Rhinegold at the London Coliseum is a delicious Wagnerian success
Richard Jones’s tacky and triumphant Rhinegold is the most recent addition to the English National Opera’s Ring Cycle.
After a mixed and shadowy Valkyrie, Jones has reembraced his familiar droll kitschiness with a glorious slice of dramatic and comedic gold, complete with delicious Wagnerian weirdness.
Wagner’s opera follows the story of the Nibelung Alberich, who forges the ultimate ring of power from the Rhinegold he nicked from the beautiful Rhinemaidens. Alberich (Leigh Melrose) hits us with a snarly baritone, and along with his general unkemptness he strikes a creepy character, just the type to enact petty revenge after being caught perving.
In the godly realm, Wotan (John Relyea) employed the giants Fasolt (Simon Bailey) and Fafner (James Creswell) to build the gods a fortress, but they demand the payment promised to them: the goddess of love, Freia (Katie Lowe).
The mischievous and clever Loge (Frederick Ballentine) arrives and helps Wotan barter with the giants, who agree to forfeit Freia in exchange for the Rhinemaidens treasure.
The entire production whizzes past, despite the lack of interval. Jones has cleverly struck a balance between red hot drama and moments of charming amusement.
Balletine’s Loge is particularly responsible for the latter, hot-footing around the stage, his physicality is as enjoyable as his smooth tenor voice. He is well matched by Relyea’s stormy Wotan whose bass-baritone growled with authority, only humbled by a colossal, earth-shattering slap from the goddess Erda (Christine Rice).
The staging goes from strength to strength. Although the costumes are slightly underwhelming, Stewart Laing’s set design is playful glittery and gaudy. The shimmering rainbow that transports the gods to Valhalla is created through a waterfall of coloured confetti, showering the deities in heavenly light even as Loge warns of their impending doom.
Visually, this Rhinegold is a complete thrill. Conductor Martyn Brabbins starts unobtrusively but eventually finds his sparkle.
As Jones’s production reaches its fever-pitch, Brabbins keeps the production marching. Given the ENO’s recent battle for funding, their first new production of 2023 had to be a hit.
Thankfully, Jones, along with his army of Nibelungs, has pulled it out of the bag.