Review: The witch is dead, the bitch is dead. Go see it

Alexander Zemlinsky’s ‘George The Dreamer’ a work in progress since 1907, has just received its fifth full staging at Frankfurt Oper. Our roving critic Susan Hall was there:

Zemlinsky was a master composer, with a gift for matching mood and story with song. Gustav Mahler commissioned this opera for Vienna. Soon after Mahler left, his successor dropped the opera. The composer forgot the work. A manuscript was discovered in the 1970s. The world premiere took place in Nuremberg in 1980.

At Frankfurt Oper, the curtain is made of wood plank. Mill work is the real world of this story and wood, egalitarian. Our depressed but energetic hero (A.J. Glueckert) dreams of marrying a princess. A union leader tempts him to be their spokesman. George awakes to find that he doesn’t want the job. Nor does he want to marry the town bitch. He loves the town witch.

Lighting director Jan Hartmann plays with shadowy figures on the plain walls. The slightly raked stage is spare. The music is rich in contrast to the setting. Director Tilmann Kohler clarifies the complex journey from fantasy to worldly success. The orchestra under conductor Markus Poschner supports the characters with a complex web of crystal clear sound.

Glueckert, an American tenor, is building a career in Europe with big roles in smaller houses (at the Metropolitan Opera in New York he was superb as Erik in Flying Dutchman). As George, he meets the demands of singing at the top of his range and a constant stage presence with a melodious yet dramatic approach. He provides an interesting contrast with the singing of the Witch/Princess, Zuzana Markova. She has a delightful coloratura when she is putative witch, or the beneficent wife of George. Lush tones are undecorated. The witch may be a remnant of “Hansel and Gretel” . She burns houses, not children.The flames flicker on stage. The sparkling of stars at happier moments dazzles.

Iain MacNeil, a Canadian baritone, singing with flexibility and sonority, stands out in an excellent cast. He is a physical performer, often addressing a delighted audience directly from the lip of the stage.

Zemlinksky’s difficult life as an artist and a Jew is reflected in the tone of the opera. Yet, at the end of this gripping work, the witch is dead, the bitch is dead and the dreamer can play real children’s games in the world.