The Bad Hersfeld Festival Choir, the Rhein-Main Symphony Orchestra and students of the Michèle Meckbach Dance and Ballet School. – Photos: Christopher Göbel
BAD-HERSFELD
Magical opera gala
24.08.24 – Music is captivating and music connects. The opera gala of the Bad Hersfeld Music Working Group on Friday evening in the monastery ruins was the best example of this. With the music of Edvard Grieg for Henrik Ibsen’s play “Peer Gynt” and Jules Massenet’s “Cinderella”, the Bad Hersfeld Festival Choir, the Rhein-Main Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Christof Becker, the actor and two-time winner of the Great Hersfeld Prize, Christian Nickel, an ensemble of soloists and the students of the Michèle Meckbach Dance and Ballet School enchanted their audience.
Christian Nickel als Peer Gynt.
Eva Be Yauno-Janssen, Konstanze Schlaud-Stavonhagen and Vero Miller as three “dairymaids”. …
The mild summer evening was perfect for the sounds, the dance and the performance of “Peer Gynt”. Christian Nickel played the title character with bravura, the Rhein-Main Symphony Orchestra acted as a sound body that skilfully presented all nuances from the most delicate pianissimo to the thunderous forte. The voices from offstage were festival director Joern Hinkel as “Dovre-Alter” and actress Sabine Wackernagel as “Knopfgießer”.
Homogeneous ensemble The trio of Konstanze Schlaud-Stavonhagen, Vero Miller and Eva Be Yauno-Janssen were convincing as the three dairymaids. The latter is to thank for the overall work of art, as she developed the concept for the evening and directed it. The story of the “Nordic Faust” Peer Gynt was shortened and condensed, but the common thread was still recognizable. Nickel remained credible as a driven man and bon vivant until his death in Solveig’s arms. The choir, a project choir that came together for the gala, once again proved to be a homogeneous entity that mastered the demanding parts impressively.
The Bad Hersfeld Festival Choir, the Rhein-Main Symphony Orchestra and students of the dance …
“Cendrillon” is the French version of “Cinderella”, known here as “Aschenbrödel”. Massenet’s powerful music tells the well-known story of the love of a young woman (Vero Miller) for her “Prince Charmant” (Maren Engelhardt). Always keeping a watchful eye: the fairy (Judith Spießer). Christian Nickel also took on the recitative part.
Enthusiastic final applause It was clear that the nearly three-hour opera could not be performed in its entirety. But the selected passages in five scenes took the audience into the fairytale story. The music did the rest to transport the audience into a musically fairytale evening. Long, enthusiastic applause was the end of this warm summer night, in which fairies and trolls and lots of music dominated the monastery ruins. (Christopher Göbel) +++
Maren Engelhardt (Anitra).
Judith Spiesser (Solveig).
Conductor Christof Becker.
