Royal Opera's Ring Cycles

[kernelbogey]

By a fluke today I got a ticket for Goetterdaemmerung on Monday - the end of the first cycle.

I thought we should have a thread. The orchestra under Pappano is warmly commended in today's Guardian review of Das Rheingold.

[Roehre]

By a fluke today I got a ticket for Goetterdaemmerung on Monday - the end of the first cycle.

I thought we should have a thread. The orchestra under Pappano is warmly commended in today's Guardian review of Das Rheingold.

But I personally would boycott this performance for the completely unwagnerian stage - ignoring approximately all stage instructions given in the score.
When can we have a Wagner opera given without the b***dy (politically motivated) interference of the director?

[kernelbogey]

But I personally would boycott this performance for the completely unwagnerian stage - ignoring approximately all stage instructions given in the score....

I think that the work is big enough, and complex enough, to bear these impositions. Admittedly, I'm quite glad I didn't see the production - was it Hamburg, and Walkuere? - with the petrol station....

I think it's arguable that all the dimensions of his masterpiece were not evident to Wagner himself, and it's fine with me, on the whole, if directors bring out what they see. I wouldn't want to see folk in bear-skins and Viking helmets either.

[Pabmusic]

I think that the work is big enough, and complex enough, to bear these impositions...I wouldn't want to see folk in bear-skins and Viking helmets either.

You're quite right, of course, but it does raise some interesting questions. Wagner was insistent that all elements of the music-dramas were equally important (which is why, after all, he built the Festspielhuas), so if the staging is to be changed to the extent that Roehre says, there must - surely - be a very good reason indeed.

But there's a strong inconsistency in all this, because none of these 'artistic' realisations seem to alter the music at all. Why not set a production in the late 1960s US (flower-power, Vietnam, race riots, etc) and feature the sound of a Hammond organ and a Moog synthesiser in the orchestra - you wouldn't have to hire all those Wagner tubas. The Rhine maidens might be a Motown group, with 'wall of sound' re-orchestrations. There'd also have to be a role for transistor radios (the Valkyries might carry them, I suppose, and the accompaniment to their wailing might be heard through the trannies).

[kernelbogey]

...Why not set a production in the late 1960s US (flower-power, Vietnam, race riots, etc) and feature the sound of a Hammond organ and a Moog synthesiser in the orchestra - you wouldn't have to hire all those Wagner tubas. The Rhine maidens might be a Motown group, with 'wall of sound' re-orchestrations. There'd also have to be a role for transistor radios (the Valkyries might carry them, I suppose, and the accompaniment to their wailing might be heard through the trannies).

hey pabs, man, cool idea, i'll suggest it to the covent garden dudes, maybe i could be director, blow a little grass with bryn and the chicks and do away with those wagner tubas, yeah maybe a little janice joplin in the fricka role would be cool too?

[Prommer]

Am at the first cycle. Enjoyed Rheingold, from Pappano beginning the piece in total darkness (conducting with a fluorescent baton) to the majestic entry to Valhalla - taken a bit quick but hey, you cannot have everything. Connolly was a wonderful Fricka, unusually sexy and so presenting another side (at least in Rheingold) to the rather one dimensional carping hausfrau of conventional interpretation. Terfel, I must say, was magnificent - superb acting and voice still in great shape. We shall see how he does over the cycle, and it will be good to hear him as the Wanderer for the first time in London. As often happens, I am learning to love the production, though I do not like the corpses in Nibelheim - all rather overdone. Not so sold on Wolfgang Koch as Alberich, very nice smooth voice but where was the bite? Walkure this afternoon!

[Richard Tarleton]

But I personally would boycott this performance for the completely unwagnerian stage - ignoring approximately all stage instructions given in the score.
When can we have a Wagner opera given without the b***dy (politically motivated) interference of the director?

Did this all begin with Wieland Wagner? His stages look stripped bare. I don't know what he did with his grandfathers stage directions. The things that are bound to change are sets, costumes, lighting - you could change all those and still use the stage directions. The photos in my Ist edn of Ernest Newman's Wagner Nights of early costumes look hilarious today (winged helmets etc.) - but when I see the Ring in my mind's eye when listening to the CDs my stage and costume designer of choice is Arthur Rackham

I sat twice through Richard Jones' flippant deconstruction of the Ring in the 90's - the individual operas as they came out, and the last cycle. It was worth it to hear Haitink's Ring and perhaps the best cast on the planet at the time. I greatly enjoyed Pappano's Ring in 2007, and am looking forward to this one (I'm going to the cycle commencing on 16 October) - it is an infinitely better conception than the wretched Jones effort.

[kernelbogey]

Memory fails slightly here but I saw the production at ROH 'Proms' in the 70s with the big square turntable which revolved, tilted and so on: it was the steps to Valhalla at the end of Rheingold; the rocky countryside through which Siegmund fled, pursued, at the beginning of Walkuere; Bruenhilde's rock - and so on. I can't remember the director*, I think his production was quite reviled when premiered, but what is seared into my memory is the closing bars of Goetterdaemmerung, in which the Rhinemaidens were represented on stage by acrobats in grey body suits: towards the end, they left the stage, which was completely bare for the last few pages of the score. When I hear the music, not in the theatre, that is the picture which the final pages conjure up for me.

I was also much impressed by the production, perhaps late 70s or early 80s, also from Covent Garden - I think the director was Patrice Chereau - who had Fasolt and Fafner performed by singers seated on the shoulders of huge athletes, so they really did look gigantic. As I remember, too, the Gods were very humanised - touching each other and so on. I saw it only on television, alas, but was greatly impressed by the staging.

* Edit: Goetz Friedrich, I now think

[Flosshilde]

The Rhine maidens might be a Motown group, with 'wall of sound' re-orchestrations. There'd also have to be a role for transistor radios (the Valkyries might carry them, I suppose, and the accompaniment to their wailing might be heard through the trannies).

Scottish Opera's Ring had the Valkyries as a crowd of bikers (dykes on bikes?) helping themselves to a bottle of beer from a fridge after their exertions, & the rhinemaidens in Gotterdammerung were three rather long-in-the-tooth ladies who lunch hanging around in a bar, waiting for a man - Siegfried. It was entirely appropriate & fitted with the story, characters and music.

[David-G]

Memory fails slightly here but I saw the production at ROH 'Proms' in the 70s with the big square turntable which revolved, tilted and so on: it was the steps to Valhalla at the end of Rheingold; the rocky countryside through which Siegmund fled, pursued, at the beginning of Walkuere; Bruenhilde's rock - and so on. I can't remember the director*, I think his production was quite reviled when premiered, but what is seared into my memory is the closing bars of Goetterdaemmerung, in which the Rhinemaidens were represented on stage by acrobats in grey body suits: towards the end, they left the stage, which was completely bare for the last few pages of the score. When I hear the music, not in the theatre, that is the picture which the final pages conjure up for me.

I was also much impressed by the production, perhaps late 70s or early 80s, also from Covent Garden - I think the director was Patrice Chereau - who had Fasolt and Fafner performed by singers seated on the shoulders of huge athletes, so they really did look gigantic. As I remember, too, the Gods were very humanised - touching each other and so on. I saw it only on television, alas, but was greatly impressed by the staging.

* Edit: Goetz Friedrich, I now think

The producer was indeed Goetz Friedrich. It was a very fine production; far better than anything we have seen at the ROH since. It did not have any producer's "concept" to obscure the staging and conflict with the music. The tilting platform was used in a most exciting way. I can remember Wotan towering on top of it.

However, I think that perhaps the finest Ring that I have seen was my first; the Goodall Ring at the ENO.

I have been waiting a long time for a Ring to equal these ... and I am still waiting.

Incidentally, Chereau produced the Ring at Bayreuth at this period. I did not think that we have seen his work at Covent Garden. It was set in a power station on the Rhine. Do you think this was the production you were referring to?

[Howdenite]

The biggest problem with this Ring (at least in 2007) is that the staging kept pulling me out of the music. Instead of being able to concentrate on the music, I kept seeing things that I couldn't believe were happening on the stage and I ended up puzzling over the staging instead of enjoying the performance. Though I know it isn't the case, the production looked like something staged and directed by people who had read the synopsis but never looked at the text. A new and interesting take on an opera is fine with me, but it needs to fit the text at least at some level! I'm going to the next cycle, but standing in the slips in hope of being able to ignore the silliness and to listen to the wonderful score.

[Stephen Smith]

I thought the singing performances (Die Walkure - last night) were very fine - a triumph for Connolly as Fricka, Terfel too - a triumph, he was, IMO, rock solid (long may it continue for attenders of later cycles). Further challenges ahead for Susan Bullock, interested to see that, it was very good last night. Simon O'Neil - I think he suited the part admirably and Westbroak also very affecting and committed vocally. Outstanding voices in the Valkyries too. I thought the musical direction kept the drama moving forward and was very well conceived and played
I attended the last run of this production, (so, e.g.I've learnt to accept the mirror box tarnhelm) but otherwise am no expert on The Ring / Ring productions. I think some of the performers are stronger than previous casting, and am enjoying it with few reservations (I realise I was unhappy with the Loge characterisation, not enough of a tricky fixer, too much a Jiminny Cricket).
Given the challenge of getting a production to the stage, with all the problems of human & technical frailty I feel lucky when it all comes off. Also I'm grateful for the opportunity to experience it live without foreign travel involded, and wonder when it will be possible to mount The Ring again, with falling budgets?

[kernelbogey]

....Incidentally, Chereau produced the Ring at Bayreuth at this period. I did not think that we have seen his work at Covent Garden. It was set in a power station on the Rhine. Do you think this was the production you were referring to?

Yes I think you're right: I was having a senior moment.

[Mandryka]

I saw it in 2007: though muscially and vocally strong, I thought the production suffered from being neither here nor there - Warner didn't seem to know what to do with it, so the whole was dramatically unsatisfying. I can recall the scene with the Gibichung vassals and Siegfried/Hagen/Brunhilde/Gunter (end of Act 2) being the only point at which it sprang to life.

This time, we are getting Terfel's Wotan (hmmmmm.......) and different, but equally strong casting in the other roles. Hopefully there will be an 'adequate' Siegfried this time, as I think I've had about all I can take of John Treleaven for one lifetime. In fact, I can barely remember anything about the production of Siegfired, least of all what they did with Fafner.

I shall be at the 2nd cycle (starting on Tuesday).

[Belgrove]

I tend to agree with Mandryka on the blandness of the production.

Das Rheingold was the best of the cycle, but the many possibilities it presented failed to be converted into coherent themes that informed the later episodes. The most memorable complete performance in the entire cycle was Rosalind Plowright's commanding, elegant yet fragile and sexy Fricka, which shows that something was seriously amiss with the casting. I first saw Terfel in this run and was impressed, but he could not endure the test (Wagner has many similarities with participating in and attending a full Test Match!) Pappano's conducting did not attain that elasticity of time that is the essence of Wagner. I think he finally earned his Wagnerian spurs in last year's revival of Mastersinger's, so I hope that these cycles are not the humdrum renditions witnessed before - the world class ROH orchestra deserves better.

I'm probably alone on these boards in finding the infamous Jones' Ring the most exciting and coherent production I have witnessed. The Friedrich Ring with it's spinning cheeseboard was spectacular and at the cutting edge of what was achievable in the theatre at that that time - but it was thematically vacuous, and Colin Davies was not a natural Wagnerian then. The Warner Ring used extensively the (then) state of the art video projection, maybe too soon for it is rather rudimentary (black and white) and has been thoroughly eclipsed by the full colour developments used in the Met's Ring - another stupendous theatrical spectacle, but with little intellectual substance.

The Jones Ring was 'cheap' but faithful to the text, it had brains rather than monumental sets and, sadly, provided images which were prescient of the following decade. At times it was visually ugly and appallingly violent, but that is the world depicted in The Ring. As others have mentioned, it's cast was the finest that could be assembled and Haitink was in the pit. Plenty of elasticity there!

I declined to attend the present cycle but will listen eagerly to R3 broadcasts commencing on October 16 (and to be repeated over the Xmas break, an act a day, no turkey's please).