Trailer here:
Decided to put comments Act by Act as feel lot to say and want to keep track…
Act 1:
This looks as if it going to be a tremendously exciting production, one that takes a very radical approach but which, so far, seems to be marvellously dramatically coherent - and the musical performances are exceptionally fine.
The nature and key elements of the production are revealed during the action and images that accompany the overture, with the curtain rising on the first bar of the overture. We are in a modern glass-sided artists studio where a frantic looking artist is furiously painting, attacking almost, the canvas (pretty sure that the style would be Abstract Expressionism!). Does the box represent his feeling of being trapped? - probably. We only see two sides of the studio walls which are transparent with darkness outside but with the back wall completely taken up by a massive video screen, of which more later. The artist is clearly in some sort of crisis as he drinks increasingly during the scene and a stream of very attractive women (wonderfully sensually played by dancers) pass through the room/life, the first one being revealed when he pulls back the sheet from his bed (mattress on the floor, to be more accurate). The studio is bathed in cold blue light interspersed with pools of blackness and on the screen we get abstract images that sometimes closely represent stormy seas, at other times are just purely moodily atmospheric. The artist steps out of the studio part of the way through, into the real world I assume, and figures hurry past him, sometimes shown blurrily on the screen behind him. By the end of the overture he has thrown out all the women, put on shoes (in a vivid yellow which matches his collar lining) - he is otherwise dressed in black/dark blue and as the studio part of the set moves away on the revolve, a large audience gathers and we move into the first Act
The Dutchman is clearly being re-interpreted as an artist, probably having a crisis of creativity, unable to find his ‘voice’ and so feeling trapped. I I think that in searching for inspiration, he is also searching for a Muse - which presumably will be where Senta comes in. This is a marvellously original ‘take’ on the traditional story and the complete rejection of anything supernatural seems to be working well.
We are now in a modern art gallery and it is clearly the opening night of his show. The costuming of the chorus for this scene is wonderfully spot on - we see all the ‘types’ that one would expect to see at such an event - the society ladies, the aging hispter, the beautiful young people and while the majority are dressed in dark or muted colours, there are occasional flashes of vivid colour- notably the virulent yellow of the artist’s collar lining and shoes which is picked up by at least one costume. Significant? We will see.
Daland is an art dealer and the Steersman an eager young gallery assistant/intern, wedded to his iPad. Although I could not check every word (there are no subtitles) occasionally glancing at the libretto helped me see that the language of the original did, to a very large degree meet and match the new setting - it was not wildly ‘out’ as can happen with some modern reworkings of operas (or plays for that matter).
His opening monologue where the Dutchman laments his life and torment was very smartly and convincingly done; the first part was him addressing the gallery crowd, to increasing puzzlement, it seemed but it made sense as an artist speaking. The latter part became a soliloquy as the focus went entirely to the artist and his torment, his isolation and despair and as it drew to an end we (and he) returned to the artists studio where he is in an almost suicidal state. His inability to spend time on land has here become a metaphor for his creative block. Daland, who has passed his card on to the artist at the opening of his show, arrives and the scene between them becomes Daland making himself his agent. The treasure the artists offers are, of course, his paintings. They drink increasingly more and fascinatingly it seemed to me, Dalands offer of his daughter is seen by him (Daland) I think as just drunken talk with the artist - but it is serious for the artist. I think, as suggested above, that the stream of women we saw during the action of the overture were perhaps his attempts to find a Muse to inspire him and the acts ends as the overture began, with him frantically and maniacally painting.
Act 2
And so it continues, fascinatingly. In the opening scene the girls are not spinning but on pottery wheels - clearly enthusiastic amateurs making dreadful pots with a teacher who is the conventional epitome of an art teacher - colourful clothes with a definite hairy and homemade qualities, glasses and hair up. The back of the stage has the glass and steel structure which created the artists studio, thus giving us an immediate visual connection between the two acts and two central characters. Senta is completely uninvolved - on her phone and reading about the artists - Hollander as he is know, in Time magazine. When pushed to use her wheel she quickly creates a distinctively phallic shape and then, aggressively creates a large abstract painting on the floor using brooms and brushes during the ballad. And in the more gentle parts the brushwork of Senta matches the music. So far all of what we see on the stage has kept faithfully to the spirit of the music that we hear -something that dos not always happen with the more radical productions.These actions and the finished work are closely connected to what we saw with the artists during the overture. Unlike the small scale and controlled pots the girls are making, Senta’s work is large-scale and wild - at times she uses her feet - and clearly not understood by the rest of the girls. At the end she lies down, sprawling on the paining a vivid visual metaphor for her personal connection with her art.
Eric is an older, suited figure and Senta’s contempt for him (her father’s initial choice?) is clearly shown. Her first sight of the Dutchman in her house with her father was wonderfully convincing and the relationship between Daland and the Dutchman is a very easy one - but centred on themselves. The Dutchman is clearly somewhat disengaged and this recalls his casual attitude to all his prior female companions that we saw so vividly in the overture. She and the Dutchman then move to the next room where her art is on the floor and the Dutchman is clearly riveted by it…does he see artistic talent in her? Does he see a kindred spirit? Does he see someone who could be a muse to him? All are possible I felt and the ambiguity was convincing.
But the most fascinating thing about the staging of this scene was that during their duet they did not really interact with each other at all and there was virtually no eye contact. Each seemed to be absorbed in their own worlds - Senta with her art, the Dutchman likewise. Each was in love (?) with an image; Senta with the idea of the artists, Hollander with the art. Loved the idea of the artist using a video camera to focus on her painting which was then projected onto the vast back screen along with some close-ups of both performers - sort of telling us how they are ‘on the same page’. The human people do not really come into it I felt. Each was committed to Art although the ring on Senta’s finger at the end of he scene suggests finally a personal connection as well. And at the end we returned briefly to the artists studio where they embraced on the bed and then left to go out to the real world. The 3rd Act followed directly on
Act 3:
And the production brings it off! A superbly satisfying, dramatically and emotionally coherent conclusion. GOD this was, honestly, one of the best productions I have seen. I will definitely check out their other online offerings.
The Act opens with the Dutchman and Senta back in his studio and in bed. The screens show a vivid and fierce storm and spray imagery. The whole of this first scene is, one realises, a dream, a revisiting of his past by the Dutchman. The (largely unseen) singing chorus are packed outside the glass walls of the studio while surrounding the Dutchman are masked male and female figures - a number of the female figures being the same as those from the overture action, but now tormenting and mocking him. The masks covering their faces are of folds of material recalling the famous Surrealist image The Lovers by Magritte. These are wonderful sinister and threatening and Senta is gradually absorbed by these figures. Near the end the video camera us used again and closeups of the Dutchman’s agonised face are shown on the screen and glass panels. The sailors of the libretto are here the voices and conflicts within the Dutchman’s mind and he finally awakes from this nightmare, gradually becoming aware that he cannot escape his creative demons.
The subsequent scene between Eric and Senta takes place on one side of the screen with the Dutchman cut off and unable to reach Senta but fully aware of what is happening. He becomes more and more distraught and finally realises that he has lost her. As he does so, the gun he took out right at the start re-appears and the video images are added to his final words as he shoots himself!
The final scene manages to bring everything together, dramatically and emotionally. We are back at the art gallery of Act 1, the first night of an artists show - and it is Senta who has created a video installation of the Dutchman’s final moments - to the great acclaim of all. But, very powerfully, in the dying moments of the opera as the great ‘transfiguration through love’ theme soars, Senta stands still and centre stage, weeping. And this is perfectly timed with the emotional power of the music. A stunning, original and powerful re-interpretation that nevertheless manages to be, in its way, totally faithful to the power of Wagner’s piece of music theatre.
The singers were universally excellent, acting matching singing prowess, particularly Camilla Nylund and Johan Reuter.
So, to date, the best ‘show’ seen under the ‘Corona Virus’ heading. It will be difficult to beat. The brilliant director was Kasper Holten.
SENTA Camilla Nylund,
THE DUTCHMAN Johan Reuter,
DALAND Gregory Frank,
ERIK Mika Pohjonen,
MARY Sari Nordqvist,
STEERSMAN Tuomas Katajala
CONDUCTOR: John Fiore