One can already feel sorry for this grumpy man in Hugo Wolf’s “Italian Songbook”, whose affection, desire and love always somehow come at the wrong time or find the wrong words. And so the woman who constantly challenges him, never teases and teases him lovingly or at least seductively, but simply a pain in the ass. Christian Gerhaher is bearded and grumpy like a drowned poodle with messy hair and in a street suit, always in the wrong place at the wrong time next to Anna Lucia Richter in an elegant evening dress in front of the grand piano on the stage of the National Theater.
Richter, however, enjoys her role as the pretty bitch, purses her lips, rolls her eyes, entices, coos and chirps, but also sings so smoothly, brilliantly and beautifully that it is a pleasure. Gerhaher, on the other hand, sometimes chews the words, celebrates a virtuoso chant that sets the consonants succinctly, but then often takes his voice back in the same word. But alas, when he is overwhelmed by sensitive feelings or aggression, then his heart wants to “burst out with lust” so loudly that he becomes afraid of this berserker. All the finer is the gently swaying “Bless the blessed mother who gave birth to you so lovely!” or when the man describes how he wanders through the city singing with his lute and touches many a girl with his song.
But what would this unlikely couple be without Ammiel Buskevitz! Standing in for the sick Gerold Huber on the grand piano, he played a great role in shaping every volte of soprano and baritone, but nevertheless set his own accents in some interludes or postludes. In any case, how he celebrates the contrast in the songs sung alternately makes him the ideal couples therapist. Anna Prohaska and Gerhaher will probably not need that on July 29 with the Mörike songs as the conclusion of the Hugo Wolf trilogy.