Stephen Gould

Siegfried, May 12th, 2008
The Wiener Staatsoper has a new Siegfried in Sven Erik Bechtolf's stage production that is remarkable only for being so extraordinarily unremarkable, and conductor Franz Welser-Möst would be quite congenial, musically, but leaves a more lingering impression since he makes the orchestra produce such an overloud and tinny sound. Most of the singers, though, were surprisingly good, and that included Stephen Gould in the title role. True, in the 1920s, he would have sung Siegfried at the municipal theatres of Reichenberg or Barmen-Elberfeld, but given the present situation on the heldentenor market, even a first-level opera house has to be satisfied with a Siegfried like him. He was nowhere really good, but also nowhere really akward, and sang this monstrous part through the end without too heavy problems. The better tenor, however, was Herwig Pecoraro as Mime, though his voice is somewhat lyrical for this rather dramatic comprimario part, and though he is lacking the low register for the first half of the first act. Nonetheless, he gave an excellent portrayal, and whenever the melody is not too low, he is a demanding partner for every Siegfried at present, often better to be heard than Gould, for example (let alone the one really terrible singer in this production, voiceless and techniqueless Wanderer Juha Uusitalo).

I wish to thank Robert Schlesinger for the long Siegfried excerpt and the review.

I wish to thank Helmut Krautschneider for the recordings (Holländer, Nothung 2).