NO PROPER TRAILER YET
After the prelude, played in front of a blood-red curtain stretching across the stage but with space at the front, we see Alberich at the very front peacefully fishing and dressed in animal skins (the ‘Neanderthal/Early Man’ look). The Rhinemaidens used the curtain to appear and disappear behind and under (very effectively) and for once Alberich’s inability to; catch them was rather more convincing than it usually was (except for the inexplicable use of a triangular ladder for part of the scene where all who used it looked uncomfortable and unconvincing). The Rhine maidens sprinkling of some gold flakes in front of him to tempt him to start chasing them was nicely effective and appropriate.
His initial reaction to the Rhine Maidens was not lust but rather detached amusement. This was intriguing but it did mean that the extremity of his actions in renouncing love as he steals the gold did rather come from nowhere. The depiction of the gold was rather good; the curtains parted and we saw the majority of the stage covered with a light gold cloth. This gave it a certain sensual quality and the stagecraft used when Alberich stole it was very effective (and quite simple). He attached it to himself at the same time as he attached wires to himself and was hauled up into the darkness with the rapidly vanishing gold cloth looking particularly effective in being used like this.
When we first meet the Gods, we are still in Neanderthal times, with skin-covered tents and yurts being their home and Wotan’s staff a brutal looking thick club – another original idea, given how this symbol of brute power is wielded throughout the cycle.
Alberich in Nibelheim was now a modern tycoon, and the stage was all black and white with an urban skyscraper background. An iPad, not very convincingly, stood in for the Tarnhelm but the transformations were very unconvincing – perhaps deliberately in that Wotan and Loge were able to b e convinced by pretty third-rate efforts. I am not really sure about the rationale for this approach to this aspect of the drama. But in the final scene, the taking of the Ring from Alberich’s finger was done as grimly nastily as seems, righmtly, to be the norm nowadays.
So far so (pretty) good but from Erda's entrance, the production went to and stayed at another level.
Erda entered as homeless woman with raggedy children pushing shopping cart (boring!) but was, appropriately) tending to them as she delivered her warning to Wotan and some of children wound red thread and wound around the Gods. This was clearly a nod to the opening of Gotterdamerung and the Norns spinning the Rope of Fate – and the use of this visual device was an effective reminder that Fate touches and affects everyone and you cannot undo it.
The depiction of the Gods and their relationships (Wotan/Fricka, Loge with everyone) was not nearly as originally or thoughtfully interpreted as it has been and can be but one new (to me) idea was Freia and her feelings for Fasolt. This was subtly shown earlier by their tentative responses to each other but then much more unambiguously by Freia placing a little garland of flowers over the body of Fasolt, sprawled over the fire from which Loge initially entered. (The Giants HOT btw; muscled and in sleeveless black tank-tops)
But as the thunder was summoned, the Gods all had mid-stage costume change into modern dress (very slickly done) and then three Nurse Ratchet-faced nurses pushed hospital wheelchairs forward into which they all (except Loge) fell into and became very aged/ill. Freia actually dying before entry into their new home.
There was some comedy here. The Wotan/Fricka dialogue about the name of their new home was conducted with old-fashioned 'horn' hearing aids!
At climax of music with chairs near front house lights up and we saw the six harps in two boxes by side of stage revealed for first time which gave a wonderful and cleverly appropriate violent splash of gold (!!!) in contrast with the subdued/dark stage.
And as the final chords stride up and down the orchestra ( it's just a massive arpeggio isn't it, in those final pages!) the 'nurses' now revealed(very unsurprisingly) as the Rhinemaidens, wheeled them to the back of the stage while they held up a banner with the words on the picture included here and the Gods deludedly and pathetically applauded it.
Paper slips with the last words of the Rhinemaiden and the rainbow bridge were dropped from the ceiling in this final section. A good ‘moment’ but the dramatic rationale…?
There was a very largely positive audience response (a few individual boos) but Peter K was warmly received and for once I that standing justified ...not like USA where it seems to be mandatory and I always loved conspicuously remaining seated.
The orchestra and conductor were superb. There was marvellous control and careful climaxes from the conductor Gabriel Feltz who had a mastery of the whole musical and dramatic span of the work. In fact, this was the greatest musical strength of the production. But are anvils ALWAYS so feeble these days? While there were no weak links at all in the cast, there were no real stand-out performances, either musically or dramatically from the singers.