Noa Beinart (Vierte Uhr), Natalia Kutateladze (Dritte Uhr), Bo Skovhus (Karl V.), Anaïs Mejías (Zweite Uhr), and Mirjam Mesak (Erste Uhr) in Karl V (photograph by Wilfried Hösl)

Ancient history this might be, but in light of the divisive pressures that now weigh on the modern equivalent of Charles’s Empire, the European Union, the decision of the Bavarian State Opera to mount a production of Karl V (1934), by Austrian composer Ernst Krenek (1900–91) seems uncannily prescient. At one point in his libretto, for instance, Krenek has a chorus of Charles’s rebellious subjects cry ‘We are Germans, not citizens of the world!’, immediately bringing to mind UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s now infamous speech to the Tory Party Conference in 2016 where she declared that ‘if you believe you are a citizen of the world, you are a citizen of nowhere’.

Krenek had himself been drawn to the life of Charles V as the subject for an opera out of his own deep concerns about the rise of chauvinistic nationalism across Austria and Germany in the early 1930s. A commission had come from Clemens Kraus on behalf of the Vienna State Opera, but political intrigues from Austrian National Socialists meant that Karl V was not to be performed there until 1984.

Bo Skovhus (Karl V.) and the Opern Ballett Der Bayerischen Staatsoper in Karl V (photograph by Wilfried Hösl)

Krenek conceives his libretto as a series of historical ‘flashbacks’ linked by an imagined confession made by the dying Charles to a young monk, Juan de Regla. Charles is wracked with doubt about both the purpose and impact of his life mission. There is little doubt, however, as to where Krenek’s own views lay. This is reflected not just in the ultimate course of his drama but also in his decision to compose the work using Arnold Schoenberg’s so-called ‘twelve-tone technique’, a method of musical organisation that demanded a composer similarly regulate their moment-to-moment artistic freedom with an overarching obligation to a set of musical laws. The atonal sound world this creates was then, and still remains, challenging for an audience more used to the lush tonalities of operas by Verdi, Wagner, and Strauss. For the composer this was, however, precisely the point. The Bayerische Staatsorchester, under the direction of Erik Nielsen, rises to the challenge with obvious enthusiasm, also relishing the sumptuous orchestral colours and dynamic contrasts in Krenek’s score.

This production was most notable for its spectacular staging. Krenek had himself been inspired by the dramatic innovations of cinema to conceive of scenes otherwise separated from each other by time or space being ‘spliced’ into each other. Here director Carlus Padrissa and Set and Costume Designer Lita Cabellut used the division between a narrow apron at the front of the stage and the remainder, which was entirely covered with a shallow pool of water, to delineate different spaces. In addition, a large circular frame was also hung from the centre of the stage from which a troop of suspended acrobats were able to create a series of tableau with their bodies. These variously suggested souls ascending to heaven in the manner of Titian’s La Gloria (a work Charles had commissioned in 1550 and which Krenek stipulated should be used in his opera as a scenic backdrop), or the tortured bodies of heretics from the Spanish Inquisition, or entangled lovers at the court of Francis I of France. Further visual effects were provided by stunning animated digital artworks that were projected onto the back of the stage, depicting various allegorical human figures and objects as well as a rendition of Titian’s La Gloria itself. 

Janus Torp (Juan De Regla), Bo Skovhus (Karl V.), and Gun-Brit Barkmin (Eleonore) in Karl V (photograph by Wilfried Hösl)

A number of movable stage objects were also deployed, including a huge semi-silvered mirror. The latter was especially effectively applied when Martin Luther appeared to address Charles at the Diet of Worms (1521). By placing the mirror across the entire front of the stage, the audience was presented with a reflection of itself – the Protestant ‘heresy’ was thus revealed as a one massive solipsism. At other times I could not but wonder if the sheer lavishness of this production over-reached. The costumes, for instance, often seemed bizarre. Charles himself was adorned not with a crown or a monks habit but with a raincoat and a yellow ‘liberty spike’ mohawk. Also less successful were the handling of the many transitions between passages of sung and unaccompanied spoken text – the latter were amplified and the result often jarring.

Given such a large cast, it is not possible here to mention all of the principals, but they were universally strong. Bo Skovhus gave an especially impassioned, indeed compelling performance in the title role, despite not having quite the heft the role demanded from the lower registers of his voice. Equally impressive were Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke as Franz I, Michael Kraus as Luther, and Gun-Brit Barkmin as Eleanor, and the large chorus was also very fine. (Australians will remember Barkmin, who was such a fine concert Isolde in Perth in 2018.)

B. Skovhus (Karl V.) in Karl V (photograph by Wilfried Hösl)

Ultimately, Karl V remains a difficult work to stage and to hear, even for an audience that is likely to be more attuned both to the history it stages and the political-theological position it ultimately advocates. However, given the enthusiasm with which this production was received on opening night, there is no doubt it can be justly claimed as a great success. There is also no doubting that the opera’s broader themes about the dangers of nationalism and our need for value systems that transcend the boundaries of our own prejudices are as relevant today as they were in 1934, or indeed 1558.

Karl V is being performed by the Bayerische Staatsoper at the National Theatre in Munich, Germany. It continues until 23 February 2019. Performance attended: February 10.

This production of Karl V will be live streamed for free on Sunday 24 February at 5 am at www.staatsoper.tv. Background information on the opera and its staging will be available on twitter at this time via the hastag #BSOkarlV.