LA Opera's Astounding "Twilight"

As I took my seat just seconds before the downbeat was given for LA Opera’s new production of Richard Wagner’s Götterdämmerung the proverbial jury was still out. German theatre and opera director Achim Freyer’s staging of the four operas that comprise Richard Wagner’s epic Der Ring des Nibelungen has been… well, um, provocative, to put it politely. Freyer’s vision for LA Opera’s historic staging of Wagner’s “Ring” has been called everything from exquisite to bizarre. Yet, for me, by the conclusion of Götterdämmerung first act the jury that had been quietly deliberating inside my head at last reached a verdict. Freyer’s vision is bold. It is risky. And it works!

This staging has a lot going for it. The set is sparse and post-modern, though not exactly minimalist. The steeply raked stage (upstage is some nine feet higher than downstage) itself lends a great deal of drama to the scenic landscape, though one wonders just how that affects the view from high up in the audience... The lighting was perhaps most striking of all as it gave the appearance of texture and contour. The technologies employed in this production are themselves worthy of mention. The masked and robed Gibichungs, sung beautifully by the men of the LA Opera Chorus, were armed with what can best be described as light sabers. Similar devices were embedded into the stage and lit with an array of colours at various times throughout. These LED light tubes were designed especially for LA Opera’s “Ring”. That, plus the new follow spots and “digital” front and rear scrims acquired for the "Ring" cycle partly account for the high cost of this production. But more on that anon.

Götterdämmerung is a bit of an endurance contest. At well over five hours it is the longest of the four “Ring” operas, and its first act in particular asks a great deal of emotional and intellectual investment on the part of the audience. But the payoff is tremendous! During Saturday’s matinee performance the indefatigable James Conlon elicited some of the most thrilling and satisfying sounds from the LA Opera Orchestra I have ever heard. Their tone was full, warm, generous, and sparkled with the sort of incandescent patina that only the finest orchestras are capable of producing. The singers were in extraordinary form. John Treleaven’s “Siegfried” was noble and beautifully crafted, and Linda Watson’s “Brünnhilde” soared. For me, however, the best singing of the afternoon was clearly that of baritone Richard Paul Fink. Though his “Alberich” had precious little to sing compared to the other central characters, what he did sing was pure gold. It is a rare thing to encounter a voice so profound, so richly contoured, so powerful and magisterial as his. I was pleasantly caught off guard. As we approached the opera's end, I, along with what I presume was much of the audience, was quite eager to see how Achim Freyer’s unorthodox staging would handle the most famous part of Götterdämmerung, the immolation scene. Without giving too much away, let me just say that the walls do indeed come tumbling down in one of the most beautifully haunting and chaotic spectacles I have ever witnessed.

Götterdämmerung presents the coalescence and, indeed, the consummation of all the thematic and symbolic gestures of the preceding three operas. Wagner deftly weaves various themes and leitmotifs from the three previous operas into Göttedämmerung at relevant moments which help make the fourth and final of the “Ring” operas a truly gratifying musical experience. The program notes were by Thomas May whose work I’ve long enjoyed ever since our brief collaboration back during my Master Chorale days. His book Decoding Wagner is a must-read for anyone desiring a better understanding of the man and his music.

I was quite fortunate to be invited to the post-opera reception where I had the chance to meet and briefly chat with Barry Sanders, leader of Ring Festival LA, as well as some of the cast. I also bumped into Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky (who just so happens to be the father of a friend). Among other things, I thanked him for his tireless efforts in support of the Arts here in L.A., especially for his defence of LA Opera and Ring Festival LA from unjust criticism by some in the anti-Wagner camp. Oh, and I will be forgiven for lapsing into sycophantic fanboy mode, but I also had the chance to meet and chat with Stephen Fry, who is one of my personal heroes and quite possibly the finest actor/writer/thinker alive today! He is also, incidentally, a passionate Wagnerian and has written quite thoughtfully on the subject of music… Following dinner, Placido Domingo, LA Opera’s general manager, spoke movingly of the company’s latest production and thanked individually members of the cast. "I think we can say we have had one of the best sounds from our orchestra tonight,” said Domingo. “Whatever happens, we have done the ‘Ring’ now!” (You can find an album of photos I took here. The L.A. Times have a nice gallery up as well.)

I have been student of music in one form or another for most of my life, but only in the last few years have I grown to understand and love the music of Richard Wagner. Saturday’s performance only helped solidify my belief that Wagner was indeed one of the greatest musical geniuses of our modern epoch. Wagner needs, no, DEMANDS exponents of the caliber of James Conlon and LA Opera!

Götterdämmerung runs from now until 25 April (ticket info here). This production, simply put, is a marvel and is not to be missed! Three full cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen will begin on 29 May and conclude 26 June. More info here. Ring Festival LA officially kicks off on 15 April. Visit the official website for a detailed listing of events, and be sure to follow this blog!

Nota bene: The opinions expressed on this blog and its related media are solely those of J. Anthony McAlister. They in no way represent the opinions or official policies of Los Angeles Opera, Ring Festival LA, or any of their related partners or sponsors.