Passing on the Wagner baton
On
a bright sunny day in Wellington rehearsals are just beginning for
the much-anticipated production of Parsifal, being given as
part of the 2006 New Zealand International Arts Festival. The
atmosphere in the rather dingy rehearsal studio is palpable as the
production team and singers get together for the first time.
It is a bold choice for a country with only limited experience in Wagner performance, but any idea that this production might be described as provincial can immediately be dispelled. It only takes a few minutes of conversation to realise that there is incredible knowledge in the room, knowledge that goes back to the fifties and sixties when Wieland Wagner was directing his groundbreaking post-war production of Parsifal at Bayreuth.
Donald McIntyre quickly recalls that this was "one of the greatest productions that ever was." He explains that after the war things had to be done cheaply at Bayreuth and this resulted in the simplicity of the designs and the settings. But the effect was truly astounding. McIntyre goes on to say that due to the limited resources that are available for the Wellington production, it is this style that we can expect to see here.
But the Bayreuth connection does not stop there. Conductor, Anthony Negus, and Director, Bernd Benthaak first met at Bayreuth in the early sixties when Hans Knappertsbusch was conducting Wieland's production. As they sat in the pit all those years ago it is unlikely that it crossed their minds that they would next meet in Wellington in 2006 to bring to the stage their own production of Parsifal.
Of
course Donald McIntyre's association with Bayreuth is legendary. He sang
many roles on the Green Hill, but will be particularly remembered for
his towering portrayal of Wotan in Patrice Chéreau's centenary
production of Der Ring des Nibelungen, which has recently been
re-released on DVD. He first sang Klingsor in Parsifal at
Bayreuth under Pierre Boulez, and would later sing Amfortas there. His
first assumption of the role of Gurnemanz, which he sings in Wellington,
was for Welsh National Opera in 1983 under Reginald Goodall.
McIntyre recalls that he learned so much about Wagner from Goodall, adding with a twinkle in his eye, "he was the greatest of them all." And it was not only McIntyre that studied with the renowned English conductor. Talking of Negus, McIntyre says, "Anthony and I learned Parsifal from Reggie."
And as the next generation takes over the Wagner baton, it comes as no surprise that Simon O'Neill learned his craft from McIntyre and Negus. Fresh from success in his debut at Covent Garden as Jenik in The Bartered Bride, O'Neill comes to Wellington with a clutch of A-list contracts under his belt and a very rosy future.
Nevertheless he is clearly a little nervous about singing Parsifal
for the first time. While acknowledging the inspiration he has drawn
from the Pierre Boulez DVD, with James King in the title role, a tenor
he greatly admires, it is also evident that McIntyre has been a huge
influence. "Don and I have a Gurnemanz and Parsifal relationship," says
O'Neill, acknowledging the master - protégée relationship between the
two. It remains to be seen whether this chemistry will be translated
into their stage performances.
As
the conversation moves to the opera itself both McIntyre and O'Neill are
adamant that it is not an overtly religious work. McIntyre says, "It is
a work about simple people, where all the characters go against what
they believe in." While the story is about a religious order there are
only limited references to Christianity in the libretto while other
religious symbols abound. McIntyre places great emphasis on the word
Heil used liberally throughout the libretto, explaining that it is a
much richer word in German, translating to mean both holy and
whole in English. It is this idea of wholeness or unity
that McInytre believes is at the core of the work.
O'Neill suggests that it is unlikely the Wellington production will provide any answers to the symbols in Parsifal, but instead will display them, tell the story and then let the audience make up their own mind. At the end of the day he feels that the opera is, "terribly moving, terribly religious, not necessarily Christian, but moving from a wider point of view."
Both McIntyre and O'Neill are delighted that the opera will be performed with an all New Zealand cast, something that McIntyre feels he was partly responsible for. The remainder of the cast is made up of Margaret Medlyn (Kundry, a role she has sung in Adelaide and understudied Waltraud Meier in Nikolaus Lehnhoff's production in Baden-Baden), Paul Whelan (Amfortas), Martin Snell (Klingsor) and Grant Dickson (Titurel).
There is a definite buzz in the air that something special is being
created. With McIntyre, Negus and Benthaak bringing their enormous
experience to bear on the production it would indeed be a significant
event if the glory days of Bayreuth can be recreated in Wellington later
this month.