Living Horus - The Art of Blair Parkinson

Fringe World Festival: Die Roten Punkte

2012-01-29T12:39:00.001+08:00

Last night was a brilliant start to my Fringe World festivities with Briefs at the Spiegeltent, followed by Bob Log at the Treasure Chest. It was an energetic night of entertainment and if you can get a ticket to Briefs I strongly recommend it, these boys are seriously talented performers.

I'm finishing off the weekend with Berlin brother/sister duo Otto and Astrid Rot, or Die Roten Punkte, playing at the Spiegeltent. Judging by the video, this should be a fun way to finish off the weekend.

Image of the Day

2012-01-29T12:00:00.000+08:00

I adore these studio portraits of singers in costume. Here was have the indomitable Leonie Rysanek as Chrysothemis. Rysanek is one of the few singers to have sung all three female lead roles in Elektra over the history of her career, the title role, only once. That was for the 1980 movie by Gotz Friedrich conducted by Karl Bohm.

Image of the Day

2012-01-28T17:10:00.001+08:00

Day 5 of my Elektra Advent Calendar and I treat you to another Birgit Nilsson studio portait. Too camp for words in so many ways, looks like me most mornings.

On a another note, my new work, Klytemnestra Triumphant has been uploaded to the Fantasy/Mythology gallery. This image contains elements of a costume deign I did all those years ago as a student, I knew it would come in handy someday.

Fringe World Festival: Briefs

2012-01-28T13:14:00.000+08:00

All the fun of the Fringe World Festival kicks off for me tonight with the vaudevillean antics of the boys from Briefs. Combining circus, cabaret with a bit of drag, Briefs looks to be a fun night. Playing nightly at 9pm in the Spiegeltent until the 1st February. Check out the video then go see them live.

Image of the Day

2012-01-27T12:21:00.000+08:00

Day four brings you the immortal Asrtid Varnay as Klytemnestra. While a famous Elektra herself, infact one of THE most famous, she made the change to Klytemnestra later in her career after successfully establishing herself in the Mezzo-soprano repertoire. More of Astrid Varnay to come.

Image of the Day

2012-01-26T22:14:00.000+08:00

Day three of my Elektra homage sees me introduce you to a poster designed in Munich back in 1910. It is as close to the original as I'd imagine it to be, if indeed the original actually survived. Designed by Ludwig Hohlwein for a week long festival in Strauss' honour, the figure in the image is allegedly that of Zdenka Fassbender, from the Munich premiere of the opera. I have always loved this poster, it captures the Jugendstil feeling at the time perfectly.

On This Day...

2012-01-26T11:32:00.000+08:00

...back in 1911 was the premiere of Richard Strauss' neo-classical masterpiece, Der Rosenkavalier in Dresden.

Musically a far cry from the atonality of his previous Elektra, Der Rosenkavalier contains some of the most ravishing music ever written for the female voice. The Final Trio in particular and you can see a snippet on Youtube.

This image is of Elizabeth Schwarzkopf as Die Marschallin, one of the most famous exponents of the role, and is indeed in the accompanying Youtube link.

In Memoriam: Rita Gorr 1926-2012

2012-01-25T22:32:00.000+08:00

Belgian mezzo-soprano Rita Gorr passed away on the 22nd January. She was much admired for her rich, large voice and brilliant character portrayals.

Her most famous roles were as Amneris in Aida, Dalila in Samson et Dalila and of course as the evil Ortud in Wagner’s Lohengrin.

We are fortunate to have her recordings as her legacy and they still stand the test of time. I particularly admire her recording of Amneris under Solti. Her scenes with Leontyne Price are exciting in their depth of character and her Judgement Scene is probably my all time favourite recording of this scene. Her voice soars across the orchestra, her legato exquisite, and the final curse searingly dramatic.

Other roles she was well known for include Charlotte in Werther, Carmen, Azucena, Eboli and Santuzza. She continued singing well into her 70’s, her last performance being the Countess from Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame in 2007.

For a full discography go to: http://www.muziekweb.nl/MuziekWeb/Cat/Classical/Search.php?Performer=rita%20gorr

Farewell Rita Gorr and thank you for giving your voice to the art of opera.

On This Day...

2012-01-25T17:56:00.000+08:00

... in 1909 the world of music changed forever with the premiere of Richard Strauss' Elektra. I continue my retrospective of Elektra's past with this beautiful portrait of Inge Borkh in the title role. Her recording with Karl Bohm is to this day, the one I always return to. Her portrayal is intense, matched by the frenzied Klytemnestra of Jean Madeira and the Chrysothemis of Marianne Schech it is one hell of a recording and stands up well to it's more modern sounding rivals.

Image of the Day

2012-01-24T18:08:00.000+08:00

The countdown to the highly anticipated production of the Richard Strauss opera Elektra, by the WA Opera has begun. I thought I'd have some fun in showing some of the famous Elektras and Klytemnestras of the past, leading up to the opening night. Expect a lot of Birgit Nilsson pics, I have quite a few, some of them undoubtedly unintentionally hilarious. First up though, something relatively sedate. Enjoy.

Happy Birthday Placido Domingo

2012-01-21T12:14:00.000+08:00

Today one of opera's larger than life figures turns 71, Placido Domingo. With a career spanning around 50 years and encompassing 138 roles, his influence is unmatched. This is a clip from Wagner's Lohengrin, in my mind one of his strongest roles. Happy Birthday, Placi!

New Work

2012-01-21T10:22:00.001+08:00

I have just added a new Male Nude to the Gallery. Check it out. You may notice I have also temporarily unlocked the right-click option on my two main galleries as a test run. If you would like to share the images within, please feel free, only I request that you credit me and link back to the appropriate gallery. Enjoy your weekend!

Review: Tosca, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 2011

2012-01-17T13:53:00.000+08:00

TOSCA (Giacomo Puccini)

Royal Opera House Covent Garden, 17 July, 2011

Tosca: Angela Gheorghiu

Cavaradossi: Jonas Kaufmann

Scarpia: Bryn Terfel

Spoletta: Hubert Francis

Angelotti: Lukas Jakobski

Sagrestano: Jeremy White

Sciarrone: Zheng Zhou

Un pastore: William Payne

Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Conductor: Antonio Pappano

The current revival of Jonathan Kent’s 2006 production of Tosca for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, boasts a cast unrivalled anywhere in the world today. With three principals at the height of their prospective careers it is easy to see why people queued around the block for hours to purchase tickets. Those lucky enough to secure a seat were treated to an extraordinary night of Puccini, lead by the Royal Opera’’s Musical Director, Antonio Pappano.

Following the retirement of the ancient and much loved Zeffirelli production from the repertoire, it was probably wise to play things safe and go for a relatively traditional realisation, here designed by Paul Brown with lighting by Mark Henderson. There are no surprises here, no sacriligeous masturbating, no serial killer-like body count, just plenty of old fashioned melodrama, the way Puccini intended.

As I mentioned before, the three main protagonists are at the height of their careers and did not disappoint. This is a red-blooded Tosca, full of light and shade and without doubt the best performance I have heard sung in many years. All three have sung in this production previously, though not on the same night. This is star casting at it’s best, one of those rare nights where everything works to make a night of operatic history.

Jonas Kaufmann is the Cavaradossi of ones’ dreams. Vocally perfect for the role, the purity of his tone and his dark timbre give the character an essential machismo, at once the revolutionary painter contrasting with the sensual lover. His use of dynamics was incredible, breathing new life into familiar territory. Recondita Armonia was a pure delight and Qual occhio al mondo from the love duet hair-raising in it’s seductive power, his breath control here exemplary among modern tenors. Kaufmann is an easy going, passionate Cavaradossi rising brilliantly to the demands of the Act 2 ‘Vittoria’ and singing a devastating ‘E luce van le stelle’ in Act 3. What I found most moving about his performance were his final moments where he realises that Scarpia has had the final laugh and he really is condemned to death, it made the scene all the more poignant.

Tosca was played magnificently by Angela Gheorghiu. I have always had reservations about Gheorghiu, mostly as a result of her marketing as the new Callas, a facet that both her record company and the House perpetually exploit. She is by turns utterly fascinating and absolutely frustrating. I find her histrionics to be quite mannered, almost fussy and over-studied, especially in Act 1, but she is still an almost perfect Tosca. Her voice has quite some beauty and she is a very intelligent artist, I just find her somewhat hollow sounding, especially in her middle range. She seems to have compensated with a rather breathy delivery, which is very sexy ( and very Tosca), but at the same time, one longs for more heft here. Having said that, her top notes were beautiful and she is certainly not afraid to hold on to them, which in Puccini is a good thing. Vissi d’Arte’ was impressive and well paced, delivered in just the way to bring the house down. Physically you can find no more an alluring Tosca than Angela Gheorghiu, especially with that hair! With her one can understand why Scarpia finds it easy to forget God.

Speaking of Scarpia, Bryn Terfel was the epitome of the scary Police Chief here. His entrance was as impressive as it should be and his unkempt appearance, complete with perpetual scowl, completed the image of sadistic monster. His delivery was impeccable, drawing out every subtlety with excellent diction. The Te Deum was appropriately overwhelming and in Act 2 he conveyed Scarpia’s lust for power and lust in general, to chilling effect. Terfel has proved himself to be a fine actor, his use of facial expression is remarkable and he strode the stage with great self-assurance. This must surely be the interpretation of a generation, think Tito Gobbi for the new millennium.

It seems that the chemistry of the principals inspired each other to great heights. The torture scene of Act 2 was particularly fine in this respect, Terfel and Gheorghiu creating a strong sense of tension and underlying sexual violence. Scarpia’s sarcastic applause of the Vissi d’Arte was a nice touch, there were many little subtleties in this Tosca that add much to the enjoyment of this opera and seemed to give the characters new life.

The set design by Paul Brown was relatively traditional but with some very nice twists. I thought Act 1 quite unconventional in its design, particularly the circular sweep of the stairs leading into the chapel, looking more like Act 2 from Der Rosenkavalier. This and the multi level stage worked exceptionally well, especially with the Te Deum taking place upstairs at the back. With everyone facing the front of the stage it had maximum impact, allowing Scarpia to scheme nicely downstage alone in the chapel.

Act 2 was interesting design wise as well. The sunken entrance provided some great visual entrance and I thought it particularly interesting to have included the statue of Archangel Michael, traditionally seen atop the Castel Sant’Angelo in Act 3, in Scarpia’s apartment. It gave the act an austere feeling, the viewer a sense that Scarpia is under the delusion that what goes on in these apartments is sanctioned by God. A nice touch.

Act 3 was somewhat of a contrast to the previous two acts and I thought it didn’t work quite so well. Stark compared to the previous acts, it was stylised in comparison. It took me half the act to work out what it was they were standing under, the giant wing of the Archangel Michael looking very out of place, which I think we could have done without. The vertical timbers where execution victims are tied provided a sinister reminder of the events to follow and gave the singers scenic devices with which to work with, especially during the execution of Mario Cavaradossi where Tosca mirrors the action in anticipation of his mock execution. This was heart wrenchingly poignant, right up to the famous leap of the parapet which was handled with great style.

Brown’s costumes were a delight, with some wonderful untraditional colour choices which worked nicely, paricularly for Cavaradossi and Scarpia. Tosca’s Act 2 costume was absolutely exquisite and the colour choice for the other acts, particularly Act 1 in its yellows, oranges and umbers alluded successfully to the Roman summer in which Tosca is set.

In the pit Antonio Pappano showed us why he is probably the leading exponent of Puccini’s music today. He brought out so much light and shade in the music and his pacing was superb. He is one of those rare conductors that allow his singers room to breathe and expand on top notes and expansive phrasing while yet never losing the tension or melodic flow. The chorus and orchestra both worked hard to produce the sound required of them and succeeded brilliantly, responding beautifully to Pappano’s direction.

This production is earmarked for release on DVD. Anyone who loves Puccini’s Tosca will relish this wonderful performance. Gorgeously filmed and with remarkable clarity of sound it will not disappoint. I thoroughly recommend this performance.

Image of the Day

2012-01-15T18:55:00.001+08:00

I've been listening to the Met broadcasts of the recent 'Der Ring' installments over the weekend. Bryn Terfel has been one of the highlights so far, this is in honour of his powerful, impeccably sung Wotan.

On This Day

2012-01-14T12:40:00.000+08:00

Today marks the 112th anniversary of the premiere of Puccini's Tosca. First performed at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome in 1900, Tosca has become a major draw card for opera companies ever since. I though I would mark the occasion with images of arguably the most famous Tosca of all time, Maria Callas.

Review: Philip Glass - Satyagraha, the Metropolitan Opera, 2011

2012-01-10T19:46:00.000+08:00

The revival of the Phelim McDermott/Julian Crouch production of Philip Glass’ Satyagraha by the Metropolitan Opera was filmed for their 2011 HD season. This phenomenal interpretation translates well to the big screen and is a remarkable theatrical experience.

Sung in Sanskrit to a libretto adapted from the Bhagavad Gita by Constance DeJong and Philip Glass, the opera is in three acts, each referencing a major cultural figure in it’s title. The first act being Leo Tolstoy, the second Rabindranath Tagore and the third pointing to Gandhi's future with Martin Luther King Jnr.

In the broadcast the subtitles were presented at a minimum, allowing the viewer to concentrate on the large expanses of music that expresses much of what the sparse libretto eschews. The libretto itself is based on passages from the Bhagavad Gita rather than narrative and action, giving the work an air of ritualistic pageant drama, not unlike the medieval mystery plays. It is less of a biographical enactment of Gandhi’s early life in South Africa and more of symbolic tableaux combining myth with reality.

The use of larger than life puppets by the Skills Ensemble provided much colour and movement in what could be, in the hands of a less talented directing team, rather static and dull. The theme was about using construction materials and the set, by Julian Crouch was largely made up from corrugated iron, newspaper and packing tape and the use of these were reflected in the puppetry design.

What once looked like a pile of newspapers on the floor subtly turned into moving crocodiles and holy images of Deities. The Skills Ensemble were brilliant, at once impersonating the aforementioned historical figures, manipulating giant puppets, changing or becoming scenery and generally peopling the stage.

There were some particularly impressive scenes, for me in particular Act 1 scene 1, 'On the Kuru Field of Justice', Act 2 scenes 2 and 3, 'Indian Opinion' and 'Protest' and the first part of Act 3.

In 'On the Kuru Fields of Justice' we were treated to a mythical battle between the Gods Arjuna and Krishna. Lord Krishna as played by Richard Bernstein was bathed in ethereal blue light and his reappearance dressed in silver/blue armour at his defeat of Prince Arjuna was breathtaking. The appearance of Ganesh at his side was equally as beautiful.

‘Indian Opinion’ gave us beautifully projected titles, falling newspapers and it all worked incredibly well. ‘Protest’ was beautiful in its use of fire while Gandhi’s followers burned their papers in a pit.

The beginning of Act 3 was beautiful in the use of sellotape as a scenic device, morphing into some kind of weird humanoid, but what surprised me about this scene was the beginning, the pure concentration of the Skills Ensemble here was inspirational, moving slowly from one side of the stage to the other with roles of sellotape at various heights, constructing a wall to isolate Gandhi from his followers, it was exceptional. Every other scene was impressive in it's own way but for me, these were the true standouts.

The latter half of the final act was dominated visually by the image of Martin Luther King Jnr orating in slow motion, more or less in silhouette against a blue backdrop. I could not help but wonder about the possibly deliberate intention of this more than passing resemblance to Barak Obama.

The role of Gandhi himself is somewhat of an enigma. Onstage for pretty much all of the opera, he dominates proceedings, but does not necessarily sing in every scene. Richard Croft, reprising his role from the 2008 production proved himself up to the challenge, both physically and vocally. His bright, clear tenor ringing out with an effortless line that is so essential for Glass' music. From the close-up camera work in the HD broadcast it was clear that Croft inhabited the character and his ovation at the end well deserved.

Rachelle Durkin in the role of Gandhi's secretary, Miss Schlesen, gave an involved performance, her bright soprano only showing signs of slight strain in the long sustained high notes written for her in the 'Indian Opinion' scene. Durkin consistently amazes me with each role I see her in, this in particular as it is a long way away from her usual Bel Canto/Mozartean outings.

All of the principals in this production provided seemless ensemble work and their harmonies were exquisite. Maria Zifchak as Kasturbai, Molly Fillmore as Mrs. Naidoo and Kim Josephson as Mr. Kallenbach provided Croft's Gandhi with the requisite spiritual strength in their histrionics and vocal support in their deliveries. They made the work soar as it should, their intricate vocal inter-weavings perfectly on pitch.

The was no weak link in this cast and Mary Phillips as Mrs. Alexander, Richard Bernstein as Lord Krishna, Alfred Walker as Parsi Rustomji and Bradley Garvin as Prince Arjuna were sympathetic, beautifully sung minor roles, though I would have liked a bit more vocal force to Ms Phillips’ protection of Gandhi in the 'Confrontation and Rescue' scene of Act 2.

Full marks go to the Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera for their contribution. Directed by Donald Palumbo they rose to the challenge of Glass' perilously difficult music brilliantly, not an easy feat when singing in a language completely unfamiliar like Sanskrit.

Satyagraha is very familiar to me from the only recording in the catalogue, which is exceptional in it’s own way. I have to say that the Met's production was musically more vital and in many ways surpasses the CBS recording. This is due in part because of the superior singing, but mostly because of the musical direction of Dante Anzolini.

Anzolini is so at home in Glass' music and his sense of rhythm came into it's own here. This is an incredibly tricky score and he brought it all together nicely, his concentration and understanding of Glass' melodic and rhythmic arcs admirable. It was only in the one continuous scene which comprises the third act that occasionally the tension seemed to flag. His strong sense of syncopation was used to dramatic effect, especially in the 'On the Kuru Field of Justice' scene and the Confrontation and Rescue scene, peopled by the spectacularly coloured costumes of the white South African landowners.

Performed as part of the celebrations for Philip Glass' 75th birthday, this production makes it easy to see why he is so highly regarded as one of the leading lights of late 20th Century music, I for one would like to see this and his other operas (Akhnaton in particular) as part of the regular repertoire in opera houses around the world, they provide a much needed contrast to what else passes as modern opera. One is so grateful to the Met for reviving this Satyagraha, and for an uplifting and inspiring night of opera long to be remembered.

All photos from the Metropolitan Opera.

Elektra - Eva Johansson

2012-01-07T14:30:00.000+08:00

In anticipation of the upcoming WA Opera production of Elektra, the first of this opera to be performed in this city, here is the star of the production, Eva Johansson. This clip is from a contemporary production in Zurich that is available on DVD.

On hearing this one can understand why she is in such high demand for this vocally demanding role. She is fortunate enough to have a big enough voice for the role without sacrificing beauty of tone, a relatively steady vibrato, and evenness of pitch above the stave.

Since the early nineties we seem to have had quite a number of large voices willing to tackle Elektra, though I have to admit, from what I have heard to limited success. Hopefully with Johansson we will see the end of pitchless, wobbly, ugly sounding soprano's in this reportoire, as much as I would love to I won't open a can of worms by mentioning names.

It has long been said that to play Elektra, one needs a 'big, ugly voice', which in my opinion is wrong. To sacrifice tonal quality and beauty for size is certainly something I doubt Dr Strauss would have approved of.

The WA Opera/ ThinIce production of Richard Strauss' Elektra runs for three performances only, February 8, 11, 14 at His Majestys' Theatre, Perth. Do not miss this production.

Princely Treasures - Image of the Day

2012-01-06T16:45:00.000+08:00

If you are looking for something to do in Perth until the 9th of January I can strongly recommend going to see the Princely Treasures exhibition at the WA Art Gallery. It contains some amazing pieces of art, costume, sculpture, religious and personal items from the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection from the period 1600-1800.

It's the Baroque and Rococo at their most splendid and you can see everything from Boucher's masterpiece of Madame de Pompadour to exquisite items of jewellery, shoes, and a piece by Peter Paul Rubens.

There are too many items to mention here, but highlights for me included a marble bust of Charles II, some baroque pistols, some absolutely exquisite waistcoats and The Descent from the Cross by Charles LeBrun. This is only a tine selection of a marvelously curated exhibition, every piece is one of beauty. Go see it while you can.

Image of the Day

2012-01-04T17:42:00.000+08:00

I have no idea who the model or photographer are but when I found this today I just had to share it.

Image of the Day

2012-01-01T14:10:00.004+08:00

Happy New Year! I start the year off with this beautiful early image of the immortal Mario del Monaco as Mario Cavaradossi from Puccini's Tosca. He will always be one of my favourite tenors, the strength, colour and power of his voice is pure machismo.

Image of the Day

2011-12-31T17:37:00.000+08:00

I am loving this theme at the moment. Needless to say I am working on one of my own.

Review: Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Met 2010-2011: Siegfried

2011-12-29T17:53:00.000+08:00

The Metropolitan Opera’s third instalment of the new Ring Cycle by Robert Lepage was by and large a success. The HD broadcast highlights the strengths of this production as well as exposing some of the weaker elements.

The singing in particular was very fine, a strong cast of Wagnerian singers hard to match anywhere today.

The last minute substitution of Jay Hunter Morris for an ailing Gary Lehmann has been well documented and a decision that ultimately worked very well. He was impressive from his very first entrance. While he is more lyric- than Heldentenor, he certainly has the vocal stamina and colour for the role and it was only in the final few demanding passages in the love duet that he showed signs of strain. The Forest Murmurs were exquisite in their stillness contrasting nicely with the demands of the Forging Scene, which he sung with great conviction. It was an impressive performance, enhanced by his good looks and likeable stage presence, I found him to be an engaging Siegfried. Considering his lack of preparation for the production (having stepped in at the last minute) his contribution has to be admired. I look forward to hearing his Gotterdammerung.

Bryn Terfel as Wotan in his disguise as the Wanderer proved that he is a worthy successor to the great Wotan’s of the past. His vocal delivery was strong and rich, shading his voice in equal parts coarse and chilling, or smooth and svelte as the role demanded. The world-weariness and sense of resignation by Wotan at this stage of the cycle, his last appearance in fact, was beautifully conveyed, highlighted by Terfel’s use of Wagner’s German. He also looked the part of the Wanderer, clad in black leather, long grey wig and black contact lens to convey Wotan’s missing left eye.

One of the most indepth characterisations of the evening was the Mime of Gerhard Siegel. His was an assured performance, very strong vocally and beautifully characterised. The nervous ticks and twitches he imbued Mime with did much to convey the characters awkwardness, almost to the point of feeling sorry for how he is treated by the seemingly spoiled Siegfried in the first act. This was the standout performance of Acts 1 and 2, a voice perfect for the role of Siegfried scaled down in heroics for the nasty dwarf.

As Mime’s equally unlikable and scheming brother Alberich, Eric Owens reprised his role from Das Rheingold. He has a remarkable voice, one of the biggest I have heard, a gorgeous, rich bass absolutely perfect for Alberich, his confrontation with the Wanderer in Act 2 was gloriously sung.

Hans-Peter Konig once again played Fafner, the giant who has disguised himself as a dragon in order to protect his stolen hoard. Of course, most of the role is sung amplified from behind the machine, his voice unfortunately contrasting with the almost pantomime inspired treatment the dragon was given. That having been said, his mighty bass provided the necessary weight and colour to the role and his death scene was very convincing.

Another character that in this production sings from offstage is the Woodbird in Act 2. In my opinion this is some of the most delicate music in the entire Ring and Mojca Erdmann was a rich, enticing Woodbird, her full-bodied tone avoiding the warbling shrillness sometimes associated with this role.

Patricia Bardon made an acceptably earthy Erda. Silver haired and clad in shards of black glass she emerged from the depths with rich unforced tone, even across her entire range except perhaps for the lower lying passages.

The Siegfried Brunnhilde in only appears in the final act. It must be a strange role to perform, after being offstage or silent all night, one must sing an extended love duet lasting around 40 minutes all the while pouring forth waves of rapturous sound that sits high for soprano. Deborah Voigt makes a terrific Brunnhilde, rising to the challenges of the role with gusto. While she definitely has the strength for the role, she seems to have lost a little of the gorgeous golden tone that made her voice so special, envinced in the final moments of the duet, where a reluctance to hold onto high notes appeared and her tone became forced. As an actress she was convincing in her transformation from warrior-goddess to mortal lover, her greeting of the sun was ethereal, and the growing uncertainty as she comes to terms with her emerging humanity and feeling for Siegfried palpable, helped by an obvious chemistry between her and Jay Hunter Morris.

Siegfried can often be seen as long-winded and boring, mostly due to its length and the often plodding tempos that some conductors adopt for much of it. It was a refreshing change to have Fabio Luisi in the pit replacing an ailing Maestro Levine, his tempos were on the lighter side than what I was expecting. His phrasing was impeccable and there was always a sense of motion and direction in his conducting, not an easy feat with this opera, where things can sometimes sound like they are grinding to a halt under someone with less of an eye for detail. It has been said that he conducted this opera like the scherzo third movement of a larger symphony, I tend to agree, his lighter moments contrasting nicely with the darker depths which often take precedence.

As this production of the Ring has progressed we have seen somewhat of a change in Robert Lepage’s use of Carl Fillion’s designs. For example there is much more use of projection and animation in Die Walkure than Das Rheingold and again even more with Siegfried. Particularly impressive were the ‘3D’ animations, designed by Pedro Pires, they transformed us immediately into a place crawling with insects, snakes, and vermin and set the scene very well. Particularly successful I thought, was Act 2. The forest looked beautiful and the Woodbird was a miracle of technology, a projection that fluttered around, interacting with Siegfried beautifully, truly inspired, as was the moment when Siegfried bursts through the flames to find the Valkyrie asleep on her rock. Here the flames looked tremendous, my only criticism being that it was difficult to see Brunnhilde through the gloom once the machine had finished its scenic transformation, Siegfried too seeming to have troubles.

Costumes by Francois St-Aubin on the whole are a modern take on the traditional classics. I do wish however that for future revivals they do something about the terrible giant costumes, they look like they wandered out of a badly illustrated Grimm’s Fairytale. Apart from the fact that everything looked a little too clean, on the whole the costumes were almost generic Wagner but nicely done nontheless.

There are some thrilling moments in this production, mostly to do with the visuals, as the direction seemed to be limited mainly to the set pieces and the singer left to fend for themselves the rest of the time. There are admittedly long stretches of singing with little action, more so in Siegfried and Die Walkure (though in Walkure Lepage handled the display of narrative a lot better through projection rather than merely using projection for setting and mood as he does here) than the rest of the ‘Ring’ and Lepage’s insistence in using sunken areas of the stage for settings such as Mime’s dwelling restricts a lot of movement and lessens the dramatic impact when characters appear to be cut off at the knee, especially when that character is Wotan, King of the Gods.

And now to the much derided Fafner. I must admit I was expecting a lot worse from the photos I saw online before I went to the broadcast. In design I thought him way too much like a pantomime Dragon (“He’s behind you!”), way too shiny and smooth, too jerky in movement. Maybe in future revivals this can be improved on, as with the poorly designed Tarnhelm, which looked like awful cheap lame ripped from the eighties. I can’t help but think that this production contains the bare bones of what might have been a theatrical tour de force, if the details hadn’t been glossed over or ignored, almost like Lepage ran out of time or ideas or both.

These minor gripes aside there is much to admire about part three of this Der Ring des Nibelung. A good indication as to how a production is perceived is the audience reaction at the end of the performance. Even after sitting though approximately five hours of intense music drama, there were a good many in the audience I heard saying that they would quite happily see the whole thing again the next day and at how elated they felt at it’s conclusion. It isn’t often one hears spontaneous applause in the cinema, this was one of those occasions, a wonderful conclusion to performance to remember.

Image of the Day

2011-12-27T10:47:00.002+08:00

Odhin by Johannes Gehrts, 1855 - 1921

Season's Greetings

2011-12-24T14:26:00.000+08:00

This Christmas I look back and know that I have much to be grateful for. It has been a year of highs and lows, but the highs definitely outweigh the lows this year.

I have had two works published and the prospect of a couple more in the near future, produced a lot work I am proud of and look forward to a new start next year.

Thanks to you all for your support this year and I can't wait to share with you new work, not to mention a new look that I have planned for the near future.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Now Available!

2011-12-22T20:00:00.000+08:00

After many months of planning the paperback version of In The Theater Of The World by C Benjamin Tracy is now available.

You can purchase it on Amazon.com.

If you are into historic fiction, this is definitely worth a read. Art by me, so double the reason to go buy it!