<<  -- 5 --  Robert Hugill    VITAL PERFORMANCE

From the very opening of Act 1, Pappano shows himself to be a conductor in the faster, dramatic mould; it is dramatic values which are paramount throughout the evening. If I have any complaint about his conducting it is that, whilst never seeming hurried, at certain moments the performance lacked a little spaciousness; but this is his first Die Walküre and the production is bound to grow musically as well as dramatically as the Ring progresses.

Katarina Dalayman and Jorma Silvasti make a believable Sieglinde and Siegmund. Both are fine singing actors and deliver convincing, detailed performances. Both are adept at portraying troubled people and Act 1 was noticeable for the uneasy atmosphere they engendered with eyes and body language only. Both have rather soft grained voices which are not completely ideal for Wagner in this house. Silvasti wisely did not push, so he always created an attractive sound; but at the big moments I would have liked a more gleaming tone. The same goes, for a certain extent, for Dalayman except that she did push her voice so that it lost focus at the top. This was noticeably a loss during Sieglinde's glorious final outburst during Act 3, when she must be able to rise over the orchestra. Dalayman's voice rose heroically, but with a loss of focus and beauty.

As Hunding, Stephen Milling used his sheer bulk to create an impressive man, honourable by his lights and a devotee of Fricka's. Milling's voice matches his stature, so he never had to over-emphasise and his focus and projection showed up Dalayman and Silvasti a little; Milling's diction was also completely admirable.

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