On Monday night we sat down with our friends to look at and listen to this last of the ring operas. That was done with some trepidation as 4.5 hours is a LONG time :-(
But wow, was it worth it. Deborah Voigt, Hans-Peter Konig and the rest of the cast had us enthralled with hair raising singing and acting. The volume was set higher than in the previous ring operas and that had a huge impact as Wagner is not meant to be listened to on iPod type systems. The amps and speakers worked full time with the excellent sound tracks to envelope us in this superb Wagnerian fantasy. Yet the fantasy reflected tellingly on the human frailties of avarice, jealousy, loyalty etc using the various ring motifs. I remain in awe at how Deborah Voigt managed her powerful and passionate singing for so long.
Yes I liked the Spanish Ring (although my friend could not get past the Euro trash aspects of it) but must pass the crown to the MET production.
A poster some time ago, who attended the actual performance, was distracted by the moving planks but this was not the case with the recording as it frequently focused on the singers and action so did not allow the staging to dominate.
Bottom line, my hat off to all involved in this MET production and also to the composer. I have never been so frequently moved with Wagnerian music as was the case with this production the other night. It changed me from someone initially not looking forward to a very long opera to someone totally engrossed in Wagner's music. What more can be said?
John
What can be more subjective than music? It reflects our personal tastes and preferences.
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