Atlanta Symphony Orchestra conductor Robert Spano’s biggest, most carefully watched and most challenging appearance of the year is occurring in Seattle rather than Atlanta.
He is at the Seattle Opera for a reprise of his 2005 performance, conducting three complete cycles of Richard Wagner’s epic “Ring” (each cycle consists of four operas, with a total running time of nearly 16 hours). No other work in the classical world inspires as much devotion among fans. At Seattle, for example, 40 percent of the sold-out audience is from out of state, with a significant international contingent.
Conducting the “Ring” means two months of rehearsals, followed by three weeks of performances. To accomplish this and continue his responsibilities here, Spano had to charter a jet at times.
Why such a commitment, given that he led it four years ago? He answered that question by talking about the importance of the “Ring” to him, personally.
“It is a vast work,” Spano said. “There is nothing like it in terms of its scale or the number of people involved, the interpretive aspect.”
In other words, it is the ultimate challenge for a conductor.
The “Ring” is truly astonishing. The entire work consists of leitmotifs, each of which signifies something: characters, emotions, natural elements, etc. These comment constantly on the action but are woven seamlessly into a musical tapestry of great beauty and power.
The text is an open work, lending itself to many interpretations, and often the stage director uses the sets, costumes and acting of the singers to suggest a point of view.
This is less true in Seattle than in most modern productions, but that doesn’t mean that its production, by noted director Steven Wadsworth, is not controversial. The work has been criticized precisely for its conservatism and lack of metaphor.
“Ring” doesn’t come cheap. This production cost $17 million to mount in 2001, when it was first produced. Remounting it has cost about $7 million this year. That’s a lot for a company whose annual budget is usually about $18 million.
This year’s cast features American soprano Janice Baird as Brünnhilde and Danish heldentenor Stig Andersen as Siegfried. Both are relatively young and fresh, and reports have been favorable so far.
Spano’s reviews have been mostly favorable. In terms of his reputation, this is arguably the most important event of the year for him. Just as it did in 2005, it seems likely to enhance his reputation. These performances will be seen and discussed by more critics and music professionals from more places than any other performances on his calendar. On the one hand, that enhances the ASO’s reputation. On the other, it makes Spano more of a candidate for recruitment.
Conductors with orchestra-building credentials are in short supply. And Spano’s biggest liability might be that, though he is widely recognized for his work with new works, he is much less known for conducting the big traditional works, especially the Germanic blockbusters. Wagner’s “Ring” is perhaps the most important of that set, so this goes a long way toward building that part of his resume.
Most of Spano’s opera work occurs elsewhere, so it’s easy for Atlantans to miss the fact that much of his work as a guest conductor is focused on opera. He has worked at almost every major opera house in the United States. And this, too, has been focused on new music (two of the three concert versions of operas he’s conducted at ASO were new works: Adams’ “Doctor Atomic” and Golijov’s “Ainadamar”).
Asked whether he was concerned about being labeled a specialist in new music, he responded: “It’s a label I would wear with pride.”
But it’s important to him that he also gets to conduct the standard repertory, too. And the “Ring” is perhaps the summit of the repertory.
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