English National Opera
Wagner in a Field is Valhalla for Some
Pyramid Stage - Sunday
No, it was not a hoax, the English National Opera really are here on the Pyramid stage, and they are about to perform the last act of Wagner's The Valkyrie. To me, this is reason enough to be here, but there's also a lot of additional interest in seeing how the Glasto crowd respond to this unusual offering.
The Pyramid field is three-quarters full, and Feargal Sharkey, the Government's live music Czar, is standing just in front of us, probably wondering similar things. The sky is heavy with rolling grey clouds.
The last act opens with the Ride of the Valkyries, and orchestra and singers are giving it all they've got. The open-air setting actually adds to the power of this very famous, dramatic bit - it's about riding through the stormy skies, carrying dead heroes to the afterlife, and it is spendidly appropriate to feel the elements for once. There is even a helicopter circling, but sadly it is coincidental, and some distance away (this is the music used for the helicopter scene in Apocalypse Now).
Sieglinde's voice is superb, easily transcending the slight limitations of the sound system (this music was never intended to be put through huge speaker stacks). It's a shame that she only appears in the first few minutes. This is the ENO, so of course it's all sung in English, and personally I prefer my Wagner in German - but during Sieglinde's appearance, the use of English really seems to add something, and her heartbroken pleas to be left alone to die are especially moving. Apart from this, it has to be said that the English translation is pretty ropey.
The crowd love the passion and drama, and cheer and clap all the high points - and you don't get that in an opera house. As Wotan approaches, nature does some scene-setting, and the clouds darken. This is one time when thunder and lightning would actually have been a good thing.
With Wotan's entrance comes the music that has been described as some of the most lyrical in all of Wagner. In other words, the fireworks are over, and this is the quiet bit. It's a complex argument between Brunnhilde and her father. She is pleading the cause of true love, but he knows that although she is his favourite and deeply beloved daughter, he has no choice but to punish her.
Finally, he agrees to modify his punishment and the crowd all cheer. (Earlier, there have been shouts of "Leave her alone!", and you don't get that in an opera house, either.) The Valkyrie theme returns, and Brunnhilde makes a passionate triumph out of her banishment.
The ENO make a triumph of their first Glasto gig. More next year, guys?
Nemone Thornes
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