La Scena Musicale - Vol. 3, No. 4 Décembre / December 1997

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(c) La Scena Musicale 1997

Rescigno Conducts Die Walküre
Interview by Wah Keung Chan

When Maestro Joseph Rescigno became artisticdirector of Montreal's Orchestre Métropolitain eighteen monthsago, one of his ambitions was to conduct Act I of RichardWagner's opera Die Walküre. On 29 January 1998,Rescigno's dream will come true when he leads a concertperformance starring Linda Roark-Strummer as Sieglinde, JonFredric West as Siegmund, and Edward Russell as Hunding. MaestroRescigno spoke to La Scena Musicale about Die Walküreand the Orchestre Métropolitain's future operatic projects.

LSM: What attracted you to Die Walküre?

JR: As you know, I am the artistic director of the FlorentineOpera in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1992, I conducted DieWalküre as part of their 60th anniversary celebrations. Themarvellous thing about Wagner's operas is that many single actscan stand on their own as dramas. Die Walküre can bedivided into two stories: Act I, and Acts II and III. The formand shape of Act I of Die Walküre is self-contained. ActI of Parsifal and all of Das Rheingold can also beperformed in concert, as was done by Solti with the ChicagoSymphony at Carnegie Hall. From the audience's viewpoint DieWalküre is a very accessible work because it doesn't requirethe kind of preparation or knowledge that operas like Elektraneed. Like Act II of Tristan und Isolde, Act I of DieWalküre contains some of the most ecstatic love music everwritten. In addition, it is relatively economical to present: ActI requires only three singers and sets are not really neededbecause the drama is psychological. A Sieglinde soprano is easierto find than a Brünnhilde or Elektra. I know of two excellentSiegmunds. Unfortunately the best Wotans cost a lot. We've spentquite a lot on the three soloists even though the OrchestreMétropolitain's subsidies from the Conseil des arts et deslettres have been cut twice. If we can sell most of SalleWilfrid-Pelletier we'll be comfortable, but if we sell only halfthe seats we'll be in trouble. I'm hoping that there are enoughpeople in Montreal who want to hear this work, which was lastconducted here by Franz-Paul Decker in the 1970s.

LSM: How do you approach the conducting of a Wagner work?

JR: I conduct Wagner as I would conduct a great symphony, forexample Mahler. The music is tough to play for the orchestra butnot as tough as Elektra. Before studying Die Walküre,I thought the fugal section after the Ride of the Valkyries(basically Act 3, Scene 2) would be the most difficult. But inpractice I found that the really difficult moments are the staticareas where you have to maintain the intensity despite slowtempi, for example in the early part of Act 1, after the storm,in the difficult monologue, and in the "Todgeweihten"scene between Brünnhilde and Siegmund in Act 2 Scene 4. In thoseplaces the musicians really have to concentrate. There's a lot ofhard writing for the Wagner tubas, and there is constant dangerof sagging because the tempos are slow.
Conducting Wagner is like a math problem, working with theinterrelated tempos and values of the score. For instance, whenSieglinde sings her first aria, "Der Männer Sippe",she is telling the story of her wedding and how the sword got inthe tree. Midway, there is a place marked sehr lebhaftwhen the tempos change. Most people don't realize how fast thatshould be. If we choose the right tempo, then the rest of the actfalls into place. Up until that point, the tempos are looselyinterrelated but somewhat episodic. From that moment on, there isan absolutely strict relationship. If it is taken at the righttempo ‹ I take it at double the previous tempo ‹ thenwhen you have Siegmund's next entry and the end of his littlesection after that, then one pulse of the new 9/8"Wintersturme" tempo, i.e. one dotted quarter, would beequal to half of the previous measure. Unfortunately what youoften hear today are accelerandi and ritardandi at the seamswhere two sections join. In my opinion that is almost the worstplace to do it. When tempos wander from section to section, itgets boring. In Wagner most of the changes happen in the middlebetween section joints because the overall form is so long. Toknow where these occur requires immense foresight. Wagner usuallyhas only one or two climaxes per act. Most conductors get carriedaway, which is why it is important to scale these very carefully.

LSM: Where is the climax of Act I?

There is a secondary climax when Siegmund calls out for hisfather, "Father, Father ‹ where is my sword?" Thesecond "Father" has to be longer than the first. Thatis a big moment, an absolute primeval cry of this man for hisfather. The primary climax is when Siegmund pulls the sword outof the tree ‹ pianissimo! For me, the emotionalclimax of the entire opera is not the loudest point. It isWotan's farewell towards the very end.

LSM: And the cast?

JR:I've worked with all three singers before. LindaRoark-Strummer has been singing the Italian repertoire, but Ihave encouraged her to try the German repertoire - Wagner andStrauss, which suits her voice and temperament. Linda sang herfirst Ariadne with me in 1990 on a PBS telecast and this will beher first Sieglinde. Tenor Jon Fredric West, our Siegmund, alsoused to sing mainly Italian repertoire, but his career has reallyopened since he started to sing German. I hope the soloists willsing without scores.

LSM: Which recordings of Die Walküredo you like?

JR: Solti is wonderful. I like Leinsdorf's version withNilsson as Brünnhilde and Vickers as Siegmund. But I'm not ahuge fan of records. I disapprove of using records to learnmusic.

LSM: Will Strummer be doing the shriek when Siegmund pullsthe sword out of the tree?

JR: I doubt it. The shriek was not Richard Wagner's idea. Itwas introduced at Bayreuth by his grandson Wieland for LeonieRysanek, who did it wonderfully. To me the scream should beorgasmic because it is cathartic. Siegmund taking the sword outof the tree has obvious phallic symbolism, but it also symbolizesthe concept of a new age. The sword is the weapon of the new man,while the spear is the weapon of primitive man or the old gods,as in the King Arthur legend.

LSM: What else is on the concert program?

JR: I've decided to make it an all-Wagner concert. We'll openwith the overtures to Die Meistersinger and Derfliegende Holländer, then do Die Walküre after theintermission.

SM: Any future plans for more opera in concert with theOrchestre Métropolitain?

JR: Yes, I'm planning an opera for next season. At this pointI can only say it is Wagnerian in style but with familyentertainment. I love the German repertoire, but I feel that ithas been underserved by both the Opéra de Montréal and theMontreal Symphony Orchestra, perhaps because it is so difficultto play. It could be an interesting niche for the OrchestreMétropolitain to fill. In general, I want to find vocal worksthat have not been presented much in Montreal. Wagner's WesendonkLieder, Strauss lieder, Mahler song cycles, and Brahms' Rinaldoare possibilities. I'm considering the possibility of performingsome works by Richard Strauss with the Orchestre Métropolitain.I don't think Elektra, Die Frau ohne Schatten, or Capricciohave been done. The Opéra de Montréal is already planningStrauss' Salome, which leaves us Elektra, which wecould do with no staging because it basically requires threepeople. If there are enough vocal music lovers in Montreal tosupport us, I'd be happy to produce one opera in concert eachyear.

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