Above: Peter Mattei as Wozzeck, Elza van den Heever as Marie; a Met Opera photo
Author: Oberon
Sunday January 19th, 2020 - The Met has developed a knack for getting rid of wonderful productions and replacing them with productions that are ugly (TRISTAN, the Bondy TOSCA - which has itself since been replaced - and the tedious RING Cycle), unsuited to the size of the theatre (the Chereau ELEKTRA), or simply unnecessary. Into that last category would fall WOZZECK, which in its previous, ideal production (by Mark Lamos) was given less than forty times over a twenty-year period. The William Kentridge production which replaces it has its moments, but essentially it is visually busy, and seemingly more intent on pop-up gimmicks than telling the story of the downtrodden soldier and the hopeless life he's leading.
There were interesting elements in the production, to be sure. Some of the dark, charcoal outlines in the big projections put me in mind of the work of Georges Rouault, designer of the iconic original settings for Balanchine's PRODIGAL SON. A central raked boardwalk divided the playing area, and each scene cropped up in its own area of the set. Stagehands clothed like ragged homeless people stealthily re-arranged the set furniture and props as the opera unfolded. One visually stunning moment came when the projected enormous, dark silhouettes of marching musicians appeared ominously while the Drum Major strutted in his white uniform.
The heroes of the afternoon were the players of The Met Orchestra. They were at their magnificent best today, and not only in the pit: the stage band ensemble in the Tavern Scene were simply terrific...and rightly drew cheers when they took a bow at the end. Throughout the opera, Berg's imaginative textures were set forth with spine-tingling clarity. The numerous instrumental solo opportunities were so evocatively played, with the harp and celesta adding to the gorgeously nightmarish atmosphere.
While Yannick Nézet-Séguin won tumultuous applause at his curtain call, he was sometimes prone to allowing the orchestra to swamp the singers during parlando passages. Despite the size of the orchestra, the opera is very intimate, and every word and note from the singers deserves to be heard.
The cast was a perfect one, down to the one-line characters. In a personal triumph on the level of his peerless Amfortas, Peter Mattei brought great beauty of tone and of feeling to Wozzeck's music. He conveyed both the desperation and the humanity of the character, and made me crave a chance to hear him sing Barak in DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN. As Marie, Elza van den Heever's powerfully-projected upper range set the Met's acoustic aflame. She used her vibrato to cunning effect, and made her Bible-reading scene an engrossing experience, at once intimate and intense. If only she'd had a real child to interact with!
As The Captain and The Doctor who complicate Wozzeck's sorry existence with their mad theories and kinky experiments, Gerhard Siegel and Christian Van Horn were perfect. The tenor, a fabulous Mime, makes every word count as his cannily-projected tenor vibrantly sails into the hall; he's a verbal colorist of the highest order. With his impressive physical presence and ample tone, the basso's portrayal was a tour de force.
Christopher Ventris sang vibrantly as the Drum Major, and Tamara Mumford, a street-sweeper Margret, sang so vividly that one wished the role was much, much longer. Andrew Staples, with a clear and pliant lyric tenor, was a very impressive Andres, and Brenton Ryan made his mark as The Fool who smells blood on Wozzeck's hands. As the two Apprentices, Miles Mykkanen and Richard Bernstein were scene-stealers of the first order in their vignette in the Tavern Scene, sung and acted with drunken zest.
Listening to the opera's powerful final interlude today, Berg's great masterpiece once again re-affirmed its high place in my operatic pantheon. I've experienced WOZZECK live in so many memorable incarnations over the years, and - in today's performance - it once again cast its spell.
~ Oberon