King Roger at the ROH and on R3

[vinteuil]

- an Opera is music + theatre ....

... you are, of course, right. But then - I don't like the theatre

[Roehre]

Operas were written to be staged in opera houses, not performed in concert with a row of singers in dress suits singing behind music stands. A concert performance is just as much a 'betrayal' of the composer's original intentions as a performance in a modern production.

But at least less distracting than an intentionally extra layer on top of the composer's/librettist's instructions.
If that's a must for modern productions, than I wholeheartedly concur with Boulez' 1960s exclamation "Burn the opera houses!"
We've got enough of Wagner with Nazi-uniforms, Fidelios in a space ship, Verdi with series of toilets on stage and the rest of b*****y nonsense which adds an unnecessary layer to an opera but doesn't add anything to the story as set by composer and librettist (how ridiculous the plot may be), but does destroy the enjoyment of an evening at the theatre for which a lot of money has been paid.

[Roehre]

... the only opera I find enjoyable now-a-days is - at home, on CDs, ideally with score / libretto, and a decent bottle within reach. Can't be doing with the overweening ideas of directors (wrong! wrong! I shout, I hope in silence... ),....

[Roehre]

Dear me, how depressing! You are missing out on some of the great experiences of life. In recent months I have been to some superb staged performances of opera: The Magic Flute at the ROH (one of the finest performances I have ever seen - I went four times!), The Mastersingers at ENO, L'Ormindo at the Sam Wanamaker, I have greatly enjoyed The Flying Dutchman, Andrea Chenier and Krol Roger at the ROH and (somewhat unexpectedly) The Indian Queen at ENO, and some marvellous rarities such as JC Bach's Amadis de Gaule at University College, and his Adriano in Siria and Handel's Giove in Argo at the RCM. And the concert performance of Smetana's Dalibor by the BBCSO at the Barbican was one of the most thrilling evenings I have spent for a long time.

Congratulations. I am really impressed as I wouldn't think of going to most of them before I knew who's directing, as I do want to enjoy myself and certainly not throwing money away by taking the risk of being disappointed (the actual tickets, transport, meals, accommodation)- which happened on a regular basis the last couple of years.

[Roehre]

I'm the opposite - an Opera is music + theatre - both are needed and no way can an home environment sound anything approaching the RoH ....

Immediately concur with this statement - but not with many of the present bunch of directors who think they must bring their own ideas onto the stage, thinking they are at least as important as the composer, let alone the librettist.

[Flosshilde]

But at least less distracting than an intentionally extra layer on top of the composer's/librettist's instructions.
If that's a must for modern productions, than I wholeheartedly concur with Boulez' 1960s exclamation "Burn the opera houses!"

I doubt that that was his thinking behind the comment - more likely that by getting rid of opera houses operas would be performed in a variety of places, none of which would have figured in the first productions.

[Roehre]

I doubt that that was his thinking behind the comment - more likely that by getting rid of opera houses operas would be performed in a variety of places, none of which would have figured in the first productions.

You're right Floshilde, the background of Boulez' remark is very different from the one I used it for.

[Oliver]

I'm with Roehre. Although I can recall opera performance of two decade ago with pleasure, I find it hard to think of a recent one that has been illuminating.
I can forgive distractions, even misinterpretations but not productions that mock or undermine the music. When the Rhinemaidens are prostitutes, the diatonic innocence of the music is subverted; when the choirs in King Roger sing a Sanctus in that strange courtyard, the music's "Byzantine opulence" is mocked.

I am a regular theatre goer and have no problem with, for example, contemporary settings for Shakespeare where is no music to undermine .And when it comes to music theatre, I've recently enjoyed productions of The Scottsboro' Boys, Sweeney Todd and West Side Story....if only opera productions could emulate those standards.