Nina Stemme,
soprano; Philippe Jordan, Orchestre de l’Opera National de Paris. Erato 50999
9341422 7 (2-disc set).
Described by Opera Newsas “one of opera’s most exciting Wagnerian Sopranos,” the Swedish
dramatic-opera star Nina Stemme here gives us a taste of what all the fuss is
about in excerpts from all four of Richard Wagner’s Nibelungen operas. It’s just too bad we get to hear so little of
her on this two-disc album. She sings Brunnhilde in the immolation scene that
concludes the set, and that’s about it. Otherwise, Maestro Philippe Jordan and
the Paris National Opera Orchestra give us the usual orchestral extracts we’ve
all got on probably multiple discs in our music libraries. Not that Jordan’s
execution of Wagner isn’t good; it’s just a little redundant.
Anyway, what we have on two discs of excerpts isn’t quite
as much as we might expect, either. The first disc contains only forty-four
minutes of music, and the second disc but thirty-eight minutes. Since that’s
only a few minutes more than a single standard CD can hold, Erato could almost
have squeezed everything onto a single disc.
But I’m probably complaining unnecessarily since they have priced the
two-disc set quite reasonably.
Anyway, things begin, of course, with Das Rheingold: the Prelude,
Interludes, and Entry of the Gods into Valhalla. After those items, from Die Walkure we get the seemingly
omnipresent Ride of the Valkyries,
followed by the Magic Fire Music.
Disc one concludes with Forest Murmurs
from Siegfried, arranged by Wouter
Hutschenruyter. Then, Maestro Jordan turns disc two over to Gotterdammerung, with Siegfried’s Rhine Journey, Siegfried’s Funeral March, and Brunnhilde’s immolation. The latter
selection finally lets us hear what people are talking about, Ms. Stemme’s way
with Wagner. Certainly, it is a highlight of the program.
Maestro Jordan's approach to Wagner appears less dramatic
than that of some of his illustrious predecessors in this material--Solti,
Klemperer, Szell, Karajan, Leinsdorf, Stokowski, Boult, and the like. Instead,
Jordan seems to emphasize the music's more poetic elements. We see this best
defined by the conductor’s development of the opening Prelude, the waters of the Rhine ebbing, flowing, rising up, and
practically engulfing us. Not that one can ever call Wagner subtle, but
Jordan's manner is gentle enough that the nuances of Wagner's tone pictures
come through with an expressive clarity and not just as great bleeding chunks
of orchestral bravura.
In fact, Jordan is at his best in the opening opera, with
its singing hammers, simple characters, and inspiring melodies. Although the
music he has chosen to present may be purely instrumental, it conveys the
songlike qualities of the rest of the work and offers up a most-refined
interpretation of the subject.
Having little room for anything else from Die Walkure, we get only the two big
numbers I mentioned above. It seems a shame to condense an entire opera to
about twelve minutes of music, but at least Jordan gives people what they
probably most want. The trouble here is that so many other conductors have already
given us excellent versions of the Valkyries
and Magic Fire Music; Jordan's renderings
seem a little anticlimactic.
If Die Walkuregets short shrift, Siegfried gets
even shorter, the entire opera represented by only Forest Murmurs. Fortunately, Jordan's reading of the music is
delicate, graceful, and elegant, while still powerful enough to give us a
pretty good glimpse into Siegfried's maturation process.
Disc two concludes the set with three tracks that convey
the stormy passion, fear, and dark foreboding of Gotterdammerung. Jordan provides a Rhine Journey and a Funeral
March filled with plenty of atmosphere, the pictorial qualities ever in the
forefront, yet with enough emotional force to have a strong visceral effect on
the listener as well.
And then, at long last, we have Ms. Stemme doing
Brunnhilde's final scene. She does, indeed, have a fine voice, powerful enough
for a heroine like Brunnhilde yet flexible enough to give her character some
color.
Maestro Jordan did this album after spending three years
with a complete Wagner cycle in Paris. He calls these excerpts on the album
"orchestral souvenirs of the Ring," and I suppose that's how we
should view them. They are little reminders of a much bigger, more massive
vision, postcards from a favorite vacation. They're fun to enjoy but no
substitute for the real thing. Unless you just really hate Wagner, in which
case such excerpts may be just what you need.
Produced, engineered, edited, and mixed by Jean-Martial
Golaz for Opera de Paris Productions and licensed exclusively to Erato/Warner
Classics, the album derives from recording sessions at the Salle Liebermann,
Opera Bastille, Paris in June 2013. The sound is one of the best parts of the
show. The orchestra displays genuine depth and breadth, with a realistic hall
ambience to set it off. While not the most transparent of sounds, the music is
nevertheless quite natural, with huge dynamic contrasts, solid impact, deep
bass, and extended highs. It comes flooding over us in great sweeps and
flurries, perfect for Wagner. Note, however, that there are times in big
crescendos that the tone can turn a bit strident; still, it is never too bright
or forward as to cause much concern.
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click here:
JJP
