Götterdämmerung at The Met

Carl Fillion's set design for The Ring at The Met caused a real stir at the premier. Though not having the luxury of seeing the whole Ring, I managed to get a ticket to see Götterdämmerung.

Fabio Luisi at the helm of the large Met orchestra kept everything going. There was enough breathing space for the drama to unfold, and there were muscular moments that needed to punctuate the drama. Probably not as poised as Bernard Haitink at Covent Garden many years ago, or as gutsy as Antonio Pappano this season in the same house. But nonetheless very good.

Deborah Voigt was a fine Brünhilde - as the role demands from beginning to end. Lars Cleveman was quite a believable Siegfried - youngish looking, jumps about, looking slightly naive on stage. Hans-Peter Köonig was OK - none of his phrases sent shiver down my spine as there was not enough evil.

Back to the set. The rotating 'fingers' really worked (you can see them in this pic - sitting above the performers), especially when accompanied by digital projection. It's a massive set, with endless options of positioning and turns. This machinery was used judiciously - to add interest, back drop, and even right at the end as the undulating River Rhine. Right at the end, Luisi brought the stage crewe on to the stage for the audience to applaud their hard work. Nicely done.

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