Met Gotterdammerung

[Flosshilde]

This is having a live cinema relay on Saturday. I've missed the other operas, & don't know whether to go to this, or wait until they do a complete cycle (which will probably be over 4 weekends) - if they do. Does anyone have any advance knowledge? The info on the cinema website says that there will be cycles in April & May, but the Met website doesn't have any information.

[Belgrove]

All things considered, this was a success, as indeed has been the entire cycle (although I missed Siegfried, the most difficult of the cycle to bring off).

My reservations concerning Voight's vocal and stage mannerisms in Die Walkure were absent here. She lasted the course and had plenty in reserve for the Immolation. One did not get the heights of emotion in the singing or acting though. The dreadful betrayal was portrayed rather than felt.
Hunter Morris impressed too, and had an appealing swagger and stage confidence. Konig's Hagen was beautifully sung, perhaps a little too beautiful, he was less the arch-architect of events but rather a manipulator of unfolding fate. I was very impressed by Patterson's Gunther, a wonderful essay in subverted nobility and it's shameful consequences.

Luisi has replaced the ailing Levine in the pit. He mentioned in an interval interview that he finds the first hour difficult, and it showed. Rather aimless and lacking the arc and continuous transition that marks great conducting in Wagner. Of those presently conducting The Ring, Theilemann alone is able to achieve this feat. The Met orchestra is world class and produced some glorious sounds, great woodwind playing, but the strings did not provide the required dark, velvety plush upholstering in the cinema relay at least. Radio sound from the Met seems to mike the orchestra closer. Again, I would say that the orchestral playing was too consistently beautiful in this savage and elemental work. The drama was usurped, especially in the vassal scene, by the sheer tastefulness of Luisi's musical conception.

The production is a technical triumph, the dynamic stage machinery solves the scenic challenges that Wagner demands, and it is often very beautiful. As for the concept - there isn't one. It tells the story straight, and with clarity. The production is The Set, providing a 21st century realization that is stripped of 21st century, or indeed any other century's psychological mores. It is luxury vanilla, which probably what the Met audience is comfortable with, and what will give longevity to the production.

The cycle contains some of the finest Wagner singing I have seen. Kauffman and Westbroek were stupendous. Worth a trip to NY in the spring for experiencing a cycle under festival conditions. All in all, this is a triumph for the Met, one which the ROH will find difficult to trump come the autumn.

[Mr Pee]

I'm very intrigued by this production, and I will probably invest in the Blu-Ray when it gets released.

Here's quite a lengthy and detailed review of Gotterdammerung, and I think "mixed" is probably the word:-

http://www.poisonivyswalloftext.com/2012/01/gotterdammerung.html

[kernelbogey]

There is little I can add to Belgrove's post. I thought Voigt conveyed passion and her sense of betrayal more fully than you're willing to acknowledge. Neither she nor Hunter Morris are great actors, though I thought their stage chemistry was evident in the first act. Hunter Morris's Siegfried has a kind of fresh-out-of-the-forest feel to it though I couldn't help wondering if this is who he is rather than an act. His voice showed wonderful stamina, as did Voigt's. Koenig's Hagen was always impressive. I was less struck than you by Paterson's Gunther: but I liked the way Siegried's death was handled with Gunther catching him as he fell and being smeared with his blood. He then goes to wash his hands in the river - and slowly the whole Rhine turns red.

It's no great exaggeration to say that the set is the star of the evening, and anyone who loves the Ring should try and catch this at some point during the life of the production. I don't know how the different colourings of the 'piano keys' machinery is achieved - it doesn't seem to be only projection - but there were wonderful effects including the fiery rock, the Rhine and the Hall of the Gibichung. There was an interesting manifestation of Grane, and Bruennhilde did indeed mount him and ride into the flames, a stage direction so often ignored, and it was triumphantly achieved. The subsequent burning of Valhalla and a sense of the end of the world was also beautifully achieved, and reminded me of the close of the Goetz Friedrich production with its empty stage.

I would urge any opera lover who has not experimented with these cinema transmissions to give them a try. It's a different experience both from the opera house itself, and a DVD on a domestic television set. Traviata is the last of the Met transmissions this season.

[Dave2002]

This is having a live cinema relay on Saturday. I've missed the other operas, & don't know whether to go to this, or wait until they do a complete cycle (which will probably be over 4 weekends) - if they do. Does anyone have any advance knowledge? The info on the cinema website says that there will be cycles in April & May, but the Met website doesn't have any information.

Sometimes they have "Encore" performances at the cinema, but I'm not sure if one is scheduled anywhere for last night's performance.

I am still interested to know whether it's worth paying a lot for the cinema experience. The one we went to (an Encore of The Enchanted Island) was fun, and relatively cheap (£15 each), but the video and audio quality were really not great. I might be able to do better with my HDTV and audio system with a DVD or Blu Ray. There are cinemas which charge a lot more than £15 (and you can get in to real live opera for less than the higher cinema charges, in some cases) - do they provide a good visual and aural experience?

[kernelbogey]

[...]I am still interested to know whether it's worth paying a lot for the cinema experience. [...]There are cinemas which charge a lot more than £15 (and you can get in to real live opera for less than the higher cinema charges, in some cases) - do they provide a good visual and aural experience?

My experience has been with one of the Picture House chain, and their equipment has been quite satisfying to me at a number of HD opera transmissions. My Old Gimmer's ticket cost me £17 - I'm not sure what the full price is, but I do think this is good value.

As to comparing that cost with a seat for live opera, I think you have to balance the opportunity of seeing (say) a new production at the Met, and the advantages (and disadvantages) of close-up camera work in the comfort of a cinema against the advantages (and disadvantages) of a cheaper seat in a live performance. With the cost of rail travel - I'm 80 odd miles from central London - that cost is also a factor. (But I do go to WNO live down here as well.)

[Old Grumpy]

As to comparing that cost with a seat for live opera, I think you have to balance the opportunity of seeing (say) a new production at the Met, and the advantages (and disadvantages) of close-up camera work in the comfort of a cinema against the advantages (and disadvantages) of a cheaper seat in a live performance. With the cost of rail travel

Long train journey to NYC!!

But seriously, I too enjoyed The Enchanted Island in a cinema - the worst of it was the purist in the seat behind us repeatedly going on about "what a load of rubbish it was" in a loud voice (he left at half time, thank goodness). Our tickets were c. £20. The audio quality was very satisfactory, as far as I was concerned.

[Bert Coules]

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I'm able to watch the Met broadcasts in the comfort of my own home (and in HD on a cinema screen with digital sound) and I was very glad last night not to have to brave the weather for a visit to my local multiplex. I enjoyed the Götterdämmerung, though for me it didn't reach the heights of last November's stunning Siegfried: for one thing, the magnificant Machine and its attendant projections aren't always being used with the same inventiveness (though some of the transitions are marvellous, others are pretty bland) and for another, there seems to be quite a bit of hanging-around-waiting-for-the-musical-cue-to-move type blocking. OK, Wagner's timing was based on the theatrical style and pace of another age than ours, but it should be possible to fill the gaps a little better than that.

Standout performances were the Gunther and the Siegfried, both played as well as I've ever seen them. Waltraute was splendid and most of the others were perfectly OK. The only exception for me was the Hagen: nice sound, but a blank-faced cuddly teddy bear with no hint of menace or power.

Act three was particularly fine. If the ending isn't quite there yet, with some curious timings for the Rhine overflowing and Valhalla falling, the potential is certainly in place and I've no doubt there'll be tweaks aplenty before too long. I hope they include adding Wotan and the other Valhallians: I was surprised not to see them. Personal highlights elsewhere were the staging of the funeral march, and a lifetime first for me: Brünnhilde on horseback at the end. True, her reunion with the dead Siegfried did take place at more of a slow walk than a gallop, but again, perhaps it will come.

And another first: Siegfried and Brünnhilde both made a point of acknowledging (and indeed shaking hands with) the prompter during their solo calls. Nice.

The filming I found frustrating, but then I always do: I'd prefer a locked view of the entire stage from the centre stalls. TV/film directors have the unerring knack of hardly ever pointing their cameras at exactly what or who I want to see at any one time, and extreme closeups rarely do opera performers any favours - yesterday's Alberich, Acting away with a capital A, looked positively risible on occasion, though I imagine that from even a slight distance he was fine.

Oh, and I do wish the Met wouldn't do those horrible anti-dramatic curtain calls after each act. But all told, a very enjoyable evening. I hope I get the chance to see the whole cycle in the theatre.

Bert

[makropulos]

"He mentioned in an interval interview that he finds the first hour difficult, and it showed. Rather aimless and lacking the arc and continuous transition that marks great conducting in Wagner. Of those presently conducting The Ring, Theilemann alone is able to achieve this feat."

I would tend to agree about Luisi at the start of Götterdämmerung, but absolutely not about Thielemann, whose Wagner conducting does little or nothing for me - apart from causing irritation and frustration at its mannerisms and sometimes its fatal lack of pace. But even if I did, it would be a bold - not to say foolhardy - claim that he "alone" can achieve a real Wagnerian flow. What about Barenboim, Pappano, Elder...all presently conducting Wagner, usually rather well?

[Belgrove]

" But even if I did, it would be a bold - not to say foolhardy - claim that he "alone" can achieve a real Wagnerian flow. What about Barenboim, Pappano, Elder...all presently conducting Wagner, usually rather well?

Barenboim is not conducting The Ring nowadays as far as I am aware, were he to be, I'd add him with Theilemann. Among others, I had Pappano and Elder in mind, both of whose last attempts at Gotterdammerung I considered to be unsatisfactory. In the end it is a matter of taste and what works in the theatre.

[DracoM]

Barenboim in Berlin is certainly doing Wagner, bits of Ring, T&I. Heard him there a year ago

[Ravensbourne]

Metropolitan Opera Live in HD in your own home

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I'm able to watch the Met broadcasts in the comfort of my own home (and in HD on a cinema screen with digital sound) and I was very glad last night not to have to brave the weather for a visit to my local multiplex.

Dare I ask how you do this?

[Bert Coules]

Dare I ask how you do this?

The feed to cinemas is relayed by satellite: with the right equipment, pointing at the right place in the sky, the feed can be intercepted. Moveable satellite dishes are nowhere near as usual as fixed ones but if you're fortunate enough to have one and a suitable receiver, all manner of material can be picked up in HD and 5.1 sound. With the Met broadcasts you can even choose the language of the subtitles.

[Prommer]

I am lost in admiration, Bert. Goodall-ophile AND technical whizz....I am impressed! Just pray Mr Gelb doesn't track you down and send an usherette round to grab your cash nonetheless...

[Ravensbourne]

If Mr Gelb chooses to beam his opera transmissions into Bert's garden, he can hardly complain if Bert watches them.