Oliver Killig

Richard Wagner developed the Der Ring des Nibelungen over the course of nearly 30 years. He first sketched the story while living in Dresden amid political turmoil of the 1848 Revolutions. Since then, the four operas have developed an almost legendary status in the operatic canon and are gradually returning to Dresden as part of “The Wagner Cycles.”

The performance in Dresden of Siegfried — building from the success of last year’s Die Walküre — continued an important reexamination of the epic tetralogy. Aided by the generous acoustics of the Dresden Kulturpalast (renovated in 2017), the historically informed concert performance of the Ring cycle’s third installment yet again provided a fresh perspective on one of opera’s most influential and notorious composers.

The concert was the final evening of this year’s Dresdner Musikfestspiele, a month-long festival of visiting ensembles and artists. Festival artistic director Jan Vogler and conductor Kent Nagano have developed “The Wagner Cycles” over the last several years. This Siegfried production was performed in Prague, Paris, and Köln in the spring before Dresden and, finally, Lucerne — another significant place for Wagner — in September. The cycle’s planned conclusion next year with Götterdämmerung will coincide with the 150^th anniversary of its premiere.

Since last year, “The Wagner Cycles” has also expanded its scope with the creation of the new Richard-Wagner-Akademie in Dresden, which despite the recent German government cuts in arts funding continues with its work. Through a combination of a high performance level and rigorous new academic research, the project not only engages with the musical practice of late 19^th century Germany, but also its cultural history more broadly.

Oliver Killig

The project does not see itself as the only “authentic” way to perform Wagner’s music, however. Rather, according to its website, the Akademie serves as an “intellectual and practical exploration of performance techniques of the Wagner era” and seeks to better understand how the composer’s “socio-political attitudes,” including his notorious antisemitism, shaped these musical outcomes.

The concert featured the combined forces of the Dresdner Festspielorchester and Concerto Köln. The orchestra played on period instruments: gut strings, woodwinds built according to 19^th century designs, bass trumpet, and of course Wagner tubas.

Even with their noticeably mellower sound compared to modern instruments, the string section sounded lush for much of the evening, particularly in the divisi violas and second violins when Siegfried first encounters the Waldvogel in Act II. During more exposed passages, such as first violins’ melodic portamenti as Siegfried approaches Brünnhilde’s rock in Act III, the sound was somewhat thin, but for most of the evening this quality enabled a balanced sound between singers and orchestras. This balance was facilitated expertly by conductor Kent Nagano, who often chose somewhat brisk tempi to keep the action moving.

One of the standouts of the evening was Thomas Blondelle in the title role. Not only did he maintain impressive stamina throughout the 5-hour performance, but his rich tenor voice also gave real warmth to a character who can risk a becoming rather flat with the constant extolling of his unrivalled naïve heroism. Moreover, Blondelle’s acting conveyed both such courage and immaturity without becoming cartoonish.

The staging and performance practice also enabled a revelatory depiction of Siegfried’s foster parent Mime. This multilayered approach to the dwarf siblings Mime and Alberich also drew on research conducted in the new Wagner academy. An example is Dominik Frank’s essay in the program book on antisemitism explained how the dwarves are connected to antisemitic cultural tropes that Wagner developed both musically and dramaturgically. For Frank, Mime and Alberich’s awkward vocal writing, distorted vocabulary, and pejorative physical descriptions are indeed offensive caricatures, but it is also important to not just reduce the complex characters to a single dimension.

As Mime, Thomas Ebenstein balanced humor and cynicism. His clear diction, rolling his ‘Rs’ when describing “Fafner, der wilde Wurm” and staccato enunciation of “Siegfrieds kindischer Kraft” made the expository Act I more accessible. His Fach — darker than the old-school whining and nasal characterization of Mime’s voice — gave the character a sense of threat to the titular hero that is not often present in many performances. The whining came instead from Siegfried as he mockingly imitates Mime. This implied therefore that it is Siegfried’s (and Wotan’s) projection of Mime, rather than the character himself, that frames the dwarf as weak and pathetic.

Daniel Schmutzhard’s portrayal of Alberich was also memorably sinister. His emphatic diction as he warns the Wanderer “Euch seh’ ich noch alle vergehn!” (“I see you all [the gods] perishing!”), accompanied by the powerful horn section, once again demonstrated how the project’s performance practice highlighted words and syllables key to understanding the Ring’s main ideas. Similarly, Hanno Müller-Brachmann’s bass-baritone suited the dragon Fafner. Positioned in the back of the orchestra and using a large bronze megaphone, Müller-Brachmann projected his voice in different directions across the hall.

The concert was not without lighthearted moments as well. Another highlight was the soloist of the Tölzer Knabenchor [boy choir] as the Waldvogel. Rather than an adult soprano in the role, as is often the case, the young chorister not only provided a light and airy voice fit for the forest bird’s advice to Siegfried, but he also exuded a charming stage presence. He looked at Nagano and gave a comical thumbs down for Stefaan Verdegem’s (intentionally bungled) English Horn solo and a nodding approval for Franz Draxinger’s horn call as Siegfried attempts to communicate with the animals of the forest.

Oliver Killig

Even with minimal staging, the concert included some of the traditional tropes of the Ring often missing in contemporary Regietheater. Simon Bailey returned as Wotan/the Wanderer, this time adding a hat in addition to the classic eyepatch and spear. A veteran of the role, Bailey conveyed a sense of authority with a robust timbre and towering stage presence. Nevertheless, Bailey and Gerhild Romberger’s mellow voice as Erda were slightly covered by the thunderous orchestra in Act III, proof that even a period ensemble is capable of overpowering singers, something that can happen far more often with modern instruments.

Asa Jäger also returned as Brünnhilde, demonstrating yet again her command as a Wagnerian soprano. Her tender upper register and strong but controlled vibrato are reminiscent of her compatriot Nina Stemme — hopefully Jäger will perform this role in the United States soon.

The project is being filmed and recorded for future release. As this Ring cycle concludes next year amidst a flurry of new productions (with the Met Opera embarking on one in the coming years), it has served as important reminder of how critical engagement with the operatic canon can take several forms. While some Regietheater and creative reinterpretations of well-known works can spark productive conversations, a deep and focused examination of a work’s historical context — one which at the same time does not insist that such HIP is the “correct” way — can also successfully shine new light on Wagner’s world.