About Me
- artandhockey
- Split personality. Liking the arts, especially opera, and hockey and Los Toros. I know, I know THAT one is non pc currently. But I can't help it saw some in Spain and got hooked, but good. But on the other hand right now opera and hockey are in the forefront!
Showing posts with label Das Rheingold-The Met. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Das Rheingold-The Met. Show all posts
Friday, February 18, 2011
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Fool's gold?
Well, I have - finally - been able to see THE MET's RHEINGOLD.
Yes, that NEW Circe Du Soleil inspired set.
First, I was truly thrilled by the casting, those strong, beautiful voices -
well matched and accompanied by rather convincing acting.
Terfel's voice is beautiful and so creamy.
And big enough he did not seem straining to be heard OVER the orchestra as so many have to, especially when the conductor lets it rip.
That said, Levine had the strength to keep the roar of Wagner's music in control and NOT drown the singers (UNLESS they were all individually miked.
Well then, all bets are off).
The other singers were almost equally good.
The Germans (Koenig, Selig and Siegel) among them - what a pleasure to actually understand every word sung (at which, BTW, Terfel did rather as well, often).
An outstanding, both in acting and singing, performance by HGOpera Studio Alumnus Eric Owens as Alberich.
Stephanie Blythe and Wendy Bryn Harmer, Fricka and Freia, respectively, were vocally very good.
And as LOGE, Tenor Richard Croft (he's appeared at HGO in several roles) did well, very well.
Which was exciting to me having seen/heard him previously.
Here is Peter Schreier als Loge, Berliner Philharmics and Karajan
'
The ERDA of Patricia Barden....THAT was a special effect that stunned!
Here Contralto Ewa Podles as Erda and HGOStudio alumnus Greer Grimslay as Wotan in Seattle 2005:
Dwayne Croft, yes, the brother of Richard and an old Met acquiantance, was effective as Donner.
And the young Tenor who sang Froh, so it seemed to me, may have a future as Heldentenor!
But maybe that, too, was attributable to the placement of microphones?
What did not, in my personal opinion, come across well at all, was the techno special effects staging-
maybe it worked IN the actual theater-
but on the BIG screen it came across as kind of techno "movie" haphazardly done.
And the camera men were not quick enough to veer away from close ups when Loge, especially, had to keep hiking up his beribboned (looking so fussy) contraption/harness which enabled him to seem like ' a fly on the wall' way too many times. Unless, that thing itched and he jiggled it to scratch- just kidding, of course.
Others looked suspicioulsy like the bows of Japanese obis, on the back of Donner, for instance.
Those contraptions when shown early on on the Rheinmaidens without any costumes on, looked amusingly like hockey goalie gear..including the 'shin straps' (no, not chin straps - actually behind the leg straps).
Once in costume they were hidden well, on the other hand!
There were some special effects I did like very much:
the path to and up from Nibelheim, the lightning of sunup, sundown, the lightning of the 'bridge to Walhalla'-yes, those were beautiful done.
The eerie appearance of Erda, that was visually awesome, and a few other instances.
Gelb mentioned proudly in the introduction the large amount of money (?? thousands) that had to be spent to re-enforce the stage so it be able to hold up the 'machinery' for those special effects. Was it all worth it?
So what's next? Opera in 3-D (deja vu - I've been around too long to find this innovative).
Go dig out your parents' 3-D glasses, young opera lovers!
Yes, that NEW Circe Du Soleil inspired set.
First, I was truly thrilled by the casting, those strong, beautiful voices -
well matched and accompanied by rather convincing acting.
 |
| Terfel - F. St Aubin costume design - Met Photo |
And big enough he did not seem straining to be heard OVER the orchestra as so many have to, especially when the conductor lets it rip.
That said, Levine had the strength to keep the roar of Wagner's music in control and NOT drown the singers (UNLESS they were all individually miked.
Well then, all bets are off).
The other singers were almost equally good.
The Germans (Koenig, Selig and Siegel) among them - what a pleasure to actually understand every word sung (at which, BTW, Terfel did rather as well, often).
An outstanding, both in acting and singing, performance by HGOpera Studio Alumnus Eric Owens as Alberich.
Stephanie Blythe and Wendy Bryn Harmer, Fricka and Freia, respectively, were vocally very good.
And as LOGE, Tenor Richard Croft (he's appeared at HGO in several roles) did well, very well.
Which was exciting to me having seen/heard him previously.
Here is Peter Schreier als Loge, Berliner Philharmics and Karajan
'
The ERDA of Patricia Barden....THAT was a special effect that stunned!
Here Contralto Ewa Podles as Erda and HGOStudio alumnus Greer Grimslay as Wotan in Seattle 2005:
Dwayne Croft, yes, the brother of Richard and an old Met acquiantance, was effective as Donner.
And the young Tenor who sang Froh, so it seemed to me, may have a future as Heldentenor!
But maybe that, too, was attributable to the placement of microphones?
What did not, in my personal opinion, come across well at all, was the techno special effects staging-
maybe it worked IN the actual theater-
but on the BIG screen it came across as kind of techno "movie" haphazardly done.
And the camera men were not quick enough to veer away from close ups when Loge, especially, had to keep hiking up his beribboned (looking so fussy) contraption/harness which enabled him to seem like ' a fly on the wall' way too many times. Unless, that thing itched and he jiggled it to scratch- just kidding, of course.
Others looked suspicioulsy like the bows of Japanese obis, on the back of Donner, for instance.
Those contraptions when shown early on on the Rheinmaidens without any costumes on, looked amusingly like hockey goalie gear..including the 'shin straps' (no, not chin straps - actually behind the leg straps).
Once in costume they were hidden well, on the other hand!
 |
| Path to Nibelheim - LePage/Fillon staging - Met Photo |
There were some special effects I did like very much:
the path to and up from Nibelheim, the lightning of sunup, sundown, the lightning of the 'bridge to Walhalla'-yes, those were beautiful done.
The eerie appearance of Erda, that was visually awesome, and a few other instances.
Gelb mentioned proudly in the introduction the large amount of money (?? thousands) that had to be spent to re-enforce the stage so it be able to hold up the 'machinery' for those special effects. Was it all worth it?
So what's next? Opera in 3-D (deja vu - I've been around too long to find this innovative).
Go dig out your parents' 3-D glasses, young opera lovers!
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The Barber of Seville and
Fidelio in the fall,
Followed by
La Traviata and
The Rape of Lucretia in the winter and finishing the season with
Don Carlos (The long French version) and
Maria Stuarda.
And in Memoriam of 9/11 HGOCo is planning a song cycle for small venues ...
And at The Met one will see and hear
“Anna Bolena” (Oct. 15)
“Don Giovanni” (Oct. 29)
“Siegfried” (Nov. 5)
“Satyagraha” (Nov. 19)
“Rodelinda” (Dec. 3)
“Faust” (Dec. 10)
“The Enchanted Island” (Jan. 21)
“Götterdämmerung” (Feb. 11)
“Ernani” (Feb. 25, 2012)
“Manon” (April 7, 2012)
“La Traviata” (April 14, 2012)
I shall post others as they become known.
Meanwhile Europe is in an uproar about the recent World premiere of...
ANNA NICOLE, the opera.
Background
A young Playboy model, an octogenarian billionaire husband, intrusive media fascination and a tragically early death. This is a roller-coaster of a real contemporary life for a blockbuster of a contemporary opera by the acclaimed opera composer Mark-Anthony Turnage (Greek and The Silver Tassie) and librettist Richard Thomas (Jerry Springer: the Opera). The story of Anna Nicole Smith is under the brilliant and idiosyncratic direction of Richard Jones and the baton of Antonio Pappano, Music Director of The Royal Opera, to make this a major event of the Royal Opera Season.
Sex, extreme language and drug abuse are part of the opera – after all, they were ingredients in a life that went from the dubious glamour of the sex symbol, through long and vicious legal struggles to a fatal overdose. How Anna Nicole was treated and how she was viewed is as much a reflection of the society that hounded her as of her own feelings and ambitions –
Eva-Maria Westbroek creates what is a challenging and complex central role.
This new opera is provocative in its themes, exciting in its bravura style and thrilling with its sheer contemporary nerve. Anna Nicole Smith’s life made the news – this world premiere has done soo, too.
Among the cast and production are some reputable names:
Composer: Mark-Anthony Turnage
Librettist: Richard Thomas of Jerry Springer fame ;-)
Director: Richard Jones
Set designs: Miriam Buether; Costume designs: Nicky Gillibrand
Co-Lighting Designers: Mimi Jordan Sherin, D M Wood
Choreographer: Aletta Collins
Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Anna Nicole: Eva-Maria Westbroek
Old Man Marshall: Alan Oke (seen at Santa Fe)
The Lawyer Stern: Gerald Finley (seen at The Met's Doctor Atomic)
Four Lap Dancers: Y. Barclay, A. Catt, A. Floyd, K. Batho
Four Meat Rack Girls: K. Lyness, M.Cotterill, L. Armit, A. Hazell
Onstage Band: John Parricelli (Guitarist), John Paul Jones (Bass Guitarist), Peter Erskine (Drummer)
"The Underwood/Fisher Saga" with music by herself and performed on ice!
And so I shall leave you - with an earful.. and an eyeful!