ROH 'William Tell'

[underthecountertenor]

I went again this evening, but this time wore a blindfold. Transformation!! With my ears, and without using my eyes, I could now appreciate and enjoy the marvellous conducting and superb singing, and the towering glory of Rossini's music. I highly recommend anyone going to the final performance to do the same.

Were you standing in the Balcony?

[David-G]

Were you standing in the Balcony?

Indeed. Evidently you spotted me!

[underthecountertenor]

Indeed. Evidently you spotted me!

Unless I'm very much mistaken as to the source of two loud boos in Act 3, I heard you before I saw you. The noise distraction caused me to look around, whereupon I saw a gentleman wearing what appeared to be a handkerchief over his eyes, fixed by a piece of wiring round his head. Did you buy this in Robert Dyas, or fashion it yourself? It looked like something had gone very wrong with Lawrence of Arabia, or indeed the Lone Ranger.
If you had to be there (as to which, see Stanfordian's comment above) and couldn't bear to look, why did you not just close your eyes? I'm afraid that you gave the impression that you were trying to make a statement. It was, frankly, extremely distracting (as was the braying noise that may or may not have come from you). You were getting some extremely odd looks from pretty much everyone in my row, of which you will, until now, have been blissfully unaware.
Amazing how many people I overheard talking enthusiastically and intelligently about the gesamtkunst, despite having had their eyes open throughout. I have to say that I agree with them.
Anyway, if you made it yourself, perhaps you can patent it. I give you a suggestion for free - the Regiemask. I look forward to it becoming all the rage amongst conservative opera-goers d'un certain âge.

[David-G]

Hiya David-G,
If you went along to the opera house or cinema and didn't watch you might as well have sat at home with Pappano's recording.

I would not have had to listen to a recording - I could have listened to R3. But according to that reasoning one would never need to attend a concert that is being broadcast. There is nothing like hearing music live. The blindfold was very liberating. It enabled me to experience Rossini's "Tell" rather than Michieletto's. I enjoyed the former very much, and hated the latter.

Unless I'm very much mistaken as to the source of two loud boos in Act 3, I heard you before I saw you. The noise distraction caused me to look around, whereupon I saw a gentleman wearing what appeared to be a handkerchief over his eyes, fixed by a piece of wiring round his head. Did you buy this in Robert Dyas, or fashion it yourself? It looked like something had gone very wrong with Lawrence of Arabia, or indeed the Lone Ranger.
If you had to be there (as to which, see Stanfordian's comment above) and couldn't bear to look, why did you not just close your eyes? I'm afraid that you gave the impression that you were trying to make a statement. It was, frankly, extremely distracting (as was the braying noise that may or may not have come from you). You were getting some extremely odd looks from pretty much everyone in my row, of which you will, until now, have been blissfully unaware.
Amazing how many people I overheard talking enthusiastically and intelligently about the gesamtkunst, despite having had their eyes open throughout. I have to say that I agree with them.
Anyway, if you made it yourself, perhaps you can patent it. I give you a suggestion for free - the Regiemask. I look forward to it becoming all the rage amongst conservative opera-goers d'un certain âge.

I can assure you that I made not a sound - and would not have dreamed of doing so. I heard one boo from somewhere unidentifiable near me, and several from the Amphi. Apologies if I was distracting - that was certainly not my intention. I had thought that the Balcony Standing was rather tucked-away and inconspicuous. Closing ones eyes is not a practical solution through a whole opera - the flickering of the varying lighting level is very evident, one would really have to screw one's eyes tight shut.

[Flosshilde]

If one knew - or thought one knew (not at all the same thing) - what was happening on stage, surely shutting one's eyse (or even blindfolding oneself) would not help a great deal, as one would be imagining what was happening on stage? For example, you, having decided that you didn't want to see a rape (or thought was a rape) on stage, would surely be thinking of what you didn't want to see? In other words, consciously avoiding something means that it cannot be avoided.

[David-G]

If one knew - or thought one knew (not at all the same thing) - what was happening on stage, surely shutting one's eyse (or even blindfolding oneself) would not help a great deal, as one would be imagining what was happening on stage? For example, you, having decided that you didn't want to see a rape (or thought was a rape) on stage, would surely be thinking of what you didn't want to see? In other words, consciously avoiding something means that it cannot be avoided.

I had indeed thought that that might be the case. But it proved not to be so.

[HighlandDougie]

Amazing how many people I overheard talking enthusiastically and intelligently about the gesamtkunst, despite having had their eyes open throughout. I have to say that I agree with them.

Having recovered from snorting with laughter (err, the Campari went up my nose) at your description of the apparition in a veil, I also much agree with you. I only regret being a miserable skinflint and not buying a better seat where I might have seen a bit more of the stage. And I think that you might on to a winner with the "Regiemask"

[Don Basilio]

I went this week. It is always good to see opera live and acted with world class musical talent, provided the basic plot isn’t changed (ie Idomeneo). There are silly distractions in most modern productions, but there were a different sort of silly distractions in “traditional” prods with cardboard cut-out scenery and dressing-up box clothes.

There were some good things in the production – the Act 1 finale was powerful and I admit to being moved at the final scene with a new sapling being planted by a child (far better than trying to show sun shining on cloud capped peaks, as required by the libretto).

Nontheless it was a bad production in that it hardly ever allowed the music and words to speak for themselves, but had to include endless business.

My specific criticisms would be:

Act 1 shows a coherent pastoral community. Tell is aware that it is overshadowed, but the community is shown in a state of innocence. Here the fisherman’s idyllic barcarolle is sung by an aggressive wino breaking into a depressive and uptight bunch. There was nothing to contrast with Austrian brutality.

The idyllilc nature of the community is expressed in three couples being blessed by the village patriarch, who then express their happiness in a dance, which was played charmingly. Not only did we not see the couples and the dance music accompanied an archery lesson for Tell and his son. A major aspect of the drama airbrushed.

In the great Act 2 finale, the text and music make it quite clear that three different groups of men gather for the conspiracy from different directions. Here the single group of the male chorus were revealed together on the revolve. No gathering.

The emotional heart of the work is surely Tell’s only solo as he sings to his son before shooting the apple. In a tense and threatening situation there is this stillness which doesn’t deny the anxiety. “Think of your mother” Tell sings. So in this production the mother has to be on stage, laying a table for supper. Abysmal. Idiotic distraction. (The shooting itself was managed quite well.)

[Flosshilde]

There are silly distractions in most modern productions, but there were a different sort of silly distractions in “traditional” prods with cardboard cut-out scenery and dressing-up box clothes.

I agree; but I'd rather see a production where the director has thought about the drama and what it means than one that's just a pretty bit of entertainment (obviously some operas are just pretty bits of entertainment, but most do have something interesting to say).

[Don Basilio]

It depends on the thoughts. What we really we want is a production that respects the work itself so we can respond to it and not the director's interpretation.

[MrGongGong]

It depends on the thoughts. What we really we want is a production that respects the work itself so we can respond to it and not the director's interpretation.

So, to what degree is "THE WORK" independent of it's performance context?

[Don Basilio]

So, to what degree is "THE WORK" independent of it's performance context?

This is the old what came first the chicken or the egg question that will go round and round. The director should use their intelligence and imagination and critical faculties for the opera and I will use mine for the production. And in this case, having Hedwiig laying the table during "Sois immobile" was childishly literal and distracting, patonising even, as though we couldn't read the surtitles. Let the music speak for itself without having to spell things out.

I haven't mentioned Act 3 ballet with a Swiss girl being humiliated and intimidated, to the mounting excitment of the music. If only the rest of the production had had that degree of human engagement. It should have made "Sois immobile" all the more moving for that degree of calm in that tense situation.

[jean]

I've just seen a wonderful Lucia di Lammermoor in a Mafia setting. I thought it worked brilliantly.



(Probably not the place to mention it, but nobody here ever seems to go to Buxton. If they did, I'd start a thread.)

[MrGongGong]

This is the old what came first the chicken or the egg question that will go round and round. The director should use their intelligence and imagination and critical faculties for the opera and I will use mine for the production.

Erm No it's not that at all IMV



I'm interested in whether this is true for all works or just some?
and how do we know the difference?

[MrGongGong]

(Probably not the place to mention it, but nobody here ever seems to go to Buxton. If they did, I'd start a thread.)

Last time I worked at the Buxton Festival someone asked me if I was the chap who was married to Joanna Lumley
which would have been my teenage dreams coming true in the 1970's