2025

Expertly conducted by Hugh Keelan, this was no amateur production. Despite its small scale —  this wasn’t Bayreuth or the Met — excellent soloists from around the country delivered some truly memorable performances. Soprano Jenna Rae, Keelan’s wife and a Brattleboro resident, gave vocal and emotional power, as well as beauty, to Brünnhilde. Singing in all three final operas, she tired very occasionally and lost power in her lower register but delivered a stellar heart-wrenching performance. Also stellar was tenor James Chamberlain who sang Siegfried, Brünnhilde’s lover, with heroic flair. His voice is big, brilliant, with the right touch of sensitivity. 

The real high point of “Die Valkyrie” was the return of Alan Schneider, the Tristan to Jenna Rae’s Isolde in TUNDI’s fine inaugural production, “Tristan und Isolde,” in 2019. The tenor was Siegmund to soprano Rosanne Ackerly’s Sieglinde and their “duet” of joint seduction, was one of the most beautiful scenes in all the Wagner I have ever seen. I was in tears.

Contrasting that was the delightful evil of Kirk Eichelberger. One of the most powerful — and scary — basses I have ever seen and heard, he played Hunding in “Die Walküre” and Hagen in “Götterdämmerung,” both dastardly characters. What a delight! Monday evening’s “Das Rheingold” flew by, thanks to two “comic” characters — perhaps not meant by Wagner, but here it worked. Alberich, though not the most exciting role vocally, was given some depth by baritone Brian Ember. Forced to eschew love in order to attain the Rhine Maidens’ gold, he turns to evil. Tenor James Anderson’s Loge simply saw through everything and commented on it with a sarcastic wit. They were both simply delicious — and Alberich returns to plague everyone in “Siegfried” and “Götterdämmerung.”

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There were plenty of other outstanding performances. In “Das Rheingold,” Brad Noffsinger- Morrison gave real presence to Wotan and his frustrations with his ridiculously deep bass. Even the brother monsters, Harrison Chéné Gration as Fasolt and Justin Ramm-Damron (who kills his brother for the gold), were entertaining.

Other notable performers included tenor Kevin Courtemanche as Froh, god of spring and happiness, and baritone Louise Floyd as Donner, goddess (in this production) of thunder. Mezzo-soprano Chantelle Grant warns Wotan to forsake the ring in a touchingly delivered aria — it was gorgeous.

In “Die Valkyrie” Fricka, veteran soprano Sondra Kelley, goddess of marriage, intervenes and demands of her husband Wotan that Siegmund die for his adulterous relationship. Wotan, bass- baritone Charles D. Martin in a powerful presence, reluctantly agrees.

“Siegfried” featured tenor Stanley Wilson’s passive-aggressive Mime, who raises Siegfried in order to kill him and steal the ring, the “Tarnhelm,” and the gold. But it takes Wotan, a vocally powerful bass Charles Schneider — in the guise of the Wanderer — to warn Seigfried [sic] Enter the Woodbird (Waldvogel), the unseen brilliant coloratura soprano Marie Masters Webb, who tells the lonely Siegfried of the beautiful woman on a mountaintop, Brünnhilde, who needs saving.

All comes to a head with “Götterdämmerung.” Alexandra Wiebe sang with a gorgeous and expressive soprano as she wins and loses Siegfried. Soprano Wendy Sylvester [sic] is powerful as the Valkyrie who attempts to save Brünnhilde.

And it’s the ever-present Rhine Maidens that get the last laugh — and the ring. They are sung brilliantly by Masters Webb as Woglinde, Kirsten C. Kunkle as Wellgunde, and Melanie Ashkar as Flosshilde.

TUNDI had already proven that it was able to produce high-level Wagner performances. This year, it showed that there is a substantial audience here for his operas.

Jim Lowe for The Rutland Herald