"Art Harnessing Technology"

The Metropolitan Opera’s production of Das Rheingold, broadcast to cinemas around the globe on October 9, 2010, exhibited a superb harmony between music, acting, and technology. Director Robert Lepage said, “It was important that we create a set machine that would have versatility, but at the same time feel very organic.”¹ Through the use of an innovative set, screen projection, and cables, this production succeeded in having the versatility and maintaining the fantasy a production of Das Rheingold needs.

The set consisted of 24 aluminum and fiberglass planks that rotated on a steel axis that could create many different shapes rather quickly. This adaptable set benefited the production by decreasing the performance length, solving staging problems, and creating illusions that made the opera more believable. With the use of hydraulics, the “Valhalla machine” easily changed from the Rhine, to a plateau, to Nibelheim, and other places in the work. The set allowed for large structures in each scene without requiring lengthy scene changes and intermissions. Opera can encounter difficulty in trying to portray a vast journey in a fixed area. One of my favorite advantages of the set is its allowance for depiction of Wotan and Loge’s decent to Nibelheim on a huge tilted staircase that gave us almost a bird’s eye view. This created the illusion of depth making the production surprisingly realistic. I also appreciated how the machine enabled a variation in height levels. This height variation permitted the giants to be placed above the Gods which made them appear bigger than they were and contributed to their commanding presence.

The ability to project images and colors onto the set made the production lifelike. Creating realism within folklore, the pebbles in the Rhine moved underneath the flitting fins of the Rhinemaidens. Warm, gold colors were projected both to represent the glow of the Rheingold, and the forges of Nibelheim creating ambience and further contributing to realism. The use of projection instantaneously produced the rainbow bridge needed for the gods to traverse to Valhalla. Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, said of the projection, “this is not meant to be a light show. These changes are subtle and in context of the story. It’s art harnessing technology, not the other way around. At least that is the intention.” ² Boris Firquet, the video image artist, succeeded in making these images contribute to the story rather than distracting from it.

The use of cables in this production allowed the stage to be transformed into another world and add dimension to the characters. The Rhinemaidens were dark, glittering mermaids, swimming around the stage. By having these women sing in the air, the whole stage seemed immersed in water, which solved the problem of how to replicate the Rhine. This also allowed for the women to have fins further giving a sense of something mystical and different from quotidian life. The use of cables made the gods appear more godlike, as gravity did not seem to apply to them. In the final scene, the gods ascend the rainbow bridge to Valhalla almost vertically.

I give this production a ten out of ten. The use of technology to transport me to Wagner’s world of the Rhine was impressive. The employment of the set, projection, and cables did not distract but rather drew me in, and made the stylized opera have a realistic feel. The production left me longing for more. I’m looking forward to Die Walküre this coming spring.

1. 1. "Das Rheingold." Press Releases. Web. 03 Nov. 2010.

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/press/detail.aspx?id=12448>.

22. Wakin, Daniel J. "The Valhalla Machine." The New York Times. 15 Sept. 2010. Web. 3 Nov. 2010. .

Amy Joy Donuts

I finally went to visit Amy Joy Donuts, and discovered a wonderful custard donut, absolutely covered with powdered sugar. It had such as silky texture and wasn't too sweet in spite of the powdered sugar. So lovely!

The Pearl Fishers

Love and Lust in The Pearl Fishers

Out of 10, I would give Opera Cleveland’s 2010 production of The Pearl Fishers a 6. I was very impressed with the creative set design, the costumes, and the makeup. Listening to Caitlin Lynch sing the part of Leila was a joy. She had a pure, gorgeous tone that seemed effortless. However, the interpretation of Zurga and his lust for Leila disappointed me. Not only was I offended by the portrayal of Zurga raping Leila, but in my opinion, this portrayal of Zurga contradicted the music, and left me without the catharsis I expect from a tragic opera.

In “Ce sont eux, Les voice,” Zurga is killed and as he lays dying, he sings, “Ah! Adieu! Leila, je t’aimais!” professing he had loved her. Typically in opera, we expect the music to clarify the meaning of the words being sung. Characters may lie, but the music informs the audience of a character’s nature. Had Zurga’s final cries of love for Leila been false, Bizet would have included harsher sounding music, but instead we hear violins playing a soft melody that later becomes Leila and Nadir’s duet that speaks of love and heaven guiding their steps. Instead, Zurga’s words are coupled with major sonorities. Zurga’s final profession of love is paired with a b-flat major chord, rather than a harsher, more disturbing diminished or augmented chord. If he had truly loved her, as the music seems to indicate, he would not have raped her. He would he have sacrificed his life to save her, which is what librettists Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré wrote.

As an audience member witnessing a tragic opera, I expect a dramatic death to leave me feeling mournful. In “Ce sont eux, Les voici,” Leila and Nadir sing of their sweet embrace, heaven guiding their steps, and of a future with no more sadness. While Nadir and Leila sing, Zurga sings that his task is achieved and that he kept his promise. He repented of his acts of rage and saved both Nadir and Leila. Zurga’s dying words to the rejoicing couple are, “rêves d’amour adieu!” which is to say, “Dream of love. Goodbye!” Zurga’s dying words coupled with the music are meant to invoke sympathy for Zurga and acceptance of his penitence for his tragic flaws. However, because in this production Zurga had been lustful and untrustworthy, I was left with confusion and emptiness in place of the catharsis I hoped for. If I had been convinced of Zurga’s remorse and his motives for saving Leila and Nadir, I would have felt the sense of bitter-sweetness the music indicates. However, when Zurga has raped Leila, his declaration of love means nothing and his noble act of saving her is discredited. I didn’t accept his repentance, and he died in vain leaving me lacking the catharsis I hope for from such a dramatic piece. No one weeps for rapists, because even their repentant acts can’t be trusted.

I left the concert hall disappointed. I had wanted to feel very happy for Leila who had at least made an effort to keep her vows and now is happy, safe, and in love. I wanted to feel sadness for Zurga, who despite his faults, had finally done something heroic. However, instead, I felt confused and lacking the emotions I wanted to feel from the music. Zurga’s portrayal as a rapist was a dramatic liberty that took away from the meaning associated with Bizet’s music, and made the final trio less powerful.

Testimony of the Book of Mormon

Rooster Dumpling and Noodle Bar

Today I wasn't feeling well, and my kitchen was...out of food and full of people (I am getting a new floor to replace the one that hasn't been there since the flood...yes the flood on the 3rd floor *sigh*) so I went to Rooster Dumpling and Noodle Bar in hope of a comforting soup. The coconut curry soups with grilled lemongrass chicken and pickled vegetables as featured on the left met my needs exactly and made me forget about my sore throat for a good fifteen minutes or so. Delicious.