Jun 29, 2022 5pm Deutsche Oper Berlin
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Cond: John Fiore, Dir: Jossi Wieler, Anna Viebrock, Sergio Morabito
Johan Reuter (Sachs), Klaus Florian Vogt (Walther), Heidi Stober (Eva), Ya-Chung Huang (David), Tom Erik Le (Beckmesser), Annika Schlicht (Magdalena),
Albert Pesendorfer (Pogner)
(scroll down for English review)
柏林德意志歌劇院的新《名歌手》製作，本來有歌劇院的音樂總監Donald Runnicles指揮大部分場次，但他在排練期間手臂或肩膀出現劇痛要辭演，這場由John Fiore頂上，連同下一場都會被錄影、出影碟。此外，我很感興趣的是飾演David是台灣男高音黃亞中，他早在同院新《指環》飾演Mime。
製作是全現代服裝，教堂聖詠（嚴格上這製作沒有教堂，因為合唱團這段在觀眾席唱）時，Walther和Eva不只已經在熱吻，還消失到門後做起愛來！一直已經有導演把兩位主角，脫離拖個手仔都不敢那麼純情，但一來就這麼露骨真是第一次，不過又不是為玩而玩，有後續跟進的。黃亞中的David也頗丑角，而他和Magdalena亦已經有頗親密的關係，說到底，這是現代嘛。Sachs提早出場，督促David練金雞獨立，又教他按摩。或者導演們是從黃亞中得到靈感，把Sachs的工作及興趣東方化：他不再是鞋匠，而是足底按摩師！他賣的是Crocs那種膠鞋，在第二幕出場時帶瑜珈氈出場，想做瑜珈排解迷惘心情。學徒們也有很多亞洲面孔，我認為是導演刻意的，他們也跟Eva他們一樣對性很大膽，在第二幕開頭就好像在雜交了……
Eva不只傾慕Sachs、想成為他的新娘，導演們似乎是把她的一句「你令我不再是小女孩」，演繹成Sachs是她的性啟蒙老師，兩人在眾人背後有持續的肉體關係。但Eva現在認識到年輕的Walther，加上在歌劇開頭已試過他的床功，所以想離開叔叔了。第二幕結尾，Sachs對相擁的兩人醋意大發，用威士忌樽把Walther打暈，於是Walther便在Sachs家中躺臥地開始第三幕。到Sachs勸Eva不要嫁他這個老頭時，Eva又激動地反駁時，我才明白導演們為何將這三角關係寫得那麼重性愛，原來是把這三人類比理察史特勞斯《玫瑰騎士》般，Eva是Octavian、Sachs是為她打開肉體之門的元帥夫人、Walther即是年輕的Sophie。然後就是真華格納迷會比結尾「得獎歌」更為重視的五重唱（加入David及Magdalena），《玫瑰騎士》第三幕的三重唱就是從這兒偷師。
這製作勝在Eva及Magdalena都是靚女，身型苖條，Klaus Florian Vogt雖已有相當年紀，但還是有型有款，不是大肥佬，這些角色換成其他歌手我真不敢想像。黃亞中的造型我覺得有點難堪，他的聲音的確很適合Mime，他的腔很有色彩，但力量還是不夠，很難做性格角色以外的東西。Johan Reuter就真的是肥叔叔了，但以歌唱來說，只是及格的Sachs，未見特出，可能就是這位重要華格納低男中音的事業尾段了。
This new Meistersinger production of Deutsche Oper Berlin was slated to be conducted by MD Donald Runnicles but he quit rehearsal because of acute muscular complains. So Markus Stenz and John Fiore shared this run. The director pair Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito has now formally admitted frequent collaborator Anna Vierbock as one of the directors.
Predictably this is a modern production, but surprises came along the way. Sachs no longer makes shoes, he sells Crocs-style plastic sandals. His real trade is a foot masseur and chiropractor, with some elements of qigong or yoga thrown in. I have reason to believe the directors were inspired by Taiwanese tenor Ya-Chung Huang’s David and therefore made all these Oriental settings. The apprentices too have quite a proportion of Asian singers.
When Act 1 begins, Walther and Eva are already kissing ardently. Yes this isn’t really new but then they withdraw into a door and make love. After the act we’re back into Wagner’s lines and Walther asks for Eva’s name… It makes perfect sense that Eva does have a thing or two with Sachs, and in Act 2 we’re left no doubt that the relation of Sachs and Eva is already sexual. Eva’s lines in Act 3: “Without you I’d still be a child” is here interpreted as Sachs being the one who teaches her all about sex. But now Eva has met someone younger, and she already knows that Walther is good in bed, so she wants out (or both). During Sachs and Eva’s duet in Act 3 I finally realized that such sexual intricacies are indeed the missing link between Meistersinger and Strauss’ Rosenkavalier. Sachs-Marschallin is the first sex partner of Eva-Octavian but now the younger Walther-Sophie arrives on the scene. Then comes the quintet with David and Magdalena and that’s the sublime Rosenkavalier trio.
I’m afraid this production works so well only with the young faces and bodies of Heidi Stober’s Eva and Annika Schlicht’s Magdalena. Vogt keeps him looks and voice very well so I’m not worried about future performances. Ya-Chung Huang sounded too much like Mime but his colourful voice lacked volume and that would be the biggest barrier that would keep him in the character actor field. Visually Johan Reuter fit in perfectly with the whisky-drinking Sachs but the voice was just passable. This might well be the beginning of the end for this fine Wagnerian bass-baritone. But James Morris also sang Sachs well into old age so why not.
