Conducted by-----Matthias Kuntzsch
Directed by------Albert Takazauckas
Set Design-------C. Kritikos (from New Orleans Opera)
Costume Design---Susan Memmott-Allred
Lighting---------Nicholas Cavallaro
Chorus Master----Douglas Kinney-Frost
The Dutchman-----Greer Grimsley
Senta------------Jeanne-Michele Charbonnet*
Daland-----------Kurt Link
Erik-------------William Joyner*
The Steersman----Philip Webb
Mary-------------Mary Ann Dresher*
*-Utah Opera Debut
The production, borrowed from New Orleans, was a traditional one, as were the new costumes by Susan Memmott-Allred. Albert Takazauckas's direction was a mixed bag: while he effectively pointed out the Dutchman's inner torment and self-loathing, Senta's obsessiveness, and Erik's desperation, the scenes with Daland and the sailors were a bit too farcical.
The singers were of a uniformly high calibre. Mary Ann Dresher and Philip Webb were fine as Mary and the Steersman. It was a pleasure to hear such a clarion sound from the Steersman, a role often given to more plaintive-sounding character tenors.
Of the four principals, William Joyner was the most successful. The passionate, desperate nature of the hunter was evident both through his acting and vocal production. Like all the other principals, he also cut an attractive figure onstage: this young tenor seems to have quite a future ahead of him.
Kurt Link as Daland performed with elan and rough humor. The humor did seem inappropriate at times, especially in the second act scene when Senta and the Dutchman first see each other. Was this the fault of Takazauckas or Link himself (who helped ham up last season's BARBIERE)? Hard to say. In any case, one can hardly fault Link's cavernous bass and fine enunciation of the text.
Senta, a difficult role to cast, was performed by Jeanne-Michele Charbonnet, a singer previously unknown to me (although she seems to have had quite an international career up until now, according to her resume.) A beautiful woman, she triumphed over the difficulties of her role. Still, I find it difficult to be enthused over her performance, as she did not have a distinctive sound. Other Sentas may make a sound that is less attractive than Charbonnet's, but in the end are more memorable. In any case, one could hardly fault her acting; during the Ballad, she seemed totally carried away from the other women because of her obsession. On the whole, Charbonnet was an asset to the performance.
Finally, the Dutchman. Greer Grimsley has been one of the more promising singers in the bass-baritone repertoire recently. It is indeed fortunate that Utah Opera could engage him as the Dutchman before he is out of the price range of a provincial company. His Dutchman had Standard Baritone Hair(tm), as well as "Samuel Ramey's Disease" (the uncontrollable urge to sing shirtless). His acting and singing, however, could hardly be faulted. Grimsley was riveting in "Die Frist ist um", beginning in a fetal position, and gradually laying his tortured soul bare to the audience. His hopefulness in finding rest was touching, as was his return to despair in the final act. His ovations were well-deserved.
The real star of the evening, however, was in the pit. Matthias Kuntzsch is an experienced hand at Wagner, having worked as an assistant conductor at Bayreuth in his younger days. Under him, the Utah Symphony played a riveting Overture, silencing the normally noisy audience. He played at a balance and tempo that was sympathetic to the singers, but always gave the orchestra a chance to shine. The audience showed rare perception in giving him the loudest demonstrations during curtain calls.
There were a few details that bugged me throughout the performance (Daland's ship was far too small for the number of sailors it carried; the ghosts on the Dutchman's ship resembled the three musketeers covered with Christmas tree flocking; the Dutchman's entrance in Act III was too sudden), but on the whole the performance was a fine one, and augurs well for future Wagnerian peformances in the state.