Opera North's Siegfried 'live'

[Guest]

Continuing their progress through Wagner's Ring cycle, Opera North reaches Siegfried in 2013.

Richard Farnes conducts this performance from Leeds Town Hall on Wednesday 19 June 2013 starting at 16:30

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0367sxv

If the two preceding years are anything to go by, this should be a remarkable concert performance

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

If the two preceding years are anything to go by, this should be a remarkable concert performance

I can't get to any of the performances this year, so R3 will be my only contact with one of the finest performances (so far) of the work I know. Farnes and his band are magnificent.

[Black Swan]

I was in attendance last Saturday night at the Town Hall in Leeds. The performance is really fine. I enjoyed it immensely. It is as fine as the 2 preceeding years. I really would love to go again but will re-listen on R3 instead.

John

[Simon B]

If the two preceding years are anything to go by, this should be a remarkable concert performance

A Pedant (to which I'm considering changing my screen name to save typing) writes:

While largely irrelevant to the radio relay it is (or maybe isn't) worth pointing out that these are rather more than concert performances. Semi-staging is nearer the mark, and very effectively so IMO. Relatively simple use of abstract video imagery, lighting, a few props, symbolic dress rather than costume and a little well-chosen acting in the first two installments have, for me anyway, made much more impact than any amount of giant babies, abattoir settings, crashed spaceships, Siegfried and Brunnhilde unaccountably dressed as Noddy and Bigears in giant iridescent nappies etc etc.

Ok, so Wagner may not have intended the orchestra to be onstage, and indeed expected its sound to be suffocated in a pit, but, er, well, what did he know anyway? . In previous years, the (generally terrific) singers have had no trouble riding over the orchestra, at least in Birmingham's Symphony Hall, and it and Farnes' pacing have sounded magnificent.

I've just got to hope I don't get dive-bombed by a seagull (in Brum for goodness sake!) during the long interval again this time...

[kernelbogey]

Ams and others, many thanks for this heads up. I shall listen to R3... although this is my least favourite of the four.

Thanks to all for the interesting crits above.

kb

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

While largely irrelevant to the radio relay it is (or maybe isn't) worth pointing out that these are rather more than concert performances. Semi-staging is nearer the mark, and very effectively so IMO. Relatively simple use of abstract video imagery, lighting, a few props, symbolic dress rather than costume and a little well-chosen acting in the first two installments have, for me anyway, made much more impact than any amount of giant babies, abattoir settings, crashed spaceships, Siegfried and Brunnhilde unaccountably dressed as Noddy and Bigears in giant iridescent nappies etc etc.

Ok, so Wagner may not have intended the orchestra to be onstage, and indeed expected its sound to be suffocated in a pit, but, er, well, what did he know anyway? . In previous years, the (generally terrific) singers have had no trouble riding over the orchestra, at least in Birmingham's Symphony Hall, and it and Farnes' pacing have sounded magnificent.

and, the hell with it:

[amateur51]

A Pedant (to which I'm considering changing my screen name to save typing) writes:

While largely irrelevant to the radio relay it is (or maybe isn't) worth pointing out that these are rather more than concert performances. Semi-staging is nearer the mark, and very effectively so IMO. Relatively simple use of abstract video imagery, lighting, a few props, symbolic dress rather than costume and a little well-chosen acting in the first two installments have, for me anyway, made much more impact than any amount of giant babies, abattoir settings, crashed spaceships, Siegfried and Brunnhilde unaccountably dressed as Noddy and Bigears in giant iridescent nappies etc etc.

Ok, so Wagner may not have intended the orchestra to be onstage, and indeed expected its sound to be suffocated in a pit, but, er, well, what did he know anyway? . In previous years, the (generally terrific) singers have had no trouble riding over the orchestra, at least in Birmingham's Symphony Hall, and it and Farnes' pacing have sounded magnificent.

I've just got to hope I don't get dive-bombed by a seagull (in Brum for goodness sake!) during the long interval again this time...

Great stuff, Simon B.

I'd go further and say that this is now how I prefer my Ring-cycling - no daft director, tremendous drive from the orchestra and decent singing, all at an affordable price

Bravo Opera North & Richard Farnes

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'd go further and say that this is now how I prefer my Ring-cycling - no daft director, tremendous drive from the orchestra and decent singing, all at an affordable price

Sorry to keep popping up, but again, etc

AND the way the singers in front of the orchestra means that they can sing without straining to be heard (the bane of so many Wagner productions) - as well as the orchestral detail being so clear (and, thanks to Mr Farnes and his band, so rich and warm). Yes, this is how I want to experience live opera, too!

[amateur51]

Sorry to keep popping up, but again, etc

AND the way the singers in front of the orchestra means that they can sing without straining to be heard (the bane of so many Wagner productions) - as well as the orchestral detail being so clear (and, thanks to Mr Farnes and his band, so rich and warm). Yes, this is how I want to experience live opera, too!

Such a shame neither of us can get to the Siegfried, ferney - which is why Radio 3's offering is so vital, yippee

[Prommer]

Just listened to Act I: FABULOUS. Great to hear the detail, great to be able to hear the singers - a swaggering Siegfried and a lovely performance of Mime, beautifully articulated. Will wait to comment further on Der Wanderer but also very good. Bliss!

[Bert Coules]

Opera North's Siegfried

Anyone else listening to this? It's going pretty well so far, the odd moment of shouting apart. Mati Turi in the title role has just been described in the first interval as "a big chap with a voice to match" but (though it is of course quite unfair to judge by sound alone) for me he's just too big: there's more to the part than sheer heft, there's a tenderness and a vulnerability too, which I'm not really hearing so far. It will be interesting to see how he fares in act two.

I'm not warming to the announcer though, whose grasp on the piece seems to be pretty superficial and who has just informed me that "there are no really outstanding moments" in the opera. And - oh dear - he's just invited listeners to tweet their comments "so we can all join in with this".

[french frank]

I've merged the two threads on Siegfried. Toss up whether it went on Performance or A Night at the Opera - I went for the first as there is more likely to be comment on the broadcast than the actual performance.

I'm not warming to the announcer though, whose grasp on the piece seems to be pretty superficial and who has just informed me that "there are no really outstanding moments" in the opera. And - oh dear - he's just invited listeners to tweet their comments "so we can all join in with this".

[Bert Coules]

Well, that wasn't bad at all, was it? The Alberich and the Wotan are coming across as a tad bland, but as I said before, it's unfair to judge a performance on just one aspect of it. I must have a search and see if there are any pictures online: the staging sounds intriguing.

[DracoM]

The presenter knows absolutely nothing. He's reading out prepared questions which come straight out of Noddy's Siegfried Book for Kiddies, he is not engaging in debate or getting the best out of the speaker. Dreary and totally unnecessary.

Why not have Deathridge's pre-recorded stuff on the opera and thus leave it to an expert.

Groanworthy tat.

[mercia]

a few pictures & videos here

http://www.operanorth.co.uk/productions/siegfried