Halle Das Rheingold: Manchester, 27th November

[Conchis]

Was anyone in attendance at this 'semi-staged' concert performance?

I thought it was all rather splendid. An especially great Fricka from Susan Bickley and Mark Elder showing his effortless mastery of the score - he told me afterwards he'd last conducted it 36 years ago!

[DracoM]

Will we get to hear it at all?

[Conchis]

Will we get to hear it at all?

As with the previous two operas, it was recorded and will be issued on the Halle's own label. They are due to perform Siegfried in 2018.

[Prommer]

Was anyone in attendance at this 'semi-staged' concert performance?

I thought it was all rather splendid. An especially great Fricka from Susan Bickley and Mark Elder showing his effortless mastery of the score - he told me afterwards he'd last conducted it 36 years ago!

Almost as lengthy a reading as Reggie's I hear!

[kuligin]

Yes, it was a superb performance and as you say Elder showed a profound knowledge of the score.

I still prefer it where it belongs on the stage, but I have never heard, and this was my 11th Rhinegold, a better performance from the orchestra, Wagner's woodwind writing is extraordinary and the Halle wind did justice to it, but then everyone in the orchestra excelled.

Singing was good too but not quite as exceptional in my opinion, although you are quite right about Susan Bickley.

[kernelbogey]

the previous two operas

From The Ring?

[Conchis]

From The Ring?

Yes.

[Conchis]

Almost as lengthy a reading as Reggie's I hear!

The performance on Sunday began at 5 and, by my watch, finished at 7.51pm.

[Conchis]

Yes, it was a superb performance and as you say Elder showed a profound knowledge of the score.

I still prefer it where it belongs on the stage, but I have never heard, and this was my 11th Rhinegold, a better performance from the orchestra, Wagner's woodwind writing is extraordinary and the Halle wind did justice to it, but then everyone in the orchestra excelled.

Singing was good too but not quite as exceptional in my opinion, although you are quite right about Susan Bickley.

I've never seen it satisfactorily staged. Even well-funded American opera houses can't seem to do justice to all the special effects.

[Simon B]

The performance on Sunday began at 5 and, by my watch, finished at 7.51pm.

There was quite a lengthy delay at the start though - the first note wasn't played 'til at least 17:06. With my last train out of Manchester at 20:21 and Elder's tendency to never be in a rush (a virtue in this repertoire IMO) I was keeping a close eye.

So it was maybe a slightly less leisurely performance than the finish time suggests, and it certainly didn't feel unduly slow to me. Normally with Elder conducting pretty much anything I add 10% onto the average duration of pieces as obtained from a sample on YouTube to work out if I'll miss my train or not! Of course the Halle is already setting a world record for the slowest Ring ever - 9 years, and with the components in the wrong order...

Among much to enjoy in this Rheingold, the most memorable aspect for me was general excellence from the brass, especially the numerous startlingly weighty (i.e. tooth rattling) contrabass trombone moments.

[Stanley Stewart]

Interested to read this thread, albeit off-topic, as I've started transferring the Keith Warner 2005-2007 Covent Garden productions of the Ring cycle, conducted by Antonio Pappano, to DVD as HD recordings provide improved sound and picture and will open a separate thread as I'm confident that several forumites will also have off-air recordings on their shelves.

Of course, platform performances are also appreciated as they allow the spectactor to focus on the ensemble interaction free from director's concepts and Keith Warner's fine production is also complemented by dazzling designs by Stefanos Lazardis and the lighting design of Wolfgang Goebell. The use of symbolic imagery in the German tradition prod and pinch throughout.

Das Rhinegold compels from the start and it was touching to be reminded of the artistry of Philip Langridge, Loge, Rosalind Plowright as Fricka and the commanding presence of Jane Henschel as Fricka; a young Bryn Terfel tackling his first Wotan with due gravitas. Health problems compelled him to withdraw from the later production of Siegfried, (2007); he was replaced by John Tomlinson as Wanderer/Wotan - I'll comment on a fuller discussion in due course after I've viewed his return to the role after I've watched my DVD of the Proms platform production of a few years ago.

[Cockney Sparrow]

That memory of John Tomlinson as Wotan against the huge wall on the stage revolve, as it revolved at some pace, is one which will remain long in my memory. If there was a poster of it, I'd buy it.... (The wall was very high and divided the revolve).

(Another memory is of the section of a very large circumference ring at the very end of Gotterdamerung, on which the young people (actors) stood, which I took to symbolise the new beginning of a world after the end of The Gods; I've succeeded in expunging other memories - something to do with a crashed aircraft?).

[Conchis]

The Warner Ring Cycle suffered from the fault of most Ring productions...it ran out of steam after Walkure.

I don't think it ever found the correct visual language, although the twirling obelisk door alluded to above was very memorable.

Sad to reflect that the Brunnhilde of the first run is now no longer singing due to illness and the Erda of the second run died in the Germanwings air disaster.