Siegfried at Opera Australia
Lise Lindstrom als Brünnhilde ist ebenso gut in Form wie in der „Walküre“ – ihr Erwachen ist durch einen präzisest angesetzten Ton markiert, und ebenso präzise geht es bis zum jubelnden Finale sängerisch wie schauspielerisch weiter.
Lindstrom and Vinke have performed together before, and it shows. They have an undeniable vocal chemistry, giving off sparks in what could be described as an exercise in ‘anything you can sing I can sing louder’, and higher. Atop the rock, set against Sachwitz’s amorphous cliff face, they triumphantly hit their high C, their characters respectively coming to grips with their newfound humanity and sexual awakening.
‘Heil dir, Sonne!’ is one of Wagner’s great vocal events, and Lise Lindstrom provided plangent tone and expressive physicality as Brünnhilde, coming to terms with the loss of her godhead and growing love for Siegfried. Her voice has a steely quality that soars over the orchestra when necessary, but warmth and tonal nuance give depth to the character. Vinke was superb in these final moments – no sign of any vocal fatigue. If anything, the voice sounded fresher here than at the beginning of the opera. His is a superb vocal and dramatic performance. The visual background evolved from the vivid crimson of the fire surrounding Brünnhilde to serene white and blue as the opera draws to its end. Siegfried sometimes has longueurs in performance, particularly in the long, conversational scenes, but the direction was most effective in sustaining interest throughout while whetting the appetite for the culmination of this great saga.
Of course, Brünnhilde has been slumbering there for a generation, but she awakens in vocal majestic radiance with Lise Lindstrom’s ravishing portrayal of Brünnhilde’s mixed emotional stirrings. On the stage, Vinke and Lindstrom know each other well – Lindstrom sang alongside Vinke in OA’s 2016 production – and their chemistry is firmly alive all the way to their fervent duet to finish on magnificent hair-raising high Cs that close this installment.
After her multi-year sleep, Lise Lindstrom’s Brünnhilde resumed as strongly as she had finished Walküre, her mixture of elation and distress at her new circumstances palpable.
You have not yet met Brunnhilde, although I have, in the previous opera Die Walkure. In fact you never will, as Siegfried will kill you before the third act. So you will not hear Lise Lindstrom as she awakens from being asleep (throughout Siegfried’s entire life so far), her gilt-edged soprano soaring above the race below the stage with seemingly endless lung-power. You will not watch her embody in succession: the immortal being encountering light for the first time after the darkness of sleep; the shy virgin, desiring but afraid; and the whole woman surrendering herself to the love which her role embodies.