THE NEW ZEALAND OPERA SOCIETY

Stephen Barlow Conductor
Margaret Medlyn Judith
Ferenc Cserhalmi Bluebeard

Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
Auckland Town Hall
25 May

Review by Neil Jenkins 

Bartok’s only opera Bluebeard’s Castle, if it is to be performed well, is a musical challenge. Only his ballet The Miraculous Mandarin can be thought of, in some respects, as a musical sequel to the opera. It has an individuality that comes perhaps from Bartok’s study of Hungarian folk music with its modal scales. These seem to rub off on the opera’s harmony as well as on its melody. Bartok’s key symbolism is unique, and in Bluebeard for instance, he gives melody lines to the baritone, but the mezzo-soprano is often faced with singing aggressive music against the prevailing key. The baritone’s musical entries can be in G major and the soprano’s reply will be in the pentatonic scale of A flat – a difference of one semitone.

The orchestra is loud, at times, particularly for the soprano’s lower register; this is the main reason why mezzo-sopranos have always favoured the role.

The type of voice register needed here could be compared to Wagner’s Kundry, a role in which Margaret Medlyn achieved great success recently, so for this Bluebeard, I doubt if there is a New Zealand singer, at this time, who would have been a better choice. As Judith, Medlyn gave a thrilling performance. She sounded lush, and her voice was full bodied. She sang with considerable feeling as she did for Aida six years ago. This was also a great achievement due to the complexity of the music.

Hungarian bass baritone Ferenc Cserhalmi as Bluebeard, sang effectively and with ease. Although he may possibly have a lighter voice than most of his predecessors, he never pushed over the loudest of orchestral passages. His voice sounded rich and even throughout the piece.

The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra played exceptionally well. My only real criticism is that conductor Stephen Barlow allowed these musicians to forget, at times, they were performing the work with two accomplished singers. They were often too loud; for example for the soprano’s magnificent top C entry when the fifth door is opened into Bluebeard’s Kingdom.

Auckland audiences have waited a long time for Bluebeard’s Castle and particularly for a performance that was, like this one, basically electrifying. What a pity there were so few in the audience.