Daphne joins the State Opera’s current cycle entitled “Strauss Tage”  - designed to mark the unusually significant bond between the house and the composer (and company director from 1919 to 1924). Strauss’ important legacy of stage works have afforded more than 3000 performances in the house over the years with an orchestra that many consider continues to further the tradition from generation to generation of those who performed under Strauss’ baton nearly a century ago.

A selection of familiar productions - six operas and two ballets totalling 22 evenings include Salome, Ariadne auf Naxos, Der Rosenkavalier, Elektra, Arabella, and Daphne. Some feature new interpreters either by design or default (with a number of cancellations announced), while whetting the appetite for other lesser-known pieces such as Die Schweigsame Frau (which was last seen here in 1996), or Intermezzo which last dates back to 1963.

This time round Daphne saw a new pair of tenor leads, replacing the deceased Johan Botha and Michael Schade who respectively created Apollo and Leukippos in this 2004 Nicolas Joël production, and who both also graced more recent casts.

Arguably the most significant appearance in this revival was the State Opera debut of Austrian Heldentenor Andreas Schager, who has carefully built a reputation upon operetta and lyric tenor parts before expanding into the heaviest of dramatic roles - including Tristan and Siegfried, to mention but two. He has been lauded at La Scala, Bayreuth, and at the Berlin State Opera (where he is based), and was greeted here in his Vienna initiation with a reception fit for a homecoming soccer star.

Apollo - arguably more daunting than even Strauss’ Bacchus - is a formidable test of stamina, with its protractedly-unrelenting tessitura amidst dense orchestration. Schager really proved his mettle, producing a steadfast stentorian tone which sliced across the pit with a technique and timbre not unreminiscent of the late Fritz Uhl. Hopefully a Vienna Parsifal, Tristan, or Florestan - with their broader artistic challenges - are not too far in the horizon. 

Leukippos’ music definitely presents its own vocal demands (even if somewhat “lighter” that his rival in love) and it is rewarding to see ensemble member Benjamin Bruns blossoming with his mellifluous and generous delivery - singing on his interest rather than capital, and presenting a personable and colourful character in this role debut. 

Janina Baechle returned as Gaea - on this occasion seeming particularly disadvantaged by the staging with its elevated double platform and proscenium, and with many lower-lying vocal passages swallowed by both sets and orchestra pit. However her opulent and characterful portrayal was delightfully paired by Dan Paul Dumitrescu who scored a hit with his first Peneios in the house. A proud reminder that (with the exception of Apollo) the entire cast consisted of company members - naturally including the two well-defined Mägde and four Schäfer.

This was Regine Hangler’s first Daphne in the house, following successes in the part in Berlin and New York. Her generous - yet brightly-youthful - timbre suits Strauss’ score and the character well, with a fine reading only slightly tainted by occasional nuances of fatigue in her grand finale.  

Simone Young returned to the pit from the 2011 series - on this occasion somewhat hectoring in tempi and dynamics and less generous in light and shade, and with the bombastic moments in the score relentlessly drowning her persevering cast on occasions. 
The orchestra, as such, was monumental in their playing. 

The staging appeared more static - and indeed awkward - than in previous showings, but the large Ginger Tabby Cat which reposes on the prompter’s box throughout has at least lost none of his presence during the six-year interval since the last revival.