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Wagner on DVD and Blu-ray

100K views 488 replies 82 participants last post by  kineno 
#1 ·


Musically it's great. Barenboim was good, Isolde was really good, Tristan was... ok... Music's not the problem here. It's Patrice Chereau, with his dull, boring and dark 19th century. This guy has a talent - to make stage productions booooorrriiing, incredibly boring. Hell, give him Dorati's 1812 and he'll make even that one boring. I'll never watch Chereau again.
 
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#2 ·
This one a arrived a couple of days ago.....



This would be 10/10 if it weren't for Richard Cassily who sings the title role. His voice isn't a very pleasant sounding instrument - he sounds nasal and has a tendency to bark. He doesn't look like the type of guy that Venus would be attracted too either and is rather static. My criticism of him is maybe a bit too severe because it's not that he's awful, it's just that he isn't of the same level as the other singers here. I must say that he does better in the third act as the desperate character who has been refused redemption in Rome than as the love interest of a Goddess though.

Although Tatiana Troyanos is not the most gorgeous looking woman ever to set foot in a opera house, she is for my taste both vocally and visually convincing as Venus and yes, even sexy. Eva Marton both looks and sounds too old for the part of Elisabeth, but it doesn't really matter. This is prime Eva Marton - the singing is not very subtle, but it's very strong. And while she was never considered one of the great actresses, here I find her performance really moving - she's actualy crying real tears at one point. Conductor James Levine's tempi are lively, the Metropolitan orchestra sounds fine and the chorus is really great.

And after the good news, here's the VERY good news: Venus is not a Martian, Tannhauser doesn't look like the guy from the grocery store at the corner of the street and Elisabeth isn't a Sarah Palin lookalike wearing a Michael Jackson t-shirt. No - this is WAGNER'S 'Tannhauser', set in the 13th century and it's a lavish production also - a feast for the eyes as well as for the ears. THANK YOU Otto Schenk!!!! 9/10 - warmly recommended to any lover of traditional productions in general and especially to Wagner fans.
 
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#8 ·
Personally I don't mind more modern productions of some of Wagner's work, particularly The Ring. Certainly not the best option for an introduction to it, but his works are allegorical in the larger sense, so romantic stage productions are are not essential I don't feel. And I enjoy watching different interpretations, though obviously I like more than others. Chereau's Ring was very much in the vein of George Bernard Shaw's Perfect Wagnerite, viewing it as an allegory of the 19th century socio-political landscape , focusing on the corrupting influences of political power and capitalism.
 
#10 ·
The only traditional Ring out there is Levine's, but the singing and conducing is not good enough to deserve a recommendation. The Barenboim DVD has very good singing and conducing, far from perfect but pretty much on the balance the best you can get on any Ring collection, be it on DVD or CD. I personally liked the staging but many people have hated the staging, and it is indeed so radical that it makes complains about Chereau's Ring sound like a joke. So you have to live with what you have, if you want a better Ring DVD you'll going to have to wait longer.
 
#14 ·
As a mentioned a few posts back, Barenboim's Ring is the best Ring you can get audio-wise, be it on CD and DVD. It makes the Karajan/Bohm/Solti Rings pale in comparison. That by itself makes the Barenboim Ring a must have. While the singing and conducting in Levine's Ring is both lackluster. And the staging, while traditional, is a bit boring too (just because it is traditional doesn't make it boring or good, but in this case it's boring). But there seems to be a group of classical music fans who don't care about these things and just rant and complain about the non-tradition-ness of Barenboim's Ring, so if you are one of them and if you are brainwashed into believing that Solti's Ring can't be bettered than Levine's Ring is probably for you.
 
#20 ·
The Ponelle version certainly looks interesting, the line-up of singers is wonderful (Aramis on another thread was strongly recommending Kollo in Tannhauser).
Ajajaajjajajaja

But in so many other threads I strongly disrecommended this terrible DVD.

Kollo made great Tristan but not on this recording. Kleiber's recordings is where he shines.

This Barenboim DVD is failure in many ways: first of all, forgive me if you will find it irrelevant aspect, Isolde can't look like housewife that has little break from dishwashing so she hangs up with some freak that walks around with flat plastic sword. And that's how she look on this DVD.

Okay, now some aspects that normal people may care about. Singing is not too good. I'm great fan of Kollo but he didn't do great job here. Together with Meier they ruined most of beautiful musical momets of this opera. Only King Mark is kewl. But this is not good reason for getting this DVD as he is rather minor character.

Sceneries are really well done and charming. I really would like to see other cast making good use of them.

Anyway. This DVD is something replusive to me, it's not that I dislike it, I hate it.

I belive that there should be only few recordings of Tristan und Isolde. Second-raters shoudn't be allowed to ruin this sacred work. Every willing conductor should strave on his knees for whole night at Wagner's grave or some sanctuary of his and wait until he will give him his blessing or not. If one would make recording/performance without such permission he should be sentenced to carry huge sideburns for 34052783 years.
 
#22 ·
What are your top picks for Tristan DVD........a few comments please
I can't pick even one that I would recommend. You can make divinity of this work possible to hear, but not to see. Everything visual about these productions is worthless (and even harmful) since you can simply turn on the music and close your eyes and open them only in purpose to let your tears flow away.
 
#23 ·
Well, that might work for you, but not everyone is the same. I didn't "get" Tristan until I saw it, and I would argue that a well-thought out stage production can very well enhance this music.

+ I don't think that Wagner wrote it just to be heard.

I just don't think that I've seen the perfect production yet, and I would hesitate to recommend either of my two versions because of the relatively weak Tristans. But my favourite of the two is the one with Stemme, and I will watch again and again despite any reservations I have.
 
#24 · (Edited)
+ I don't think that Wagner wrote it just to be heard.
You always bring this out.

Yes, composers before XXth century did not write music knowing that it will be soon played from CDs in private homes. They had two options - write music for people in ties that play/sing in concert hall or for people in cutomes that play/sing in theatre. It's obvious that for operas Wagner choosed second option.

But we live in times of new forms of listening. You can't say that listening to audio recording only is against Wagner's (or any other composer of opera from this period) vision. It's like saying that reading Byron by the light of electric lamp is wrong because he wrote it by the light of a candle.

Listening to opera on CD while being alone with my imagination is one of richest musical experiences I can think of and I belive that anyone with decent dose of musical sensitivity will share my view.
 
#25 ·
But we live in times of new forms of listening. You can't say that listening to audio recording only is against Wagner's (or any other composer of opera from this period) vision.
Actually, I think that many staged productions are against the composers vision these days. Having said that, if I have to choose between a great cd recording of an opera or a great dvd I prefer the dvd. But I have no problem enjoying opera on cd either. If it's good it's good, that's the bottom line really.
 
#26 ·
I'm still comparatively new to opera & I don't feel qualified to comment on what composers wanted but I find the DVD complements the CD and I love to get both. Sometimes I start listening to the CD & then get the DVD & sometimes vice versa.

And now that I can play any region DVDs my enjoyment is unlimited.

- that's my credit card's reaction to this news
 
#28 ·
Dark Angel was asking for recommendations for DVDs, so maybe DA likes DVDs too. Saying "you don't need a DVD, just listen" is not all that helpful.
At first place I only disrecommended one of DVDs which I found particularly bad. The further statement about visual Tristan in general were my answer to question about other T&I DVDs I would recommend, so it's not that I force others to think the way I do, I have simply answered the question.
 
#29 ·


Finished Siegfried today. It's taken me so long to grind my way to Act 3 that I found I arrived with a fair bit of sales resistance, and it didn't seem quite so overwhelming as I expected. I'm not sure about Manfred Jung's Siegfried - he seems a bit too much of a cheeky chappie to be credible as a hero - but then some of us wonder whether Siegfried could ever be really credible as a hero anyway (as we've discussed).

Gwyneth Jones is a wonderful Brunnhilde - people groan about the wobble, but actually I seemed to hear a lot less wobble than I did with Hildegard Behrens in the Met version. Anyway, if I encountered a chance to rescue Dame Gwyneth from a fiery rock, I'd jolly well have a shot at it.
 
#30 ·


Finished Siegfried today. It's taken me so long to grind my way to Act 3 that I found I arrived with a fair bit of sales resistance, and it didn't seem quite so overwhelming as I expected. I'm not sure about Manfred Jung's Siegfried - he seems a bit too much of a cheeky chappie to be credible as a hero - but then some of us wonder whether Siegfried could ever be really credible as a hero anyway (as we've discussed).

Gwyneth Jones is a wonderful Brunnhilde - people groan about the wobble, but actually I seemed to hear a lot less wobble than I did with Hildegard Behrens in the Met version. Anyway, if I encountered a chance to rescue Dame Gwyneth from a fiery rock, I'd jolly well have a shot at it.
I can easily say now that the Boulez DVD Ring is my favorite over Levine DVD Ring, one of the main reasons being Gwyneth Jones Brunnhilde, huge plus to have a physically attractive singer here for central character.......one of the buzz kills for me of the new Valencia Ring with Mehta is the rotund Brunnhilde

 
#36 ·


I think I would have enjoyed this production of Tannhäuser more if the picture had been less grainy and the camera had panned back more to the whole stage rather concentrate on frequent close-ups - particularly of Spas Wenkoff (in the title role) exhibiting a creepy array of manic smiles. I kept feeling there were swathes of action I was missing out on, particularly at the end.

On the other hand I really enoyed performances by Bern Wenkl as Wolfram and Hans Sotin as the Landgraf, Wenkoff did a good job as Tannhäuser without a hint of whine in his voice, and Jones was very moving in the last act, shedding real tears and (for once in an opera) looking as though she really was about to die.
 
#37 · (Edited)
I'm watching this:



My advice:

If you like your Tannhäuser with a complete overture instead of having it cut in half so that you're suddenly thrown right into the Bacchanal, don't buy this.
If you like naked boobs, buy this (they're beautiful).
If you hate Eurotrash, don't buy this.
If you like your Venusberg to be a surrealistic Bosch-like nightmare with lots of naked boobs and a woman-eating crocodile (the woman in question also with rather beautiful naked boobs that wiggle while she's being eaten), buy this.
If you like your Hall of Music to actually look beautiful as intended, don't buy this.
If you like your Heinrich Tannhäuser to be interpreted by a singer who is not 30 years past his prime and doesn't have an awful, embarrasing wobble like René Kollo in this production, don't buy this.
If you like your Venus to be absolutely gorgeous looking, very sexy, the ultimate incarnation of seduction, the ultimate Goddess of Love with a beautiful voice to boot like Waltraud Meier in a breathtaking performance, buy this. (Sorry, *her* boobs are not part of the show, but at least she's got nice cleavage).
If you don't like silly political symbolism like a big Berlin wall with the words Germania Nostra, don't buy this.
If you like your opera videos to have a few more colors than black, white, and gray, don't buy this.
If you love ugly depressing settings, buy this.
If you want your Wolfram, your Landgrave, and your Elisabeth with good acting and singing skills (Bernd Weikl just a little passed his prime but still pretty good, and excellent Jan-Hendrik Rootering and Nadine Secunde, almost a show stopper), buy this.
If you want a good conductor, don't buy this (it's Mehta - although he is not terrible here).
If you like your choruses to be superb like the Chorus of the Bayerische Staatsoper, buy this.
If you like your DVD to have a booklet that has more than just a list of chapters, don't buy this.

So, obviously a mixed bag. It's almost worth buying for Waltraud Meier, but Venus doesn't stick around as you know. René Kollo pretty much ruins it, in spite of the notable effort by Weikl, Rootering, and Secunde to save it. If the Eurotrash aspects had been kept in the first act only, it would have been a valid contrast between Venusberg and Thuringia, but the way it was done pretty much ruined the whole thing - there is virtually no difference between the settings.

I think in summary the negatives outweigh the positives, so if you're not a passionate fan of Waltraud Meier, stay away.
 
#38 ·
I'm watching this:



My advice:

If you like your Tannhäuser with a complete overture instead of having it cut in half so that you're suddenly thrown right into the Bacchanal, don't buy this.
If you like naked boobs, buy this (they're beautiful).
If you hate Eurotrash, don't buy this.
If you like your Venusberg to be a surrealistic Bosch-like nightmare with lots of naked boobs and a woman-eating crocodile (the woman in question also with rather beautiful naked boobs that wiggle while she's being eaten), buy this.
If you like your Hall of Music to actually look beautiful as intended, don't buy this.
If you like your Heinrich Tannhäuser to be interpreted by a singer who is not 30 years past his prime and doesn't have an awful, embarrasing wobble like René Kollo in this production, don't buy this.
If you like your Venus to be absolutely gorgeous looking, very sexy, the ultimate incarnation of seduction, the ultimate Goddess of Love with a beautiful voice to boot like Waltraud Meier in a breathtaking performance, buy this. (Sorry, *her* boobs are not part of the show, but at least she's got nice cleavage).
If you don't like silly political symbolism like a big Berlin wall with the words Germania Nostra, don't buy this.
If you like your opera videos to have a few more colors than black, white, and gray, don't buy this.
If you love ugly depressing settings, buy this.
If you want your Wolfram, your Landgrave, and your Elisabeth with good acting and singing skills (Bernd Weikl just a little passed his prime but still pretty good, and excellent Jan-Hendrik Rootering and Nadine Secunde, almost a show stopper), buy this.
If you want a good conductor, don't buy this (it's Maazel).
If you like your choruses to be superb like the Chorus of the Bayerische Staatsoper, buy this.

So, obviously a mixed bag. It's almost worth buying for Waltraud Meier, but Venus doesn't stick around as you know. René Kollo pretty much ruins it, in spite of the notable effort by Weikl, Rootering, and Secunde to save it. If the Eurotrash aspects has been kept in the first act only, it would have been a valid contrast between Venusberg and Thuringia, but the way it was done it pretty much ruined the whole thing as well.

I think in summary the negatives outweigh the positives, so if you're not a passionate fan of Waltraud Meier, stay away.
Ooooooohhhhh........anything with Waltraud Meier is worth checking out, but

Heavy handed euro trash modern productions (which Wagner attracts like a magnet) make me very cautous

I do have the old stand by in the collection:

 
#41 ·


Very good traditional staging for the most part. The appearance of the swan is a bit of a joke though - it's a little guy in a Bjork dying swan look-alike dress. But apart from that the visual aspect is close to ideal. It's very well sung from all concerned also. Paul Frey (Lohengrin) sings superbly, but unfortunately he's a very poor actor. No such complaints about any of the others, although only Gabriele Schnaut's Ortrud stands out for me as far as the acting is concerned. The only truly disappointing moment in this production happens at the end when inexplicably Cheryl Studer's Elsa doesn't die or faint but actually joins hands with Ortrud (???????) Although Werner Herzog's staging is otherwise (leaving aside the Bjork swan dress) spot on, he must have been smoking one of those funny cigarettes when he came up with that idea. Even so, I had a great time watching and listening to this DVD. 7,5 or 8 out of 10 I'd say.
 
#44 ·
Wagner on DVD and Blu-Ray

A Knight in a Shining T-shirt or How Long a Household without a Kitchen will last?



For a change I became so interested in a review already here (and this is not the only one!) that I just had to have the DVD ASAP. For my money this Lohengrin is worth having for the Lohengrin of Jonas Kaufmann alone. Now I'm beginning to understand what all the fuss around him has been about. He is good almost all the time, and his good is really good. Wagner tenors just don't grow everywhere. I don't mean that the others here are nothing less than good. Wolfgang Koch as Telramund is especially convincing showing both the strength of his hate and the weakness of himself. Michaela Schuster as Ortrud has all the vocal capacity demanded, but I'm not sure if I like her handling the role so offhand. This is 100% vile and should not be sung tongue-in-cheek, even when consciously machinating. That leaves us Elsa, Anja Harteros, who really isn't the Elsa of my reference audio recording, Elisabeth Grümmer (an epitome of innocence), conducted by Rudolph Kempe and having Jess Thomas as Lohengrin, Fischer-Dieskau as Telramund and Christa Ludwig as Ortrud. Ludwig's Ortrud to my mind remains unsurpassable in its frenzy that has my skin in goosebumps.

I'm not sure if like the production as a whole, but I'm happy that I have seen and heard the Lohengrin of Kaufmann, even wearing a T-shirt.
 
#62 ·


For a change I became so interested in a review already here (and this is not the only one!) that I just had to have the DVD ASAP.
This is the review that Herkku was referring to:

It's not often that watching an opera DVD interferes with my everyday life - but this one did; today I had to keep rewarding myself with 15 minutes of Lohengrin for accomplishing each essential task of the day.

This is definitely not one for the purists - no enormous swans, shining armour, medieval wimples here. But it totally brings alive the very human tragedy of the doomed love between Elsa and her Lohengrin. And that it did this so movingly and piercingly is mainly due to the shining, multifaceted and intimate performances of Anja Harteros and Jonas Kaufmann in the title roles, and the wonderful chemistry between them.



Elsa here is no shrinking violet or loony halfwit, she is a true visionary, with a yearning for happiness and a strong will perverted by the effective if rather brassy Ortrud of Michaela Schuster. Lohengrin is part stalwart hero and defender of the weak, and part young man in love for the first time and hoping against hope for his fleeting change of domestic bliss. See him when he realises that his life will no longer include wife and children, see him when he first notices with a start the swan returning for him in Act three. Truly heart breaking, have hankies nearby.

The singing of both these young people was totally satisfactory for me, I personally love Kaufmann's unique timbre but I know that it isn't everyone's cup of tea. Definitely some strained upper notes, but I don't care. Harteros was wonderful, with a lovely creamy tone. Secondary roles were also strong, particularly the evil, violent Telramund of Wolfgang Koch. Now he was scary! All the way through I found myself thinking - "Elsa, don't listen to them, this is a disaster, this will end in tears" even though I knew the ending.:)

As I said, the production was definitely not traditional - set in some vague mid-20C hierarchical Germany, with Lohengrin in a T-shirt and Elsa at first in dungarees, but later so beautiful in fitted wedding-dress. Colours play a symbolic part, the mustard and maroon of Brabant contrasting sharply with the sky blue of Lohengrin and later of the whole state.

The central conceit is the building of a house throughout the opera, symbolising first Elsa's and then both the young couple's desire for settled love. We first see Elsa in her dungarees defiantly laying the first bricks, and by the third act the young couple listen to the wedding march as the furniture is being moved in. When Lohengrin realises his hopes of love are gone, he sets fire to the wedding bed and crib:eek:!!

One advantage of all this activity is that it provides a focus, whereas more traditional productions have a tendency to be very static (and my mind starts to wander):eek:....

All in all I would definitely recommend it, especially if the acting is as important to you as the singing, and if you are prepared to go beyond the traditional. If you are a fan of either Harteros or Kaufmann it's a must anyway.
 
#45 ·
Tristan und Isolde



Stemming (the pun intented) from my recent interest in Nina Stemme, here comes a review of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde (Glyndebourne 2007), with Stemme as Isolde. And at last I can understand why she was included in the list of the five great sopranos of today. She seems to be completely at home here, as if she was born to sing Wagner. Throughout the lengthy opera she remains a tower of strenght, somewhat like her late countrywoman, Birgit Nilsson, who had an even bigger voice. Stemme also seems more emotionally involved here as compared to her Aida and the Strauss recording. For her alone, this is worth the price.

For once, T&I didn't bore me at all. I have always thought that it contains some of the most beautiful music Wagner ever wrote - or anybody else - but still having its dull moments, moments being an understatement. Not here. The camerawork keeps us close to the singers and brings the drama near us. No matter if the stage sets, consisting of a huge elliptical spiralling length of tube (does this description make any sense?), remain the same throughout the opera, only changes made with ligthing and the colours of it. I think the DVD format works wonders here, as there are only one to four people on the stage at the same time, reaching the maximum of six in the end, when one is already dead and the other (namely Tristan) already in his death throes. It is really different to see things closely here, compared to sitting in the back of the theatre.

As to the other singers, Robert Gambill is a good enough Tristan for me (if not a great actor), Katarina Karnéus a magnificent Brangäne (the primus motor of the happenings), Bo Skovhus a reliable Kurwenal, and René Pape a refreshlingly young King Marke (I remember when he won the first prize for men in the Finnish Mirjam Helin Singing Competition 1989, born 1964) whose monologue didn't bore me at all.

The LPO play like angels under the baton of Jiří Bělohlávek (by Jove, these accents), as they should since the orchestra is at least as important here as the singers. I don't know much about Wagner's Leitmotivs - sometimes I regocnize one, sometimes not - but they have never prevented me from loving the music.

The final verdict: Good. This is what Nina Stemme is rightly famous for.
 
#46 ·
Rienzi



I had a hard time swallowing the direct comparison of Rienzi in this production to Hitler, but I suppose - having read some backround information about the historical figure, Cola di Rienzo - that's what I have to do.

Wagner set out to compose an opera in a big scale, like French Grand Opera, which he certainly did. In the premiere it lasted six hours! Wagner soon realized that some cuts were necessary, and in the first published edition it lasts some five hours, was in five acts and had the compulsory ballet. Then there should be a version lasting three hours. In the present case it takes two and a half.

The plot in short: In the medieval Rome, two rivalling families, the Orsini and the Colonna, have the rule. Crime, violence and disorder flourish. Rienzi's sister, Irene, is assaulted by an Orsini, but rescued by Adriano, a Colonna. Enter Rienzi, who claims as his aim to restore law and order to Rome, but refuses to be elected king. He may be called a tribune. Nevertheless, he gains enormous popularity among the people, and in the next moment we see him adressing the populace in a fanatical speech. He is going to unite the whole Italy into a new Rome! The old enemies are still lurking among the faithful followers, planning Rienzi's murder. Adriano, who happens to be in love with Irene, hears about the plan and is torn by a need to participate in the plot to take the tyrant down or to betray his father and his allies but save the brother of the woman he loves. At first, he chooses the second option, the conspirators are condemned to death, but Adriano succeeds to persuade Rienzi to show his magnanimity and pardon them. The dissatisfaction with Rienzi among the people keeps increasing until a full-blown revolt arises, Rienzi is killed with Irene, as is Adriano who tries to save her to the last.

It's the momentous change of Rienzi from a celebrated hero into a tyrant that feels so incredible here. Perhaps the change is more gradual in the longer version, I wouldn't know.

Anyway, there is a lot of fine music in the opera. The overture is very impressive, containing many themes that will be heard again later on. During it we see a tableau that already shows us where all this is going to lead. The most famous aria, Adriano's "Gerechter Gott!", gets a convincing performance by Kate Aldrich, who maintains the same quality throughout. Torsten Kerl as Rienzi seems as good a choice as could be wished for, certainly imposing as a tyrant. He has a beautiful prayer near the end. Irene, his sister, is sung by Camilla Nylund, a Finnish soprano, whose vocal resources are stretched to the limit at times. The voice doesn't always soar above the great masses, but that would be a tall order for any soprano, especially when great flexibility is also required at least in one scene. Irene is made to appear as a kind of Eva Braun figure, although she is Rienzi's sister, and in this Nylund succeeds admirably. Of the others, I would like to mention Ante Jerkunica, who sings Steffano Colonna, Adriano's father. Some of the music is truly pompous, but perhaps not inappropriate in the context.

Hitler is said to have been greatly inspired by Rienzi, but interestingly enough, the overture was played also in the tenth anniversary of the Soviet Republic in 1928.
 
#47 ·
I actually saw the premiere of that Lohengrin in Munich, and despite the whole overalls and t-shirt thing, I though it was miraculously good. The production was so-so, but the singing was wonderful. But I didn't like the Ortrud too much. I think that might have something to do with the fact that the opera only was subtitled in German. And that she wasn't evil enough.
 
#48 ·
Im really very interested in The Ring, but it isnt staged very often anywhere. I recently saw the broadcast of Die Walkure from La Scala which was fantastic but my experience is very limited.

The DVDs I have of the ringmnow are from the company here in Amsterdam with Hartmut Haenchen. Musically and artistically they are very good, but I have not a lot to compare to:



My question is - what DVDs of the Ring are THE performances to get? I have no aversion to so called Euro-trash, in fact I have a preference for it and get bored easily by old-fashioned and traditional settings.
 
#49 ·
Levine's = traditional, with ups and downs in terms of singing
Boulez's = better singing, weird staging
Copenhagen = evil!!! they have a baby at the end!!!!
Valencia = visually interesting. That's about it

So, the choice must be the Barenboim ring
 
#53 ·
Thank you all for the quick responses, may I ask what you mean by weird staging on Boulez's Ring?

Otherwise it seems Barenboim may be the best option.
 
#56 ·
In principle im not against adding new meanings to the work, but if he 'demonstrated poor knowledge' then perhaps not. Thanks a lot guys.
 
#57 ·
Be careful though. Although it was controversial in its day, and was booed initially, when it finally completed its run (several years on), legend has it that the applause lasted for an hour - so admired and accepted had it become. Also be aware that the 'rhinemaidens as prostitutes' tag may sound dubious, but in fact I find it compelling: best, sexiest Rhinemaidens I ever saw or heard, acting and singing their socks off. Electrifying. Chereau may have produced some incongruences with the music, but I believe he paid extremely close attention to the libretto.

Similarly the nineteenth-century staging is not as hard to accept as it may seem, and the underlying thrust of the production is a political one which is remarkably effective. A myth is a myth - and the power of the myth (they tell me) should still emerge through retelling and remaking, and the character of Chereau's staging has become somewhat mythic itself. I find it far more acceptable than the Levine Ring, myself.
 
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