Concert Review: Simone Young Conducts Die Walküre/ Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Concert Review: Simone Young Conducts Die Walküre

Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Friday November 15, 2024

The Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House was awash with relentless cascades of Wagnerian sound as the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Chief Conductor Simone Young presented a stunning concert production of Die Walküre, the second of its four annual presentations of the operas of Wagner’s Ring Cycle.

Fresh from conducting the full cycle at Bayreuth, smashing the double firsts of being not only the first woman to conduct the cycle but also the first Australian, Young presented her handpicked cast in this epic which followed on from the triumph that was Das Rheingold in a concert production exactly a year ago.

The orchestra of some one hundred musicians led by Concertmaster Andrew Haveron included the obligatory Wagner tubas and four harps. Young’s handpicked ensemble of singers welcomed back some of Sydney’s favourite Antipodeans, amongst them, the golden-voiced heldentenor Stuart Skelton, magnetic as Siegmund, one of his signature roles. As well, the Valkyries who comprised Helena Dix, Madeleine Pierard, Natalie Aroyan, Deborah Humble, Margaret Plummer, Kristin Darragh and Liane Keegan. What a line-up of talent that was as they fearsomely sashayed onto stage one by one, with no small degree of chutzpah. This was no collective of sisters, but a parade of individuals, each with their unique style and power.

It was a rare treat to hear such talent and consummate Wagnerian expertise coming together amongst the overseas-born main soloists. Vida Miknevičiūtė was outstanding as Sieglinde as were Tommi Hakala as Wotan, Peter Rose as Hunding, Alexandra Ionis as Fricka and Anja Kampe as Brünnhilde, whom we will hear again in Siegfried in 2025.

For me, this concert production underscored two points. One was that the singers selected had the ability to convey the intensely dramatic narrative and dynamic interactions with little more than their voices and a few minimal gestures without relying on costumes, props and the freedom of moving around the stage. There were some effects from the Concert Hall’s newly revamped lighting system, Skelton and Rose sang from the circle and there was use of a rather uncomfortable looking bench seat for the reposes of Sieglinde and Brünnhilde. Skelton, Miknevičiūtė and the Valkyries performed score-free, liberating them to perform unencumbered. In the main, it was up to the singers to tell their story in concert style with little extraneous help.

The other point is that listening to this opera as a concert, without those very elements of a staged production presents a terrific opportunity to simply focus on the music and to understand and appreciate Wagner’s magnificence and complexity. Layering  this over a staged version, if one were fortunate enough to see one, creates a much more thrilling and enlightened experience.

As Sydney doesn’t have a venue capable of presenting a fully staged version of The Ring Cycle, opera fans are left with being able to afford to travel interstate or overseas to see one or watch the limited offerings on a streaming platform. These excellent concert productions from the SSO under Young are very welcome and bring to us some of the best of Wagnerian performance.

Can’t wait for Siegfried!

Shamistha de Soysa for SoundsLikeSydney©

Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s 2025 season.