As of: March 10, 2024, 3:05 p.m
By: Markus Thiel
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Tied up in the loom: Persia's royal mother Roselane (Tamara Obermayr, left) makes short work of the Turkish princess Zanaida (Harpa Ósk Björnsdóttir).
© Cordula Treml
“Zanaida” was only rediscovered in 2010, and now the August Everding Theater Academy is risking the opera - and shows: Johann Christian Bach was a kind of Ralph Siegel from the neighboring town.
His tricky arias cause (almost) no problems for the youngsters.
Shortly before the end, Dad has to fix it.
When things come to a head and the title heroine is threatened with execution, everything freezes in the dark while the ensemble sings the finale of Johann Sebastian Bach's cantata "O Eternity, du Donnerwort", the chorale "Es ist Enough".
That may be nasty, because it confronts the opera of the son Johann Christian with the ultimate boss of the composers' guild.
At the same time, however, the evening gets a height, a telling showstopper, which is only good for “Zanaida”.
The three-act play by Johann Christian Bach, which premiered in London in 1763, fell through the cracks; the original score was only rediscovered in 2010.
What you experience that evening in the Prinzregententheater: The youngest son of the great Bach was something like the Ralph Siegel of the post-Baroque and pre-Mozart era.
Effective hits flowed from his pen.
Catchy with lots of ornamentation.
Vocal fodder that allowed the vocal staff to bask in the best stage lighting.
This is as rewarding as it is tricky – and quite sporty for a training institute like the August Everding Theater Academy.
A version condensed to 100 minutes without breaks
“Zanaida”, as the evening also shows, needs to be tweaked a bit, changed and perhaps (the chorale!) implanted something else.
However, in the version condensed to 100 minutes without a break, the piece is a great listening pleasure.
Not only because there are highly respectable and excellent soloists there, but also because there is a firebrand at the podium: Oscar Jockel, Kirill Petrenko's assistant at the Berlin Philharmonic, is pushing the Munich Radio Orchestra into the red zone.
Music is made with constant excitement and strong application of paint.
This is not only “historically informed”, but above all extremely enjoyable.
And inadvertently reveals a problem with the piece: the staff in “Zanaida” tend to be beside themselves.
The numbers rush by as “easy listening”, perhaps because Bach’s son had little interest in contrast media and deep soul-searching.
Anyone who loses the plot thread will still feel thoroughly entertained.
The piece is not that out of date at all.
It's about the conclusion of peace between Persia and Turkey after a bloody battle.
To reinforce this, Persia's King Tamasse should marry the Turkish princess Zanaida.
He wants to get rid of her because he loves the Turkish hostage Osira.
Execution awaits Zanaida (also at the instigation of Tamasse's scheming mother Roselane).
But Zanaida forgives - and thereby wins Tamasse over.
Director Sabine Hartmannshenn and designer Edith Kollath found a stage metaphor that is as simple as it is beautiful and versatile.
Carpets and other precious fabrics are made in Turkey and Persia, so looms dominate the scene.
The forging of relationships, entanglements (also thanks to parallel plots behind the scenes), characters as puppets or tied up, all of this can be imagined here - but is not always shown: sometimes an infatuation with equipment crowds out the coherent narrative.
Singer meltdown in the premiere
In the premiere there was a meltdown with such rare pieces: Tamasse singer Katya Seministy was only able to play due to illness; Céline Akçag sang for her from the side (and after only a few days of studying the role) - with a distinctive, well-rounded, naturally performed mezzo.
Harpa Ósk Björnsdóttir, as the title heroine, gained further dimensions from her quicksilver, soubrette soprano over the course of the evening.
Tamara Obermayr threw herself into the Roselane beast with a bitter, easy-going mezzo and great presence.
Geonhe Lee played the Turkish ambassador Mustafa with a baritone sound and the best prognosis.
And Camilla Saba Davies (Silvera) would have been expected to play the title role.
An impressive ensemble – and a fascinating showcase of the Munich career hotbed.
Especially since the singers' preparatory work cannot be overestimated: they will probably never see these roles again in their future stage lives.
Further performances
on March 10th, 12th, 14th and 16th;
Radio recording on April 28th, 7:05 p.m., on BR Klassik and then available online.