Peter Schofield's Reviews
  • Home Page
  • RecentbReviews and Previews
  • Composer Index
    • Adams >
      • Nixon in China
    • Ades, The Tempest
    • Albinone, Pimpinone
    • Arne >
      • Artaxerxes
    • Bartok
    • Beethoven >
      • Fidelio
    • Bellini >
      • Norma
      • I Puritani
      • La Sonnambula
    • Berg >
      • Lulu
      • Wozzeck
    • Berlioz >
      • Beartrice et Benedict
      • Benvenuto Cellini
      • Damnation de Faust
      • Les Troyens
    • Birtwistle >
      • Minotaur
    • Bizet >
      • Carmen
    • Borodin >
      • Prince Igor
    • Britten >
      • Death in Venice
      • Peter Grimes
      • The Rape of Lucretia
      • Turn of the Screw
    • Cavalli >
      • La Callisto
      • Erismena
    • Debussy >
      • Peleas et Melisande
    • Donizetti >
      • Anna Bolena
      • Don Pasquale
      • L'Elisir d'Amore
      • Fille du Regiment
      • Lucia di Lammermoor
      • Maria Stuarda
      • Poliuto
      • Roberto Devereux
    • Dvorak >
      • Rusalka
    • Giordano
    • Glass >
      • The Fall of the House of Usher
    • Gluck >
      • Iphigenie en Aulide
      • Iphigenie en Tauride
      • Orpheus and Eurydice
    • Gounod >
      • Romeo et Juliette
    • Handel >
      • Acis and Galatea
      • Agrippina
      • Apollo e Dafne
      • Esther
      • Giulio Cesare in Egitto
      • Jephtha
      • Hercules
      • Orlando
      • Partenope
      • Radamisto
      • Rinaldo
      • Rodelinda
      • Saul
      • New Page
      • Tamerlano
      • Theodora
      • Xerxes
    • Haydn >
      • Arianna auf Naxos
      • La Canterina
      • L'Infidelta Delusa
    • Janáček >
      • Jenufa
    • LeGendre >
      • Burial at Thebes
    • MacMillan >
      • The Sacrifice
    • Martinu >
      • Mirandolina
    • Massenet >
      • Thais
    • Monteverdi >
      • Coronation of Poppea
      • Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria
    • Moussorgski/Shostakovich >
      • THe Khovanski Affair
    • Mozart >
      • Cosi fan tutte
      • Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail
      • Don Giovanni
      • Idomeneo
      • La Clemenza di Tito
      • Le Nozze di Figaro
    • Offenbach >
      • Die Schone Helena >
        • Die Schone Helena
      • Les Contes d'Hoffmann
      • Vert-Vert
    • Prokofiev >
      • The Gambler
    • Puccini >
      • La Boheme
      • La Fanciulla del West
      • Madama Butterfly
      • La Rondine
      • Tosca
      • Turandot
    • Rameau >
      • Hippolyte et Aricie
      • Platee
      • Zoroastre
    • Rossini >
      • Barber of Seville
      • Armide
      • La Cenerentola
      • Le Conte Ory
      • La Donna del Lago
      • Mose in Egitto
      • Guillaume Tell
    • Rushton >
      • The Shops
    • Saariaho:
    • Salieri >
      • La locandiera
    • Schonberg
    • Shostakovich
    • Stradella >
      • Salome
    • Strauss JH
    • Strauss R >
      • Ariadne auf Naxos
      • Capriccio
      • Die Frau Ohne Schatten
      • Intermezzo
      • Die Rosenkavalier
      • Elektra
      • Salome
    • Tchaikowsky >
      • Eugene Onegin
      • Iolanta
      • Mazepa
      • Queen of Spades
    • Thomas >
      • Hamlet
    • Verdi >
      • Aida
      • Don Carlo
      • Ernani
      • Falstaff
      • Giovanna d'Arco
      • Macbeth
      • I Due Foscaari
      • Nabucco
      • Otello
      • Rigoletto
      • Simon Boccanegra
      • La Traviata
      • Il Trovatore
    • Vivaldi >
      • L'Incoronazione di Dario
    • Wagner >
      • Das Rheingold
      • Die Walkure
      • Flying Dutchman
      • Gotterdammerung
      • Meistersinger
      • Parsifal
      • Lohengrin
      • Tristan und Isolde
      • Tannhauser
    • Walton
    • Weber >
      • Der Freischutz
    • Weill
    • Zambiurai
  • The MET in HD
    • Prologue - Joseph Volpe
    • Reviews by Date >
      • Eugene Onegin 24/02/2007
      • Roméo et Juliette 15/12/2007
      • Tristan und Isolde 22/03/2008
      • La Damnation de Faust 22/11/2008
      • Thaïs 20/12/2008
      • La Rondine 10/01/2009
      • Orfeo ed Euridice 24/01/2209
      • La Somnambula 21/03/2009
      • Aida 26/10/2009
      • Les Contes d’Hoffmann 19/12/2009
      • Der Rosenkavalier 15/12/2009 and 09/01/2010
      • Simon Boccanegra 06/02/2010
      • Hamlet 17/03/2010
      • Armida 01/05/2010
      • Das Rheingold 09/10/2010
      • Boris Godunov 24/10/2010
      • Don Carlo 12/12/2010
      • La Fanciulla del West 09/01/2011
      • Nixon in China 12/02/2011
      • Lucia di Lammermoor and Le Comte Ory 27/03/2011 and 10/04/2011
      • Capriccio 24/04/2011
      • Die Walküre 15/05/2011
      • Anna Bolena 16/10/2011
      • Rodelinda 04/12/2011
      • Ernani 26/02/2012
      • Otello 30/10/12, The Tempest 13/11/13
      • La Clemenza di Tito (4.12.2012
      • Troyens 9/01/2013
      • Maria Stuarda 22/01/2013
      • Rigoletto 19/02/13
      • Parsifal 05/03/13
      • Francesca da Rimini 19/03/13
      • Eugene Onegin 08/10/2013 >
        • I Puritani
      • The Nose 29.102013
      • Prince Igor 04/03/2014
      • Werther 18/03/2014
      • La Cenerentola 13.05.14
      • Macbeth 14/10/2014
      • Meistersinger 16.12 14
      • Iolnta, Bluebeard's Castle 17.02.15
      • La Donna del Lago 07.03.15
      • Il Trovatore 3.06 2015
      • Otello 20.10.2015
      • Tabbhauser 31.10.2015
      • Lulu 24/11/2015
      • Madam Butterfly
      • Elektra
      • Tristan und Isolde 11.10.2016
    • Reviews by Opera >
      • Aida
      • Anna Bolena
      • Die Walküre
      • Boris Godunov
      • Capriccio
      • Das Rheingold
      • Der Rosenkavalier
      • Don Carlo
      • Ernani
      • Eugene Onegin
      • Hamlet
      • La Cenetrentola
      • La Clemenza di Tito
      • La Damnation de Faust
      • La Fanciulla del West
      • La Rondine
      • La Somnambula
      • Les Contes d’Hoffmann
      • Lucia di Lammermoor and Le Comte Ory
      • Maria Stuarda
      • Nixon in China
      • Orfeo ed Euridice
      • Rodelinda
      • Roméo et Juliette >
        • Improbable
      • Simon Boccanegra
      • Thaïs
      • Tristan und Isolde
      • Troyens
  • Glyndebourne
    • 2016 Beatrice et Benedict Saul
    • 2015 - Poliuto
    • Rape of Lucretia
    • 2014 - DervRosenkavalier, La Traviata
    • 2013 Hippolyte et Aricie, Ariadne auf Naxos, Don Pasquale >
      • 2009 - Rusalka
    • 2012 - Cunning Little Vixen
    • 2011 - Rinaldo
    • 2010 - Don Giovanni
    • 2007 - Macbeth
    • Garsington Opera >
      • Mirandolina
      • L'Italiana in Algeri
      • L'Incoronazione di Dario
      • Armide
      • Offenbach: Vert-vert
      • Intermezzo
    • 2006 Cosi fan Tutte
    • 2008 - Poppea
    • 2005 - Giulio Cesare
    • 2002 - Iphegenia in Aulide
    • Glyndebourne on Tour
    • Die Entfuhrung
  • Buxton
  • ROH Covent Garden
    • ROH Ariadne auf Naxos
    • ROH Callisto
    • ROH Carmen
    • ROH Don Giovanni
    • ROH La Donna del Lago
    • ROH Duke Bluebeard's Castle
    • ROH Erwartung
    • ROH Eugene Onegin
    • ROH Fille du Regiment
    • ROH Lohengrin
    • ROH The Gambler
    • ROH Mahagonny
    • ROH Minotaur
    • ROH Le Nozze di Figaro
    • ROH Peleas et Melisande
    • ROH Rosenkavalier
    • ROH Wozzeck
  • ENO London Coliseum
    • Agrippina
    • Benvenuto Cellini
    • Carmen
    • Partenope
  • Opera North
  • Welsh National Opera
    • Don Giovanni
    • Eugene Onegin
    • Fidelio
    • Flying Dutchman
    • Guillaume Tell
    • Iphigenie en Tauride
    • Khovansky Affair
    • Lohengrin
    • Lulu
    • Manon Lescaut
    • Mazepa
    • Mose in Egitto
    • Orlando
    • Otello
    • Parsifal
    • I Puritani
    • The Sacrifice
    • Tristan >
      • Traviata
    • Tudor Operas
    • Wozzeck
  • Ellen Kent
    • Aida
    • La Boheme
    • Carmen
    • Die Fledermaus
    • Madam Butterfly
    • Rigoletto
    • La Traviata 2005
    • La Traviata 2015
    • Tosca
  • New Chamber Opera
    • Pompinone
    • L'Infidelta Delusa
    • Tamurlano
    • La Locandiera
  • Other Companies
    • Bampton Classical Opera
    • Improbable
    • Opera Anywhere
    • OU Theatron Novum
    • The Opera Group
    • OperaUpClose
    • Oxford Philomusica
  • Locations
    • Baugé en Anjou
    • Budapest and Vienna
    • Dresden
    • Hamburg
    • London
    • Milan
    • Munich
    • Oxford >
      • Oxford Lieder
      • Oxford Philomusica
      • Chamber Music Festivals
    • Paris
    • Riga
    • Sweden >
      • Drottningholm, Confidencen
      • Opera pa Skaret
      • Stockholm
    • Toulouse
    • Vienna State Opera
  • Concerts and Recitals
    • IT&T
    • Music at Oxford
    • SJE Piano series
    • Humanitas 2016
    • Oxford Lieder >
      • Singing words 2015
      • The Schubert Project, 2014
      • The Schumann Project 2016
      • Young Artist Platform 2011
      • Young Artist Platform 2013
      • Oxford Lieder Festival 2013
      • Oxford -Lieder Festival 2012
      • Oxford Lieder Festival 2011
      • Oxford-Lieder Festival 2010
      • Oxford Lieder 2009
      • L'Italiana in Algeri
      • Oxford Lieder 2008 >
        • Don Giovanni 26.10 2016
      • Oxford Lieder 2007
      • Oxford Lieder 2006
      • Oxford Lieder 2005
    • Oxford Chamber Music Festival
    • Oxford Chamber Music Society
    • Oxford Early Music Festival
    • OSJ Ashmole
    • Oxford May Music
    • Phantasm
    • Southwell Music Festival
    • Stradivarius
  • Book Reviews
    • Mozart
    • Phoenix
    • Trade Secrets
    • Opera History
    • Volpe
    • Wagner
  • History in Opera
  • Christmas Card
  • Untitled
  • Untitled
  • Die Fledermaus
  • New Page
  • Untitled
  • New Page

All that glitters…

Richard Wagner: Das Rheingold, 9 October 2010.

This was the first opera of the 2010-2011 season at the New York Metropolitan Opera to be screened worldwide in high definition. It was also the first of the Met’s new Ring cycle, produced by Robert Lepage, which has been five years in preparation. Unable to obtain seats for the ‘live’ transmission on the Saturday, sold out within hours of booking opening, we were able to view it the following day in a nearly half empty cinema (a welcome innovation giving a wider audience of less fanatical opera goers the possibility of experiencing the operas).
Picture
Jennifer Johnson as Wellgunde, Tamara Mumford as Flosshilde, and Lisette Oropesa as Woglinde in Wagner’s “Das Rheingold”
Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera
The cinema presentation opened with an introduction to the new production and the now customary interviews with cast members and production team, explaining that the elaborate set, designed by Carl Fillion, required a strengthening of the stage to bear its forty ton weight. 

The set consisted of groups of movable planks, steeply raked to represent the Rhine and support the Rhinemaidens clad in corset harnesses, covered by mermaid costumes (do we have to sing while we are swimming? asked one, visibly scared at the realisation of what was expected); the director explained that the intensity of the bubbles was determined by the power of their singing. The planks transformed into a long staircase for the way down to Nibelheim. The lighting design of Etienne Boucher helped to set the atmosphere.

While admiring the ingenuity which had gone onto mounting the production one was left wondering whether it was worth the effort to produce such an elaborate abstract representation for what was essentially a small-scale, straight-forward and realistic mise-en-scène. Gone are all the pretentious attempts to tie the opera to fashionable psychological, socio-historical or political theories which most directors seem to find obligatory these days. The drama is played out in the manner of a Brothers Grimm fairytale with costumes in the style of the Arthur Rackham illustrations which used so to scare me when I was little.

Wotan has engaged two giants to build Valhalla, a palace ‘fit for the gods’. To pay for it, Wotan, aided by Loge, tricks the Nibelung Alberich out of a hoard of gold stolen from the Rhinemaidens; this is exchanged for Freia who has been held hostage by the giants awaiting payment and the gods enter Valhalla. In this production the characters are fairytale characters, not the archetypes of Wagner’s grand music drama.

These gods are human, as are the Nibelung, but the main strength of the production is the subtle way in which the human qualities of the characters are presented. Thus Wotan is presented as a stubborn obsessive, in denial about his debt-crisis, Fricka (Stephanie Blythe – we are concerned about her physical well-being) as the long-suffering wife. Of the gods, Loge (Richard Croft) is the con man ‘fixer’ (attracting boos at the end), Donner (Dwayne Croft) is impetuous, his solution to everything is to wave his hammer at it, Freia (Wendy Bryn Harmer) fragile yet deeply humiliated at being exchanged for gold. Likewise the Nibelung Alberich (Eric Owens) and Mime (Gerhard Seiger) are extremely well depicted; we look forward to their reappearance in Siegfried. Only Erda dressed (surely not deliberately?) as Charles Addams’ Morticia Munster, struck an incongruous note.

Musically, the performance, conducted by James Levine, was superb. It is difficult to fault or to single out any of the singers but my attention was particularly held by the Rhinemaidens (Lisette Oropesa, Jennifer Johnson and Tamara Mumford who appeared at home in their costumes and apparatus after their initial difficulties), Eric Owens’ Alberich and the clear tones of Wendy Bryn Harmer as Freia. 

It is fashionable in some quarters to belittle Bryn Terfel but his voice and presence were just right for this Wotan, his optimistic final words in praise of Valhalla made poignant by our knowledge of disasters to come. 

Rheingold is notoriously difficult to produce. Has anyone ever seen a fully satisfactory production? This one engaged our attention at the time as a piece of story- telling and we look forward to the rest of the cycle in this style. However in retrospect we missed, as I said, the grandeur of vision and archetypal quality of Wagner’s invention which left a feeling of something lacking.

Proudly powered by Weebly