Re: thought for the week of August 29, 1999

On Monday, August 30, 1999, Tim Phillips (me) <hrothgar[_at_]telepath.com> wrote:
>
> I am not aware that Parsifal, or anything else of Wagner's, has
> gotten notoriously bad treatment since its copyright lapsed.
> Perhaps even, productions of Wagner tend to be overly-conservative
> and insufficiently experimental?

It seems my question was addressed in an article by Matthew Gurewitsch called "Bayreuth, like Wagner, Survives the Critics", New York Times, September 5, 1999, Section 2, page 24, column 1. Gurewitsch discusses the vicissitudes of Wagner's works and Bayreuth's place in their interpretation. He notes that, in recent decades, "wherever opera is performed, the array of theatrical styles has exploded exponentially. Iconoclasts from Arizona to Australia are forging "Rings" of their own, with or without regard to Bayreuth precedent. If the festival no longer enjoys its old hegemony, that is simply a measure of its success. These days, Wagner belongs to the world." The article goes on to compare at some length two recent productions of "Lohengrin", one by the Kirov Opera and one at Bayreuth.

Tim Phillips
<hrothgar[_at_]telepath.com> Received on Sun Sep 12 1999 - 17:59:02 GMT