Played straight through, this concert performance sailed along at the rate of knots โ just two hours and seven minutes โ with no pause for breath nor interval, Roth instead swigging a bottle of water on-the-go while launching his orchestra lustily into Act 3.
This was a loud, often thrilling performance. It could just have been louder โ the heavy brass were not on risers, but tucked behind the strings, where they still made an impact. The cast was in evening dress, but there were no music stands and the performance had a theatrical air to it for the most part, with the singers truly inside their roles.
This is unsurprising given that a new production by Benjamin Lazar has just opened in Cologne, with this rendition as an Easter getaway in sunny Provence. Two narrow platforms defined the acting space either side of Roth.
Singers came and went, mostly as the libretto demands it, although it was awkward for Daland to introduce his daughter to the Dutchman when neither was present on the stage. Bass-baritone James Rutherford is a seasoned Wagnerian and his sturdy Dutchman sounded suitably weathered and oaken-toned. Swedish dramatic soprano Ingela Brimberg was a very fine Senta.
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Her ballad was sung with great intonation, her incisive tone, with blue-silvery colours, slicing through the orchestral texture with ease, but also displaying huge dynamic variation. Staged performances resume in Cologne shortly.
