"Daphne", like Strauss' other late works, is a rarity in the opera house; and it is not likely to become popular with the average operagoer. But it is a very beautiful work. It is richly melodious, with expectedly expert vocal writing. And it is the first example of the wonderfully luminous orchestral sound which Strauss would cultivate in his last decade - his "Indian Summer", in the words of biographer Norman Del Mar. It is nice to have the opera on DVD in such a generally excellent production. Watching it on stage, I was surprisingly conscious of the flat, verbose libretto by Josef Gregor. Gregor was a handicap Strauss also had to overcome in "Friedenstag" and "Die Liebe der Danae". In each case the beautiful music wins the day, but it was an uphill struggle.
The conductor, Stefan Anton Reck, was unknown to me, but he does a fine job, pacing the opera convincingly and drawing beautiful playing from the orchestra. June Anderson is a wonderful Daphne. In the world of ideals she is too old for the part, but she sings beautifully, spinning out those high lines with ease. And she moves with remarkable grace and poise. She is well partnered by Roberto Saccà. Leukippos is one of Strauss' more singable tenor roles, and Saccà makes good use of his lovely lyric voice and good dramatic skills. By contrast, Apollo is on of Strauss' impossible tenor parts, requiring Wagnerian power in a cruelly high tessitura. Scott Mac Allister sings it so convincingly that it might seem churlish to complain that he doesn't look very godlike and that his acting is stiff. Birgit Remmert is a lovely Gaea, making the part more than a study in low notes. Daniel Lewis Williams is a solid Peneios. It is a pleasant surprise to have the Shepherds and the Maids cast with such fine voices.
I rather like the minimal/abstract production. The costumes are lovely; the stage, with its movable concentric circles, is intriguing; and the lighting is imaginative. Some reviewers complain that there is no tree for the transformation scene, but I really don't mind. It seems to me that suddenly introducing such an elaborate piece of stage machinery would clash with the rest of the production, with its temporally non-specific costuming and lack of representational scenery. Anderson's beautifully choreographed movement complements the orchestral postlude, which features Strauss' orchestral writing at its most magical.
In comparing this DVD to earlier audio recordings some invoke the 1964 Deutsche Grammophon recording, which I never liked much. The best thing about it is the beautifully sung Leukippos of Fritz Wunderlich; the other leads are less good. I always loved Hilde Gueden, and she was probably a good Daphne a decade earlier; she was past her vocal prime for this performance, and her singing is labored. James King makes heavy weather of Apollo's music; fine singer though he was, the role sounds uncomfortably high for him. Karl Böhm conducts the opera well - after all, it was dedicated to him! But he also makes large and damaging cuts, most seemingly intended to make things easier for Gueden and King. The standard-setting audio recording is the 1983 EMI album, well-conducted by Bernard Haitink, with a fine cast. Lucia Popp never sang Daphne on stage, but the role suited her to a T; her rapturously beautiful singing is unmatched. Peter Schreier was also in top form as Leukippos; he is second only to Wunderlich, who had a more intrinsically beautiful sound. Apollo is one of Reiner Goldberg's better efforts. He sensibly sings lyrically, never pushing beyond his comfort zone; but as usual, he rarely seems to know what he's singing about. Ortrun Wenkel is a sonorous Gaea and Kurt Moll a bluff, powerful Peneios. It is shameful that this fine recording remains out of print!
Update: The Haitink "Daphne" has been reissued by Arkivmusic.com. It's well worth checking out.
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Top reviews from other countries
captain cuttle
beautiful to listen to but you don't need to watch it
Reviewed in Canada on May 15, 2008Mr. T. Y. W. Kent
Glorious Daphne - a neglected masterpiece
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 22, 2008
