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Unthinkable? Wagner without tears Unthinkable? Wagner without tears
(5 months later)
It was predictable that in his bicentenary year there should be at least one controversial Wagner production, though glumly tedious that the production of Tannhäuser in Düsseldorf's Deutsche Oper am Rhein was Nazi-themed and included, in its first and only performance (the staging has now been abandoned), a shooting scene so harrowing that some in the audience sought medical help.It was predictable that in his bicentenary year there should be at least one controversial Wagner production, though glumly tedious that the production of Tannhäuser in Düsseldorf's Deutsche Oper am Rhein was Nazi-themed and included, in its first and only performance (the staging has now been abandoned), a shooting scene so harrowing that some in the audience sought medical help.
Wagner deals with questions that remain fundamental to what makes human beings tick, both consciously and unconsciously. Like Shakespeare, he inspires radical and contentious interpretation – especially in Germany, where history casts a long shadow and directors rule the opera stage.Wagner deals with questions that remain fundamental to what makes human beings tick, both consciously and unconsciously. Like Shakespeare, he inspires radical and contentious interpretation – especially in Germany, where history casts a long shadow and directors rule the opera stage.
Tannhäuser is sometimes less laden with directorial "konzept" than other Wagner works, but the huge scale of the composer's ambition invites argument. The Covent Garden Ring Cycle first produced in 2004 still irritates purists for its apparently random associations, while at the New York Metropolitan Opera the innovative production by Robert Lepage was condemned by reviewers for a set so complex and ambitious that it drained meaning from the operas.Tannhäuser is sometimes less laden with directorial "konzept" than other Wagner works, but the huge scale of the composer's ambition invites argument. The Covent Garden Ring Cycle first produced in 2004 still irritates purists for its apparently random associations, while at the New York Metropolitan Opera the innovative production by Robert Lepage was condemned by reviewers for a set so complex and ambitious that it drained meaning from the operas.
Wagner still matters, not because he was Hitler's favourite composer, but because he was an artistic revolutionary, demanding a level of engagement from production staff and audience alike undreamt of by his predecessors.Wagner still matters, not because he was Hitler's favourite composer, but because he was an artistic revolutionary, demanding a level of engagement from production staff and audience alike undreamt of by his predecessors.
It is no wonder that he still challenges. Extreme interpretation of his works is merely one aspect of his restlessly provocative genius.It is no wonder that he still challenges. Extreme interpretation of his works is merely one aspect of his restlessly provocative genius.
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