the end of the evening did not transport.
 |
| Stuart Skelton and Ruxandra Donose |
