It is with the Gurre-Lieder by Schoenberg, a monumental work, scheduled for the 150the anniversary of the composer’s birth, which Rafael Payare opened on Wednesday on the 91ste OSM season. The conductor fully convinced of the aesthetic and musical legitimacy of the project, which will be captured on video and broadcast live on the Mezzo cable channel when it resumes on Friday.
A moving speech by the new CEO, Mélanie LaCouture, on this September 11, which has particular resonances in her personal life, introduced this opening concert of the season which brought together an impressive number of musicians.
Mediation
This was not the only speech and, from the outset, we must underline the excellent idea of introducing the two parts of the concert with a prologue, a narration by Mani Soleymanlou, which framed not only the story, but also the stakes and the symbolism (the fight between night and day).
We have talked a lot in recent months about the need for mediation to intelligently improve the concert experience. This one was remarkable and can be improved on two points. First, it makes no sense to pronounce “Gürre” in the French way when all evening long we hear “Gourre” sung, as it should be. Second, it is absolutely necessary, on Friday, for Rafael Payare to start conducting from the last word of the actor and for him to leave the stage afterwards so that applause does not interrupt the state of concentration and attention in which the narration installs the audience.
Another element that provides an enhanced concert experience is creative and intelligent lighting management that relays the moods of the music.
The latest Gurre-Lieder in Montreal date from 2006, a prestigious project wanted by Kent Nagano at the beginning of his mandate. “Too early, much too early,” we had headlined then, the whole thing being more of a cautious implementation than a thought-out, premeditated and accomplished interpretation.
Choice
As we wrote on Tuesday, the references to Wagner are so strong that there is a temptation to forget Schoenberg and to pull the score towards Wagner. We had summarized the interpreter’s problem thus: “The Gurre-Lieder offer three major interpretative paths: the Wagnerization at all costs (choice of Riccardo Chailly or Christian Thielemann), the opulent spectacle (Ozawa or Abbado), the sharp play on colder colors (Kubelik, Ferencsik). Another choice to be made: should we clearly differentiate the color spectrum of parts I and III or create as much continuity as possible?
From this point of view, for those accustomed to Wagnerian versions, Rafael Payare makes choices that are at first a little disconcerting. He is less voluptuous or sensual than expected in the transitions between phrases. Nor does he seek the honeyed Viennese colors of the 1910s, a little like 2e Symphony by Franz Schmidt. On the other hand, he furiously exacerbates the contrasts. We thus find an approach close to that of Michael Gielen, the brilliant German conductor also emphasizing even more the slightest harmonic friction.
As we explained on Tuesday, Schoenberg orchestrated the work in two phases separated by 10 years. The advantage of not being too suave in Parts 1 and 2 of 1901 is to unify the work more. For even if the treatment of Part 3 (1911) is notably different, it also contains more tender passages that become very coherent with what precedes if one does not overload the Wagnerism of Part 1.
In short, in terms of aesthetics and scales, Rafael Payare knew where he was going. His Gurre-Lieder are, as with Michael Gielen, the fruit of a knowledge and an affinity with Schoenberg and not the exaggerated projection of other universes onto Schoenberg.
Voice
For this achievement, the conductor was able to count on a concentrated and disciplined orchestra, a powerful choir in the 3e part, which will revise by Friday its start of the very tricky ” The hahn raises the head “, and on a generally very satisfactory line-up of soloists.
Thomas E. Bauer is a well-chosen peasant and Stephan Rügamer has the perfect typology for Klaus-Narr, whom he had already sung here in 2006. The presence of Ben Heppner in the portion of Speechless blood (spoken song) is very moving in its very fragility.
As for the three main characters, we will give a perfect score to Karen Cargill as the messenger of ill omen. Clay Hilley has the most difficult part, a real role of Heldentenor. He is one, really. We know others who say more, but he held the game with courage and solidity.
As for Dorothea Röschmann, she is a somewhat light Tove, which, here too, leads her to sing a little in “black and white” with forte pushed that take themselves for expressive exaltation. It passes, but one can listen to Camilla Nylund in the Thielemann recording or Melanie Diener at Gielen to hear what the role gives when it is “sung”, without speaking, obviously, of the supreme Jessye Norman at Ozawa.
Obviously this should not prevent anyone from attending Friday’s performance.