Past Production Reviews
1It doesn't take the sound of the sea to illustrate Wagner's psychological fractures: GMD Philippe Bach and director Kay Metzger impressively continue the great Wagner tradition at Thuringia's only state theatre. Nice gesture: In the explosive applause of the auditorium, which was finally fully occupied again, Ansgar Haag, who ended his long-standing successful directorship in the summer of 2021, spoke the premiere words. His successor Jens Neundorff von Enzberg was at the simultaneous co-production premiere of Johann Christian Bach's premiere "La clemenza di Scipione" in Eisenach. A huge success for the only state theatre in Thuringia with its Wagner line, which has been internationally observed since the legendary "Ring" by Kirill Petrenko and Christine Mielitz. Finally again a filled ditch and choir masses on stage! The sovereign musical direction of the Meininger Hofkapelle under GMD Philippe Bach, who will leave the house in 2022 after 11 seasons, was truly special this time. While opera houses are increasingly opting for the original version of Richard Wagner's romantic opera, which premiered in Dresden in 1843, the overture with the so-called redemption conclusion was played in Meiningen and much of the orchestral movement thinned by Wagner for the Munich performance in 1860 was taken. Real love? Kay Metzger's production should have premiered 17 months ago. From Haag she was brought from the Theater Ulm to Meiningen. Metzger was concerned with the very big cinema, which swells in Senta's rapturous head to even bigger storm and love waves. Wagner's last mild bars operate this, even if there is no love death with a hug above the clouds in Meiningen: The now heavily aged woman still goes from the impressive cinema café with an intensive view of the illuminated poster with the seductive sea adventurer into the cinema hall, in front of which she always drinks a simple cup of coffee and folds origami pigeons. She was impressed by the hero of "Curse of the Seas" – also as a man. Here, no lower decks are emptied by the ship's crew, but multiple catering staff polished glasses. Manuel Bethe's choir ensemble would be worthy of a prize at the Federal Choir Meeting. Mary and helmsman are among them: Rafael Helbig-Kostka and Tamta Tarielashvili give these two supporting parts strong character and high-class singing. But Senta, who is looking for a bit of life intensity in the cinema, treats them quite indifferently. The way Senta looks – blouse, skirt, jacket, hardly any jewelry – there is not much going on in her home. And that's why Senta imagines herself in blunt partnership problems that others would rather not have. The intermission is – extremely unusual – right there in the middle of the second act, when Wagner lets it sing particularly longingly after Senta's confrontation with the orchestra's loving Erik. Even adventurers are boring Unlike Woody Allen in "The Purple Rose of Cairo", Petra Mollérus leaves everything in color in the second part, at most the characters become paler and paler. The Meininger mask has succeeded in Shin Taniguchi in the title role a masterpiece. His gaze is extremely attractive and seductive. And his costume with leather coat and colt belt serves all Pirates of the Caribbean waking dreams. But at the same time, the face remains wilted and dull. A floating waltz in the so-called love duet of the redemption-addicted wanderer across the oceans with Senta, who gives him her loyalty, leads to a human-annoying-you-not-game with Papa Daland. Senta's ballad is also not an oppositional drama against the women's choir performing as her 20 knitting doubles, but a questioning of touching sensitivity. Taniguchi is a word-oriented, all tones intensely shaping Dutchman and the brooder with petty-bourgeois visions behind the picturesque outfit. It is fitting that Tomasz Wija as the agile captain Daland with a drunken nose also makes a cabinet piece out of the polterpartie. Michael Siemon gives Senta's preventer Erik tight and uptight and seems so pale that it seems to transfer to the voice. In the end, therefore, one does not know which is worse: Wagner's crude redemption fantasy or lifelong lack of experience. Overall, the Staatstheater Meiningen succeeds in creating an impressive "Dutchman" without the sound of the sea, which remarkably illustrates Wagner's psychological fractures.
