![]() ![]() But it is a perfectly tuned, skilfully played and artfully paced reading (with exceptions - Why slam on the brakes just before the end of Siegfried? Not kind to one's hero and heroine at 11pm). Of course this was not the Berlin Philharmonic playing music that forms part of its lifeblood. To be fair, this reading was very much his own. Asher Fisch has benefitted from the tutelage of Daniel Barenboim and cannot have been ignorant of the latter's incandescent performances recently at the BBC Proms. ![]() ![]() Long swathes of the score that can occasionally drag (such as Walküre Act 2) are compellingly realized, and it is possible to focus on many of Wagner's original details rather than a directorial concept.Īny Ring stands or falls by its conductor. Indeed, this cycle is perhaps distinguished by the sheer detail in the direction of individual characters. And whatever else one may think of the sets (mostly beautiful, sometimes astonishingly so) and costumes (an improvement on the tatty efforts seen at the Met and elsewhere in recent months), this is emphatically not a show in the 'Park and Bark' tradition. ![]() Far from being staid or old-fashioned, it finds itself at a paradoxical cutting edge of Wagner staging by virtue of its closeness to the composer's vision. This is the fourth iteration of the production which first saw the light of day in 2001, and it has gained great notoriety. This production's USP is the 'green', naturalistic staging by Stephen Wadsworth, with its über-realistic scenery by Thomas Lynch and costumes by Martin Pakledinaz. I stand by the word though there is something quite particular about the Pacific Northwest and in particular its cities' and people's relationship to nature. I suppose the only fair description is unique, although the same could apply to any Ring performance. Greer Grimsley as Wotan and Stephanie Blythe as Fricka ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |