Orange County Register

 7 Comments

• Bill Keiser says:

  January 30, 2009 at 6:57 pm

  Thanks for an insightful article. I agree with almost everything you say about the productions, but I would characterize it as the effort of a kinetic painter to reconnect with the deepest mythical and cultural content of the entire Tryptich. Unlike the highly politicized pre-WWII and recent stuff at Bayreuth, we are not going to see a bunch of regurgitated political “stuff”, whether it be Shaw’s Fabian Socialism or the theory of nordic/aryan superiority. Maybe it’s a little closer to Wieland Wagner’s de-nazification of the work, but certainly with more of a painter’s eye and a taste for energy. I can hardly wait for Rheingold. That should give us a real example of the look of things to come. Of course, as always, the music must be honored, but I think we can trust James Conlon in that department. So I hope we’ll all be seeing each other at these operas over the next couple of years. Thanks again for the insights.
• rudy dankwort says:

  February 7, 2009 at 2:01 pm

  <>

  That’s hard to believe after seeing all the pictures. I would say this looks like a typical designer-opera disaster, and anything but what Wagner depicts in the libretto.

  BTW what in general is the reason these designer misfits have the right to ignore the scenery-description part of the libretto while the score has to be kept pristinely pure? Why not go to electric guitars etc. & go all the way to total degeneration?
• fan of Wagner's works says:

  February 14, 2009 at 1:44 pm

  I also am very disappointed with the production as it would appear. Unfortunately, it would seem that it has recently become the norm not to follow Wagner’s detailed instructions about productions (in addition to the libretto texts, Wagner published many books with specific descriptions about how the opera should be produced and also created a large number drawings depicting scenes from the operas as he believed they should be shown) and to allow directors to mutilate the works as they see fit. This has apparently become the expectation of music critics. It would also seem as though Domingo is aiming to please critics in his choices of modernist (and deforming) productions (consider last year’s Madama Butterfly and Otello and the Tannhauser from the year before). I am a high school student and my first experience with opera involved a concert performance of the third act of Die Walkure several years ago. I immediately recognized the potential theatricality which Wagner’s music drama could provide if performed well and had thus been looking forward to attending fully staged performances of the ring cycle operas. However, I am now very disappointed at seeing that Los Angeles Opera has decided once again to take the common route of bizarre post-modern productions without any regards for how Wagner concieved the works. It is ironic that even despite Conlon’s expressed admiration of Wagner as a composer and dramatist, the company for which he is the Music Director refuses to consider that perhaps the composer himself may have known more about how his own work should be performed than Freyer does.
• gelene says:

  March 13, 2009 at 11:20 am

  Unfortunately, this DISASTER did happen. Freyer has no idea on how to stage opera, it is not a CIRCUS or freak show!!! His “genius” belongs to produce freak shows and I can only wonder HOW this could happened? What was Conlon and Placido Domingo thinking, WHY all singers agreed to participate in this FARCE and WHETHER they now will switch to a cnocert version of all following three ooperas in the Ring cycle. Opera is to be HEARD, and from under idiotic masks and in the back of the stage the sound is obstructed. Freyer should retire.
• Tim Mangan, music critic says:

  March 13, 2009 at 8:55 pm

  Actually, opera is to be STAGED. It is theater, with singing. What’s more, Freyer’s masks obstructed the singing not at all. Anyway, you’re entitled to your opinion, which I don’t share. Did you read my review? You’ll find it on the blog.
• J. Berke says:

  April 12, 2009 at 6:47 pm

  Just got back from (and it seems to be getting progressively worse) Die Walküre. Wondering who hired Mr. Freyer and why. I have heard his vision called inspired, yeah, inspired by Star Wars (and bad Roger Corman films). In fact it’s appears to be one of those George Lucas things where the “genius” has all these ideas and no one tells him that “JarJar is just stupid, George.” Mr. Freyer’s metaphors are obvious and cartoonish - dumbing down Wagner’s messages for LA audiences? As in Rheingold Maestro Conlon and the cast made it through with some good, but not exceptional performances. Maybe if I closed my eyes and wasn’t distracted by the high school level scene design and wasn’t on the verge of laughter the performances would have been better. But then Fricka’s “yearning arms with the glowing hands” showed up…

  But it seems after an absurd Don Giovanni, and and embarrassing Magic Flute LA opera seems to be heading towards an abyss even Nietzsche would avoid gazing into. Or maybe I am attending the wrong productions.
• The Sage of Second Street says:

  April 12, 2009 at 8:31 pm

  Gee, I want to go to his High School!