After a long wait, we have finally had a chance to start the long road to the first Canadian production of Wagner’s epic Der Ring Des Nibelungen with the Canadian Opera Company’s (COC) production of Die Walkure.  This production starred Peteris Eglitis (Wotan), Clifton Forbis (Siegmund), Frances Ginzer (Brunnhilde), Pavlo Hunka (Hunding), Judit Németh (Fricka), and Adrianne Pieczonka (Sieglinde).

The COC orchestra was conducted by the COC’s Artistic Director Richard Bradshaw.  The director by Atom Egoyan, and the production was designed by Michael Levine.

I was lucky enough attend the opening day performance on April 4^th.  Much to my surprise, after everyone appeared to have taken their seats, an announcement was made that the Governor General was arriving to attend the performance as well.  

As for the design of this production, there is nothing good to say.  All three acts had the exact same set – something I can only describe as a bombed out warehouse.  Several scaffolds and ladders looked about ready to fall down, while others had already done so.    Ceiling tiles were literally scattered all over the stage.  The ash tree lay in four pieces on the floor.  There was no actual hut for Act One, only a small fire located at the front of the stage.  For Act Three, there was no rock for Brunnhilde to be laid to sleep on.

As for the individual acts:

Act One:  Sieglinde was on the stage as the curtain opened.  She was preparing the fire to make dinner when she senses that someone has entered.  She runs and hides behind one of the pieces of the ash tree as Siegmund enters.  

During Siegmund’s recounting of his life, one could tell from Sieglinde’s expression that she had an idea who he was.  Hunding, however, did not seem to sense who Siegmund was until Siegmund told of the fight he was just involved in. While Siegmund was explaining the fight to Sieglinde, Hunding could be seen walking amongst his kinsmen who were acting out the fight at the back of the stage. 

As for the “Wintersturme,” there was no door opening up, and as Siegmund was singing, a bright light shone on Sieglinde, blinding her to everything else.  Siegmund would pull Notung out from the trunk of the ash tree, requiring him to literally bend over to reach it – an act that seemed to me to downplay its importance.  As the act closes, the two lovers can be seen embracing.

Act Two:  Act Two opens with two corpses on laying on the ground near the front of the stage.  All nine Valkyries are on stage, and Wotan descends down one of the ladders.  The Valkyries, Wotan, and Fricka are all dressed in Victorian garments.  The Valkyries, therefore, do not wear breastplates.  They also do not carry any weapons, as at the Metropolitan Opera.  However, they do carry lights around while apparently looking for dead heroes.

As the Wotan and Fricka scene progresses, we come to realize that the two corpses are supposed to be Siegmund and Sieglinde.  This is apparent when Fricka picks up a sword that is laying between the corpses while singing about Notung.  And while Wotan sings his monologue, he slowly digs a grave and at the end places both Siegmund and Sieglinde in the grave, and fills the grave in before leaving. 

After both Wotan and Brunnhilde have left the stage, Siegmund and Sieglinde are seen running onto the stage.  With the same scenery being used for all three acts, it  not only seemed funny to see them running back to what was supposed to be Hunding’s “hut,” but also funny seeing that they had supposedly just been buried by Wotan. 

As for the Brunnhilde-Siegmund encounter, Brunnhilde stands on the stump of the ash tree with a large white blanket held open.  A flame is seen flickering on the blanket.  When Siegmund states that he will not follow Brunnhilde, he rips the blanket from Brunnhilde’s hands and leaves it on the ground. 

The battle scene was well done.  Sieglinde, after crying out that she should be killed first, tries to intervene between Hunding and Siegmund.  Brunnhilde arrives, pulls Sieglinde out of the way, and then urges Siegmund on.  Wotan arrives, and as Siegmund lefts up Notung, swings his spear – like he was trying to hit a baseball – and breaks the sword.  Hunding starts to walk off the stage as Wotan tells him to go to Fricka, before being killed when Wotan points at him singing “Geh!  Geh!”

Act Three:  Act Three opens with the Valkyries gathering up dead bodies – all of them covered in white blankets.  It seemed like many of the heroes must have died fighting in the clouds, as they literally dropped down from the top of the stage.  The body were all placed near the back of the stage, and left there for the entire act – apparently they were not supposed to go to Valhalla after all. 

When it came time for Brunnhilde to be put to sleep, Brunnhilde slowly dropped to the ground and then lay down.  Wotan took two velcro strips from around Brunnhilde’s hands and placed them on his spear. He then called on Loge to ring a nonexistent rock with a fire.  However, it appeared that Loge was so ashamed with this production that he sent the Valkyries back with a torch in each hand.  They encircled Brunnhilde, and as Wotan sang the last lines of the opera, slowly placed the torches into the ground, with clear room to walk between each.  How this “magic fire” is supposed to keep away cowards is beyond me.

On a good note, the COC did find an exceptional cast.  They all sang their roles brilliantly.  Clifton Forbis made a sympathetic Siegmund, especially when calling out to Walse for a sword.  Peter Eglitis performed well as Wotan.  Judit Németh made Fricka sound like a betrayed wife who required her husband to allow the adulterous Siegmund to die.  Francis Ginzer created a Brunnhilde that was both heroic and sympathetic.

The orchestra, with only 84 members, sounded better than I thought they would have considering Wagner called for an orchestra of 110.  The orchestra actually sounded very good.  However there were a few exceptions during Act One (especially when Siegmund sings out “Walse!   Walse!  Wo ist dein Schwert?”), and during the “Ride of the Valkyries” when their smaller size was very noticeable.