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A pilgrim's prayer answered - the making of San
Diego Opera's Tannhäuser Photos courtesy of San Diego Opera
By Dawn Southwick |
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Tannhäuser features the exciting Company debut of world-renowned heldentenor Robert Gambill who has proven repeatedly that Tannhäuser is his signature role. Soprano Camilla Nylund will be making her American operatic debut as Elisabeth. German mezzo-soprano Petra Lang joins in her company debut as Venus. San Diego favorite, German bass Reinhard Hagen will return to sing Landgraf Hermann. Also returning is Canadian baritone Russell Braun who will debut in this role as Wolfram von Eschenbach. Gabor Ötvös will be conducting. Ian Campbell, General and Artistic Director of San Diego Opera since 1983, was kind enough to share some of his thoughts regarding the opera which will kick off their 2008 season. This was the culmination of a dream for the director. "On December 23, 1977, a performance at the Metropolitan Opera burned itself forever into my memory," he commented, "That performance was the opening night of a new production of Wagner's Tannhäuser, designed by Günther Schneider-Siemssen. Once I came to San Diego Opera, I knew it was the one production I wanted to see on our stage." Classical Voice: Why are you doing a recreation of an old Günther Schneider-Siemssen production rather than something new? Ian Campbell: I would not refer to the production as an "old" one any more than we should refer to a Lautrec paining as "old', the Pietà as "old" or the Statue of Liberty as "old". This is not to suggest that Gunther's designs rank at those levels, but they are certainly "classic" in the best sense of the word. King Tut, that is old. Gunther's designs for the Metropolitan Opera's Tannhäuser were recreations of the production he designed originally for the Vienna Staatsoper. Although Vienna no longer has the physical production, they still own a complete set of the costumes they will not part with. The Metropolitan Opera chose to recreate his designs, though on a larger scale for their stage, because they, as San Diego Opera does, recognized them for what they were, classic depictions of the time and place in which this mediaeval tale is set.
The Metropolitan Opera is allowing us to use their gorgeous costumes for this production to preserve the integrity of the concept, so what will appear here is similar to both Vienna and The Met, adapted for yet a third stage size. We could have created a new design based on a mediaeval setting, but nothing can match the grandeur and beauty of what Gunther has achieved. Perhaps we could have "updated" the work, but since it is a story solidly set in its time, to try to "update" it makes no sense at all. There are many productions today which try an updating, but they fail completely when Tannhäuser is accused of having too much of a good time with Venus, the Goddess of Love, and his friends order him to seek forgiveness of the Pope. Today, they would ask for her e-mail address, so it utterly fails when set outside its time.
CV: Will the stage direction recreate the Met staging? IC: No, it will not. The stage director, Michael Hampe, will direct the cast from his own viewpoint, and our choreographer will create her own ballet. The performers will be given the director's motivations and movement, and will work together to tell the story without reference to the Metropolitan Opera's production. It is quite common for different directors to use the same set, but come up with different stage pictures, motivations and action, resulting in a different final response from the audience. Every opera is re-interpreted by every director, and no two La bohèmes are exactly the same, and nor are any two Tannhäusers. San Diego Opera has owned for some time the sets for a production of Tosca designed by Jean-Pierre Ponnell. This production has had two different directors in San Diego, and is rented frequently to other companies who assign their own directors. The set becomes a frame in which the stage director draws his own picture. The set of an opera frequently dictates some of the geography, of course. In act two of Tannhäuser the location of certain entryways dictates where the chorus will enter. But when they enter, how they enter, why they enter, and what they do after they enter, is determined by the director at that time and his responses to the music.
CV: You will be using the Dresden version, would you make a comment on this version and why you decided to use that? IC: We have chosen to use Wagner's original Dresden version for these performances. Wagner added to that original composition for the Paris version which has, among other things, an extended ballet in the first act. This was a specific decision for that opera house. In his own lifetime he sanctioned both versions just as Verdi sanctioned several of his Don Carlo/Don Carlos in four and five acts and in two languages. Each is "legitimate." (I draw a distinction here between the "first" Madama Butterfly, and the revision which became the version sanctioned by Puccini. The first was rejected, not just changed, and was replaced. Wagner did not "replace" the Dresden version.) The Dresden version suits our purposes. Tannhäuser has not been heard in San Diego for almost 40 years, and most of our audience is unfamiliar with the opera. The Dresden version gets into the action sooner, while still providing time for the ballet to establish the sensuality of Venusburg, and the passion which has controlled Tannhäuser until then. It is shorter, and there is no reason for anyone to feel threatened by a "long" Wagner opera. The time flies by because of the power of the drama and the music. CV: How did it come together? IC: We have put off staging a production of Tannhäuser here until we had the right balance of cast to ensure its artistic success. Gunther Schneider-Siemssen's designs were the first part of the puzzle to fall into place. Once we knew it was possible to recreate the sets and get the costumes from the Metropolitan Opera, it was suggested to Michael Hampe that he might like to direct. He agreed instantly, and surprisingly revealed that in all his years as a stage director, and through most of the Wagner cannon, he had yet to touch Tannhäuser. So he was on hold.
Then we started looking for our Tannhäuser and Elisabeth since, without them, we would not plan to build the production at all. The balls have to be all in the air at the same time, and when they are all there the opera can be planned successfully. I had known Robert Gambill's work for some time, and had seen him develop into a Tannhäuser of quality and respect. So he was put on hold until we found an Elisabeth. By coincidence, I heard Camilla Nylund in a terrible production of Tannhäuser in a European opera house, expecting to hear a quite different soprano. I was so pleased I went to see her that night and told her we'd be asking her to come to San Diego. Soon after, she agreed, so she held the dates. The third ball was in the air. Then came the delightful Petra Lang, experienced in the role of Venus in both the Dresden and Paris versions, and long a favorite of mine in her specific repertory. She was very happy to be asked.
The singers were delighted to be able to work with one another, but even happier to discover that they would be working in Gunther Schneider-Siemssen's designs, since they were tired of the bizarre productions in Europe which seemed to have become the norm and longed for some true beauty to accompany the music.
Each of these singers has sung their role previously, but the role of Wolfram was offered to the baritone, Russell Braun, who had not sung it previously. He had just sung The Pearl Fishers with us in 2004 and was slated to return for Cosí fan tutte the following year. His father had been a noted Wolfram who recorded the role with Georg Solti conducting, and it seemed time for Russell to follow in his father's footsteps as he had the vocal weight the role requires, and the subtle beauty which is essential. The significance of taking on the role was not lost on him. So all the balls were in the air, but it was time for the juggling to cease. With these in place the opera was committed, the contracts for the leading participants issued, and the balance of what can only be called a superior cast was put into place. Reinhard Hagen, Andrew Greenan, Martin Zysset and the others, along with our excellent chorus, ensure the highest vocal quality. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SAN DIEGO OPERA – TANNHÄUSER TICKETS: $28-$192 Available
online at www.sdopera.com
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Dawn Southwick is a Classical Voice correspondent based in Los Angeles.
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