Salzburger Festspiele 2013 Harrison Birtwistle Gawain

© Ruth Walz

This year, Salzburg has chosen Harrison Birtwistle´s opera Gawain as their contemporary opera production. And it fits to the bicentennial anniversaries of Verdi and Wagner as well as 100 birthday of Benjamin Britten.

Harrison Birtwistle´s Gawain is Englands version of mediaval mystery tales and legendary heroes next to Wagner´s German historical affections. Gawain is a redeemer and hero as Parsifal. We find ourselves at King Arthurs Court at Christmastime, Gawain being on of his brave knights. All the glamour has disappeared, the environment is desperate, unjoyful and apocalyptic . The synopsis is not a glorified fairy tale – but a horror drama, lacking in the end salvation as Gawain rejects his celebrations and  heroism as he has learned all about human egoism and vanity.

Birtwistle composition style reflects influences of all 3 celebrated jubilee persons. Wagners empathy and harmony, Verdi´s emphasis on singing and scenic formality and Brittens athmospheric sense and extense instrumentation. As in last year´s “Die Soldaten” by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (realized by the same team) the orchestra is swept out of the pit and positioned on both sides next to the stage too.

The team – this is the German conductor and highly regarded specialist in contemporary music Ingo Metzmacher and the Latvian born director Alvis Hermanis. Their interpretation imports a modern hero of contemporary art – the German artist Joseph Beuys. His conceptual artworks are implemented in the story. The stage design is dominated by reanimation of Beuys installations and art pieces like “thinking Christ”, “in planting trees”, “wie man dem toten Hasen die Bilder erklärt”,”the pack”  and others. The spectator is detrected and seduced to follows image per image and looses the story. Thanks to Ingo Metzmachers incredible concentrated and clear conducting of the enormous orchestra the play remains very vivid and emotional. The athmospheric sound embraces the audience. Christopher Maltman incarnates the timid boyish hero Gawain presented in the personality of Joseph Beuys on stage with his typical outfit including his hat. Jeffrey Lloyd Roberts lackes dramatic appearance in his wheel chair. John Tomlinson as the Green Knight and Bertilak de Hautdesert once again demonstrates his artistic qualification and his warm strong voice.  Jennifer Johnston remains colourless and forgotten by the director as the seducing wife of Bertilak. Laura Atkins voice leads to limitless height in her appearance as Morgan le Fay bewitching Gawain.