5 hours at the opera
A true bronca happened at the end of Die Walküre, and I know it already happened for the premiere last week too. Günter Krämer's production isn't that horrible-- although some stuff was really silly, there were doubtful interpretations here and there (again Krämer insisted on using the Nazi-related GERMANIA for the Walhalla Grrr)and the mise en scène did commit to a few errors of taste-- but the problem is that it doesn't live up to Wagner's music, and what you see on stage tends to distract the audience instead of serving the score. Eventually I liked it better than Das Rheingold (see my review)but it's probably because the opera is more beautiful and has some of the most powerful and moving music ever composed. The final picture was good, despite the fact that Brünnehilde ended up under a forensic table instead of being asleep on a rock, and the fire invocation before that worked for me. The reddish glow that slowly spread up was spot-on. Final scenes seem to be what Günter Krämer does best (it was the same for Das Rheingold, the picture of the gods entering the Walhalla was quite beautiful). The first scene between Siegmund and Sieglinde wasn't good but I'm sure that the final boos were mostly caused by the Ride of the Walkyries scene in Act III, that showed our 8 immortal warriors, horseless and therefore not riding but turned into nurses in white, cleaning up the blood-covered naked bodies of dead soldiers. Six Feet Under meets The Ring! Then after a good rub and a prayer the guys were resurrected, stood up and left, goose-stepping and with their dangling bits, well...dangling (btw one of them obviously had enjoyed the cleaning a bit too much!). I found it rather funny, and was certainly not shocked by the male nudity but I bet that some people were (pubic hair and penises always kicks up a fuss at the opera). Yet the scene is a problem because suddenly it was as if Wotan's daughters just ran mortician's, and the silly choreography in the background doesn't help with keeping the lyricism. I have nothing against modern productions and daring stuff, as long as it doesn't destroy the emotion which isn't easy. Krämer mostly failed. It's a shame because today the orchestra was really good and despite the weird mise en scène I had goosebumps during the second and the third acts. As for the singers, the women (Sieglinde, Fricka, Brünnehilde) were perfect, especially Sieglinde. The men(Siegmund, Wotan) had beautiful voices that were very musical but weren't powerful enough to fill the operahouse of Bastille. That said, Thomas Johannes Mayer was a majestic Wotan (a much better one than the guy who were cast for Das Rheingold) and played the role very well. No matter how the opera is titled, it is more about Wotan than about Brünnehilde, and he is a fascinating and complex self-destructing character there ( just like Daniel Graystone!), much more human than in the prologue of The Ring. After the disappointing Rheingold I was very concerned about the Farewell scene at the end of Die Walküre but it went well, so I may be magnanimous with that new production of Die Walküre for one of my favourite opera scenes ever was not ruined at least.
The critics are being very hard on Krämer's Walküre though and in Le Monde we could read this cruel recommendation: "On recommande cette Walkyrie aux non-voyants, qui n'y perdront rien ; aux myopes, dont nous sommes, il est suggéré de regarder sans lunettes le spectacle qui ressemble alors à un tableau de Claude Monet, peint en un jour de grande déprime dans des flous vert de gris." ETA: Production of Wagner's operas are often disappointing. So far nothing has beaten the terrific Robert Carsen's production of Tannhauser I was blessed to see two years ago in Bastille. I think it's one of the best opera mise en scènes I have seen in my life (along with Bob Wilson's Madama Butterfly), and Ozawa was conducting the orchestra! I can't believe I didn't review it on LJ. Perhaps because it was beyond words. Carsen created the production in Paris and then took it to Barcelona where the ouverture was recorded...and it's on youtube !