The British press on the performance of the Mariinsky Der Ring des Nibelungen.
“Great art this certainly was, as stunning visually as musically. Tsypin’s sets were simply mind-boggling, equally as effective is the lighting design of Gleb Filtshtinsky. And Tatiana Noginova’s costume designs, drawn from the mythology of Ossetia, were arresting.
Under Valery Gergiev’s fluttering hands Wagner’s complex, far-reaching score unfolded with a tremendous sense of inevitability. The orchestra delivered tones of rich brass chording, eloquent woodwind, and expressively articulating strings, and from these vast structures Gergiev was able to convey a seamless sense of line – which meant that Wagner’s constant web of Leitmotive was spun to telling effect.
Gergiev’s system of casting from a squad on the bench had its particular benefits in these stamina-sapping days. Some of the soloists were particularly outstanding.
Both Siegfrieds were tremendous, Mikhail Vekua (previously Loge in Das Rheingold) stentorian in the Forging Song.
We had three excellent Wotans, with Vitaly Kovalyov in Die Walküre singing with perfect clarity even in the depths of his range, a delightful Freia from Anastasia Kalagina in Das Rheingold (later an enchanting Woodbird in Siegfried), and a most touching Sieglinde from Mlada Khudoley in Die Walküre.
Ekaterina Gubanova was a persuasive Fricka, and Edem Umerov had huge presence as the malevolent (but actually hard-done-by) dwarf Alberich in his three appearances.
Special among the three Brünnhildes we heard was Götterdämmerung’s Larisa Gogolevskaya, intense in acting, rapier-sharp in delivery, and at the end, a heartbreaking vision of indomitable heroism soaring out of emotional collapse.”
Christopher Morley, Birmingham Post
“The one unqualified success of this presentation of Das Rheingold was the performance of the orchestra. Conductor Valery Gergiev achieved a fine balance in the pit, and while his interpretation seemed to be very direct and straightforward that was entirely intentional. All of the music’s beauty is there on the page, but Gergiev revealed just why it takes someone of this experience to bring it all out. Never, for example, has the Valhalla leitmotif felt quite so sumptuous, or moments such as Alberich summoning the dwarves to fetch the gold possessed such striking power.
Sir Willard White was tremendous as Wotan, bringing to the fore all of the thickness in his bass voice to produce a sound possessed of shimmering resonance. Ekaterina Gubanova was every inch his equal as Fricka, revealing her own burnished, rounded voice to the full. Mikhail Vekua as Loge did not initially come across as so dynamic a trickster, but soon established himself as a quiet allknowing presence and an exceptional actor. His disdainful glances at Wotan were superb, and his sense of sickened sorrow as the gods prepared to ascend to Valhalla was highly moving. Vocally, he was splendid and he could suddenly hit the audience with a power that they simply weren’t expecting. Evgeny Ulanov also impressed as Donner, Edward Tsanga was superb as Fasolt and Mikhail Petrenko good as Fafner. However, it was the final segment that really stunned. As the Rhinemaidens lamented their loss, the monoliths rose, the lighting (which was strong throughout) really came into its own, and Gergiev genuinely brought the music home, it felt as if a touch of heaven had come to rest in the Birmingham Hippodrome.”
Sam Smith, MusicOMH
“Two outstanding performances of the evening are nobly sung Fricka of Ekaterina Gubanova and Mikhail Vekua’s fine Loge, transforming word into character, movement and colour, relishing the athleticism of his tenor. Anastasia Kalagina offers an affecting Freia; Evgeni Ulanov’s Donner is vocally potent.”
The Times
“The Mariinsky Opera took things to another level in its performance of Die Walküre, while the singing proved strong across the board. Vitaly Kovalyov was a first rate Wotan, with a voice that demonstrated firmness and consistency, but which was really marked out by its brilliant and resonant darkness. He also had enormous presence so that when he appeared in Act III his fury radiated out across the entire auditorium. As in Rheingold Ekaterina Gubanova was superb as Fricka, bringing her rich, rounded and accurate sound to the fore and making the most of the even greater opportunity afforded to stamp out such a strong, haughty character. Avgust Amonov as Siegmund and Mlada Khudoley as Sieglinde provided sounds of immense power, and Amonov brought a considerable degree of sensitivity to his magnificent sound, while Khudoley’s voice proved both resonant
and ethereal. Olga Savova as Brünnhilde revealed a soprano that could be incredibly direct, and the strength and consistency in her performance made her a terrific match for Kovalyov’s Wotan.”
Sam Smith, MusicOMH
“Amidst a strong cast, two performances stood out in particular. The first came from Mikhail Vekua who must surely stand as one of the world’s great Siegfrieds today. His voice not only possessed astounding stamina, but also immense warmth. It could be expansive and powerful, but had that element of lightness that still made the sound feel full rather than hollow. He also proved a fine actor, capturing Siegfried’s virility, confidence and arrogance, while at least hinting at some more sensitive traits. Their existence in turn enabled us to like, and hence want to go on the journey with, the hero.
The second came from Vladimir Feliauer who proved an outstanding Wanderer in what I believe was only his second appearance in the role. His bass was possessed of immense darkness and power. Decked all in black, he was a magnetic presence from start to finish.
Mikhail Petrenko proved a tremendous Fafner. Zlata Bulycheva was a rich voiced Erda and Anastasia Kalagina a splendid Woodbird, producing a direct yet sweet sound.
The Mariinsky Orchestra, under the baton of Valery Gergiev, was on top form.”
Sam Smith, MusicOMH
“Andreas Schager proved just as strong a Siegfried as Mikhail Vekua had the previous day. Larisa Gogolevskaya also proved a strong actor as Brünnhilde and with an intriguing soprano delivered a mind-blowing Immolation Scene. And yet it was her ability to shape any sound that produced such a variety of richly coloured lines.
Edward Tsanga was a powerful Gunther, while Mlada Khudoley as Gutrune and Olga Savova as Waltraute repeated the magic they had brought to the roles of Sieglinde and Brünnhilde respectively in Die Walküre. Elena Vitman, Svetlana Volkova and Tatiana Kravtsova provided an excellent Prologue as the Norns, while the three Rhinemaidens were beautifully sung by Zhanna Dombrovskaya, Irina Vasilieva and Ekaterina Sergeyeva. Edem Umerov also made his mark in Alberich’s sole scene by interacting so well with Hagen.
The orchestra played brilliantly as it has done all week, and Siegfried’s Funeral March was the most powerful I have ever experienced.
The Mariinsky Ring Cycle will stay long in my memory by virtue of the excellent conducting of Valery Gergiev, and a host of very strong performances. It was, of course, good to enjoy established figures such as Sir Willard White, Mikhail Petrenko, Andreas Schager and Ekaterina Gubanova, but the real revelation came in experiencing some singers whom I had seldom or never heard live before, singling out Vladimir Feliauer (The Wanderer), Mikhail Vekua (Siegfried in Siegfried) and Vitaly Kovalyov (Wotan in Die Walküre).”
Sam Smith, MusicOMH
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