Skip to main content

Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Royal Opera



Once every few years, the Royal Opera stages Wagner's Ring Cycle. Nowadays, only the big houses have the budget to mount such mammoth undertakings. So I count myself a lucky one to be able to sit through these four operas at one go.

Das Rheingold. I never liked the messy set, or even the clever vertical stage movement. John Lundgren was a reasonable Wotan, though a little on the tame side. Sarah Connolly's Fricka had depth.

Die Walküre. Hunding (Ain Anger) was pretty angry and good - especially when he first met Siegmund (Stuart Skelton). Nina Stemme - is she the Brünnhilder of the moment? Definitely. The last act was pretty magical as Wotan put her to bed.

Siegfried. Stefan Vinke appears to be the only heldentenor who can sing the part of Siegfried right now (he is to appear at The Met's Ring Cycle in 2019). His voice takes a lot of getting used to - it sounded like he was wearing a orthodontic retainer in his mouth. His diction, for a German, had room for improvement. Yes he sang all the notes without getting the audience distressed, but I'd rather we got more meaning in the singing.

Götterdämmerung. The only part of the ring with chorus - and the chorus did marvelously - with punch and masculinity. Stephen Milling's Hagen had bite, a little evilness and oomph. Nina Stemme's Brünnhilde and Hagen delivered that tense end to Act 2 with vermin. Nina Stemme's immolation scene was pretty good - though I wish she didn't have to sing from the back of the stage as it sounded distant.

The Royal Opera orchestra played wonderfully throughout the ring (journey to Vahalla and opening of Act 3 Siegfried were highlights). Of course, there were the occasional brass mishaps, but given the quantity of notes that they had to play and the concentration required, I thought they did really well. Pappano was superb at delivering the drama spanning such a long time. How does he get the energy to do this FOUR times?


This is likely to be the last outing of this Keith Warner production of Der Ring des Nibelungen. My wish list for the new production in 2025 (or there about):
- A shallower set so the singers can be placed  towards the front for better sound delivery.
- Greater and more imaginative use of digital scenery to create wow effects.
- Easier to understand symbolism (still don't get the crashed airplane)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hearing the Berlin Philharmonic at the Philharmonie

Those of us London-centric folks easily forget there are great concert halls in other parts of the world. I remember as a young kid buying DG LPs with von Karajan on the front cover conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. So as my first visit to the city, a visit to the Philharmonie to listen to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra was a must. Ivan Fisher started the evening's concert with Haydn Symphony 88. A light and delightful work. As I'd expected, the acoustic of the hall was amazing - probably a good 2.5 second of reverberation - and much more generous than the Royal Festival Hall in London. The strings sounded sweet and the timpani came through clearly with definition. The audience was then treated to Béla Bartók's Seven Pieces for Choir and Chamber Orchestra: the Berlin Phil reduced in size occupying only half of the stage while the Netherlands Youth Choir took the other half. These young performers (all female) sang in Hungarian from memory - not easy at all - and rea...

The Westin, Shanghai (上海)

It's only 5 minute's from The Bund (外灘) and a relatively new hotel, The Westin Shanghai ought to be a fantastic place for both business and pleasure. Quite a few tourist guides have also rated this highly. It took me about two days to work out why I never warmed to it. The reason? The sense of proportion is erratic across the entire hotel - some corridors are too narrow, beds too close to the wall (even though I was in a mini-suite), some staircases have irregular steps, etc. The list goes on. What was enjoyable? The location. One could  stroll down to The Bund for dinner, drinks or the view. The staff are nice too - always trying to help. What was not enjoyable? Where shall we begin - the fake palm trees, the tightly spaced cafe, the finishing touches, etc.

Liechtenstein Museum, Vienna

One can certainly Over Do art in Vienna. The beauty of the Liechtenstein Museum is its fine collection of paintings and architectural features within a manageable space. The building had been lovingly refurbished while the art works and exhibits were beautifully presented. Like Galleria Borghese in Rome, one can spend a leisurely morning strolling through the library and rooms without feeling pressured (unlike Musée du Louvre ). If you have time, enjoy a cup of cafe melange in the court yard.