In April of last year, when the first wave of the Covid pandemic was in full swing, the Deutsche Oper announced that their new production of Das Rheingold, the first installment in Stefan Herheim’s highly anticipated new Ring Cycle, would have to be postponed. As restrictions began to ease near the close of last season, they staged a reduced version of the opera in their outdoor car-park, an enchanting and frequently inspired evening that satisfied one’s desire for live opera but offered no hints regarding the visual or conceptual nature of the new cycle. Die Walküre, which opened the current season, thus became our introduction to Mr Herheim’s vision of Wagner’s world; and while it was a great success as a standalone drama, the density of its imagery left one wondering how much they had missed from not having seen Rheingold first.
Some,…
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