-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 0
/
Copy pathpreconceptions-part-1.html
257 lines (224 loc) · 11.5 KB
/
preconceptions-part-1.html
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>Preconceptions Part 1 - Just Alfred</title>
<!-- Using the latest rendering mode for IE -->
<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<link rel="canonical" href="https://blog.justalfred.com/preconceptions-part-1.html">
<meta name="author" content="Just Alfred" />
<meta name="keywords" content="music" />
<meta name="description" content="Originally published at: http://kwontum.blogspot.com/2013/04/preconceptions-part-1.html Tonight begins my first Ring cycle at the opera house. I’ve seen the Otto Schenk production on DVD, and the Live in HD performances of the Robert Lepage production in the theaters. I thought them both fantastic productions …" />
<!-- Bootstrap -->
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://blog.justalfred.com/theme/css/bootstrap.flatly.min.css" type="text/css"/>
<link href="https://blog.justalfred.com/theme/css/font-awesome.min.css" rel="stylesheet">
<link href="https://blog.justalfred.com/theme/css/pygments/native.css" rel="stylesheet">
<link href="https://blog.justalfred.com/theme/css/typogrify.css" rel="stylesheet">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://blog.justalfred.com/theme/css/style.css" type="text/css"/>
<link href="https://blog.justalfred.com/static/custom.css" rel="stylesheet">
<link href="https://blog.justalfred.com/feeds/all.rss.xml" type="application/rss+xml" rel="alternate"
title="Just Alfred RSS Feed"/>
</head>
<body>
<div class="navbar navbar-default navbar-fixed-top" role="navigation">
<div class="container">
<div class="navbar-header">
<button type="button" class="navbar-toggle" data-toggle="collapse" data-target=".navbar-ex1-collapse">
<span class="sr-only">Toggle navigation</span>
<span class="icon-bar"></span>
<span class="icon-bar"></span>
<span class="icon-bar"></span>
</button>
<a href="https://blog.justalfred.com/" class="navbar-brand">
Just Alfred </a>
</div>
<div class="collapse navbar-collapse navbar-ex1-collapse">
<ul class="nav navbar-nav">
<li><a href="https://blog.justalfred.com/pages/about-the-author.html">
About the Author
</a></li>
<li class="active">
<a href="https://blog.justalfred.com/category/posts.html">Posts</a>
</li>
</ul>
<ul class="nav navbar-nav navbar-right">
</ul>
</div>
<!-- /.navbar-collapse -->
</div>
</div> <!-- /.navbar -->
<!-- Banner -->
<!-- End Banner -->
<!-- Content Container -->
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-sm-9">
<section id="content">
<article>
<header class="page-header">
<h1>
<a href="https://blog.justalfred.com/preconceptions-part-1.html"
rel="bookmark"
title="Permalink to Preconceptions Part 1">
Preconceptions Part 1
</a>
</h1>
</header>
<div class="entry-content">
<div class="panel">
<div class="panel-body">
<footer class="post-info">
<span class="label label-default">Date</span>
<span class="published">
<i class="fa fa-calendar"></i><time datetime="2013-04-25T04:18:00-04:00"> (Thu) 2013-04-25</time>
</span>
<span class="label label-default">Tags</span>
<a href="https://blog.justalfred.com/tag/music.html">music</a>
</footer><!-- /.post-info --> </div>
</div>
<p><em>Originally published at: <a href="http://kwontum.blogspot.com/2013/04/preconceptions-part-1.html">http://kwontum.blogspot.com/2013/04/preconceptions-part-1.html</a></em></p>
<p>Tonight begins my first <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Ring_des_Nibelungen">Ring
cycle</a> at the
opera house. I’ve seen the <a href="http://youtu.be/9sgVjgraXsc?t=50s">Otto Schenk
production</a> on <span class="caps">DVD</span>, and the Live in
<span class="caps">HD</span> performances of the <a href="http://youtu.be/sHa3NO219lc">Robert Lepage
production</a> in the theaters. I thought them
both fantastic productions. The former was much beloved by New York’s
operavores. The latter has been
<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/05/the-met-ring-cycle-critics.html">universally</a>
<a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/l/robert_lepage/index.html">panned</a>.
It is that latter production that I will be seeing live. </p>
<p>Criticisms mostly center around the set, dubbed “the machine”. Robert
Lepage is responsible for the Cirque du Soleil show,
<a href="http://youtu.be/xT9CXr2o5ME">Kà</a>, in Las Vegas, and he brings his
high-tech artistry here. The machine is a dynamic backdrop consisting of
24 independently rotatable planks that can turn from a simple flat
screen to stair steps to the trees of the forest and more. The machine
has been called loud, distracting, alienating, shallow. My impressions
from the theaters were rather opposite. I found the use of the machine
highly creative and visually stunning. I thought it in keeping with
Wagner’s ideal of the unified gesamtkunstwerk. </p>
<p>But I am well aware that the experience at the hall can differ
significantly, so I won’t yet criticize the critics. For now, my
opinions are as follows: </p>
<p>The Otto Schenk production is about as traditional a staging as you’ll
find. This is not a bad thing. Compare to productions out of
<a href="http://youtu.be/boa7zcaVOSo"><span class="caps">LA</span></a>, <a href="http://youtu.be/PMhL011V7J4"><span class="caps">SF</span></a>,
<a href="http://youtu.be/osoKrvetnpU">Valencia</a>, or the Mecca for ring-heads:
<a href="http://youtu.be/TJk4rb7za54">Bayreuth</a> (pronounced bye-royt). There are
so many subtexts that one could project onto the Ring that many argue
the most enduring productions are the ones that do not confine the
interpretation in any way. A post-industrial American setting is novel,
but it restricts the message. By keeping the setting in an ambiguous
time and allowing the gods godliness, the opera is free to communicate
in whatever ways the viewer/listener is receptive. Schenk’s sets and
costumes are stirring, the music and singing superb. I love this
production as well as anyone else. </p>
<p>My viewing of the Gelb production seemed just as traditional. We are
still talking about gods and heroes. In some ways I gather that it is
even truer to the text. Some of Wagner’s stage directions have been
ignored for technical reasons, but Gelb manages to adhere (sometimes to
ironic complaints of adding unnecessary details). The costumes and
singing are just as breathtaking. For my non-opera-going friends, the
Lepage production is the one I would introduce first. </p>
<p>I am being intentionally vague since I’m trying to keep an open mind.
The rest of my impressions will have to come later. For now, my feelings
toward the new production are very positive. I will let you know in a
couple weeks whether the criticisms deserve merit or are merely meretricious.</p>
</div>
<!-- /.entry-content -->
</article>
</section>
</div>
<div class="col-sm-3" id="sidebar">
<aside>
<!-- Sidebar -->
<section class="well well-sm">
<ul class="list-group list-group-flush">
<!-- Sidebar/Social -->
<li class="list-group-item">
<h4><i class="fa fa-home fa-lg"></i><span class="icon-label">Social</span></h4>
<ul class="list-group" id="social">
<li class="list-group-item"><a href="https://twitter.com/Alphrabet"><i class="fa fa-twitter-square fa-lg"></i> Twitter</a></li>
<li class="list-group-item"><a href="https://github.com/justalfred"><i class="fa fa-github-square fa-lg"></i> Github</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<!-- End Sidebar/Social -->
<!-- Sidebar/Tag Cloud -->
<li class="list-group-item">
<a href="https://blog.justalfred.com/tags.html"><h4><i class="fa fa-tags fa-lg"></i><span class="icon-label">Tags</span></h4></a>
<ul class="list-group " id="tags">
<li class="list-group-item tag-1">
<a href="https://blog.justalfred.com/tag/music.html">music</a>
</li>
<li class="list-group-item tag-1">
<a href="https://blog.justalfred.com/tag/living.html">living</a>
</li>
<li class="list-group-item tag-1">
<a href="https://blog.justalfred.com/tag/explaining.html">explaining</a>
</li>
<li class="list-group-item tag-1">
<a href="https://blog.justalfred.com/tag/exploring.html">exploring</a>
</li>
<li class="list-group-item tag-1">
<a href="https://blog.justalfred.com/tag/thinking.html">thinking</a>
</li>
<li class="list-group-item tag-2">
<a href="https://blog.justalfred.com/tag/science.html">science</a>
</li>
<li class="list-group-item tag-2">
<a href="https://blog.justalfred.com/tag/tech.html">tech</a>
</li>
<li class="list-group-item tag-2">
<a href="https://blog.justalfred.com/tag/art.html">art</a>
</li>
<li class="list-group-item tag-4">
<a href="https://blog.justalfred.com/tag/bisr.html">BISR</a>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<!-- End Sidebar/Tag Cloud -->
<!-- Sidebar/Links -->
<li class="list-group-item">
<h4><i class="fa fa-external-link-square fa-lg"></i><span class="icon-label">Links</span></h4>
<ul class="list-group" id="links">
<li class="list-group-item">
<a href="/archives.html" target="_blank">Archives</a>
</li>
<li class="list-group-item">
<a href="/feeds/all.rss.xml" target="_blank">RSS feed</a>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<!-- End Sidebar/Links -->
</ul>
</section>
<!-- End Sidebar --> </aside>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<!-- End Content Container -->
<footer>
<div class="container">
<hr>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-xs-10">© 2023 Just Alfred
· Powered by <a href="https://github.com/getpelican/pelican-themes/tree/master/pelican-bootstrap3" target="_blank">pelican-bootstrap3</a>,
<a href="http://docs.getpelican.com/" target="_blank">Pelican</a>,
<a href="http://getbootstrap.com" target="_blank">Bootstrap</a> <p><small> <a rel="license" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.en"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="//i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/4.0/80x15.png" /></a>
Content
licensed under a <a rel="license" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.en">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>, except where indicated otherwise.
</small></p>
</div>
<div class="col-xs-2"><p class="pull-right"><i class="fa fa-arrow-up"></i> <a href="#">Back to top</a></p></div>
</div>
</div>
</footer>
<script src="https://blog.justalfred.com/theme/js/jquery.min.js"></script>
<!-- Include all compiled plugins (below), or include individual files as needed -->
<script src="https://blog.justalfred.com/theme/js/bootstrap.min.js"></script>
<!-- Enable responsive features in IE8 with Respond.js (https://github.com/scottjehl/Respond) -->
<script src="https://blog.justalfred.com/theme/js/respond.min.js"></script>
</body>
</html>