Die Soldaten Staatsoper Nuremberg
March 25th 2018
The excitement started almost as soon as I entered the theatre when I was told to meet in the lobby after the interval as the audience was to be taken somewhere for the performance of Part 2. It turned out to the main stage – but of that, more later.
Once inside the enormity of the orchestra became apparent – one large box at the side filled with percussion and I am sure they had lost a few stalls seats to expand the pit. The orchestra warming up was interesting; given the extreme atonality of the piece (and once it started it was even more so than I realised) there were no fragments of recognizable melody to hold on to as there often are!
The first part was long (1.40 mins) and I freely admit I did not ‘get’ it. I had (idiotically) forgotten by distance reading glasses to seeing the translation on screen by the side of the stage was difficult and spasmodic-and as it seemed to be very wordy (was it essentially a setting of the play; would not be surprised if so). There were a large number of short scenes and these were effectively conveyed by the flying down of flats from the tower, where colours were clearly significant –and usually primary in nature – and a certain amount was conveyed by the music (sometimes) by the acting and interactions (often and superbly well done as far as I could ascertain). Technically, it was superbly done; the sung roles sounded cripplingly difficult – not least with the very high tessiture of a number of male roles, particularly for tenors. The technical brilliance of all – singers, orchestra, and conductor – was beyond praise. The applause after part 1 was…fair but I did have a sense of puzzlement from all 9and certainly shared by myself.
Part 2 was a different experience – an usual and exciting theatrical one. The entire audience was taken onto the stage – which was vast and must have bene at least 7/8 stories in height. Hearing the orchestra from the stage was revelatory; it sounded so clear, one could hear all elements, and yet they all cohered together – even with this atonal style of music. To start with there was a scene where the entire cast, on high balcony’s running around three sides of the stage read a sequence presumably from the play (no translation provided so did not know what was happening). Then our attention was turned out to the theatre (the steel safety curtain had remained down during this opening sequence) where the climactic act of revenge was acted out in the dress circle box area. The very last scene (an encounter between the heroine, now homeless on the streets who begs from her father who does not recognise her) took place on the stage and I was almost adjacent to the singers -and hearing that sort of singing so close up was amazingly thrilling.
One element that I understood from earlier reading up was the idea that one would see/experience events in three different time periods (past, present and future) and at times, simultaneously. I did not get this at all and I wonder of the director had done something different or very unusual – it was Peter Konwitchisky after all.
And that was it. A striking theatrical event – but I do not think I will be buying a recording to listen to frequently. But would like to read the libretto and perhaps begin to see what I missed.