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Strauss’ Daphne at Seattle Opera
“With the orchestra placed prominently onstage – augmented by additional players to meet Strauss’ demands – the setup placed heightened emphasis on the musical execution under David Afkham. After a somewhat tentative opening scene, his ear for texture and balance asserted itself, lending the score Apollonian transparency while allowing Strauss’ surging, Dionysian energy to register without overwhelming the singers. Tendril-like woodwinds traced the pastoral opening, while the transformation scene unfolded over a densely iridescent web of strings, as Daphne, in a kind of pantheistic Liebestod, sang herself into ecstatic stillness. The Seattle Symphony musicians responded with refinement and character, with the all-male chorus, beautifully prepared by Michaella Calzaretta, adding a distinct layer of color to the sound world.
As the transformation proceeded, to music Strauss himself memorably described as “Magic Fire music with different notes”, green light spilled outward from the stage, extending the image into the audience and drawing it into a kind of Straussian rite of spring.”