Parsifal matinee

[wagnerfan]

I was in the house and yes a cell phone went off. I liked the
production as a whole though there were some elements that didn't work
for me. The flower maidens bringing out the bed in act two looked very
odd in the theatre - they are very indistinct at the beginning and
you have no idea whats coming out - the bed is superfluous anyway. I
liked the idea that Act two takes place "in" Amfortas wound. I didn't
like Gatti's conducting - I don't mind slow (I like Kna and Furt in
this music) but way too often he let the bottom drop out of the tempi
- the playing was gorgeous though. Kaufmann is really in his absolute
vocal prime - he has to act all the time even when just watching and
he never lost concentration - he could use some upper body work (!)
Pape was also superb though the voice is actually a bit bright for the
music - like a superb violinist playing a cello part. Dalayman was bit
stetched on top but who isn't in this part nowadays and she really is
a wonderful actress. Nikitin had the proper voice for Klingsor but
looked so ordinary. Mattei was absolutely brilliant in every respect -
never have I seen Amfortas suffering so clearly represented and since
his wound and the spear are so clearly the center of the production
his contribution meant even more. Some have complained about the
movements of the Flower maidens - I thought the attemped seduction was
the best I had ever seen (Parsifal never falls for them anyway though)
and the very Metropolis like movements earlier on were spot on.
You can have your dove - I have never seen it in production and it
could look ridiculous if not done perfectly
BTW your idea that the production team should work on a new MET Ring
may come to fruition - I heard from MET management that the current
plan is that if you want to see the current Ring see it this spring
because you will never see it at the MET again.

Wagner fan

[Bert Coules]

"wagnerfan" wrote:

> BTW your idea that the production team should work on a new MET Ring
> may come to fruition - I heard from MET management that the current
> plan is that if you want to see the current Ring see it this spring
> because you will never see it at the MET again.

Wow. On the evidence of this Parsifal - and that even without having seen
it in the theatre which is really the only definitive way to judge a
production - I would love to see them tackle The Ring. The Parsifal
abounded in exactly the sort of intimate, deeply felt and closely observed
personal interaction between the characters which the current Ring so
notably lacks.

Bert

[Richard Partridge]

On 3/3/13 7:20 AM, wagnerfan, at ivanm...@gmail.com, wrote the following:

[snip]

> BTW your idea that the production team should work on a new MET Ring
> may come to fruition - I heard from MET management that the current
> plan is that if you want to see the current Ring see it this spring
> because you will never see it at the MET again.
>
> Wagner fan

That's a remarkable bit of news. After the untold millions of dollars they
wasted on it, and without ever admitting they made a mistake, are they
really going to walk away from Lepage's mechanical seesaw after so short a
time?

Or maybe they mean the Ring is too much for them, and we won't see any Ring
at all at the Met. That might be just as well. As long as the present
management remains in charge I can only think that if they do another
staging of the Ring, it will be a new low in artistic embarrassment.


Dick Partridge

[wagnerfan]

There will not be a Ring revival or new production for the forseeable
future at the MET so your wish may be granted

Wagner Fan