Das Rheingold

Das Rheingold The Metropolitan Opera HD Live

I waited in great anticipation for the first opera of the season. It was beyond magic. Not everyone is a fan of Richard Wagner. I loved the music and fortunately every singer was superb. I don’t know where they found so many giants to sing the roles. Several of the male characters were larger than life and their voices were magnificent.

It was interesting that the character Freia, sung by Wendy Bryn Harmer had barely a few notes to sing but yet she played a prominent role. Her acting was superb. Every facial gesture was so well portrayed. This is the beauty of the Met high definition performances by satellite. The camera can zoom in on a face or gesture and the whole screen is filled with that image. Everybody has a front row seat magnified.

The opera was in 1 act so there was no intermission. I love the customary interviews and discussions that take place at intermission.

We were treated to segments of a rehearsal before the opera started. It gave us a chance to see behind the scenes the unbelievable stage set up.

Robert Lepage (the master of set designs) was responsible for the production and sets. They were the most remarkable I have ever seen. It brought opera right into the 21^st century. A series of wide planks were on a hydraulic system. The opera singers walked on these planks as they lifted and descended allowing us to perceive the river below and the heavens above. Several of the performers were on harnesses and they floated in space. The lighting added to the perfection of the set.

It was a memorable performance.

Usually I read the introduction before the opera. I tried and found it so confusing with all the names. It was very interesting to note that during the performance there was no trouble in following the plot.

Encore performances can be viewed on November 20 and November 29. Don’t miss it.

I now look forward to:

Boris Godunov on October 23

Don Pasquale November 13

Don Carlo December 11

I find the opera stimulating and culturally very satisfying. What an experience. I am able to see the very best of opera directly from New York. It is so amazing that 30 countries receive the live satellite performances. There are many theatres in this city showing the performances. Each performance has two encore dates.