To any opera buffs out there

[Liza]

And I'm really, really hoping that there are some...

I'm currently writing my senior thesis on Richard Wagner and modern stagings of The Ring. If any of you are familiar with opera, I'm very interested in gathering some opinions. Do you believe it's right to "update" operas from the 18th and 19th century to modern settings? Should operas be faithful or interpretive? What is to be gained by interpreting operas versus what is lost?

I appecriate any help at all.

[Kitt]

I would by no means call myself an opera buff, Liza, but I do have an opinion regarding your question. I am a bit of a ballet buff, which has the same traditions and dilema that you posed about the opera.

So, here it is: Creative inventiveness should not be stiffled by tradition.

[Georgia's on my Mind]

i think all the beauty of the opera is lost when it is brought to a modern setting

[theanswerman]

ooh i love wagner.

[theanswerman]

i think you could, if you go the the opera houses over in italy and stuff, you could possibly find opera singers suitable for the parts. it may not be as good, but it could work.

[Liza]

Originally posted by theanswerman
i think you could, if you go the the opera houses over in italy and stuff, you could possibly find opera singers suitable for the parts. it may not be as good, but it could work.

Not quite sure I understand what you mean. First of all no Italian opera singer would touch Wagner - The Ring is so complex that it really requires a German speaker (I got that info from a woman I know who performs Wagner). Secondly, casting isn't really a problem. There aren't many Wagnerian singers, but there are some, and they are never in any shortage of productions.

My thesis is over the modern stagings and interpretations. There are versions where the Valkuries are riding motorcycles and Valhalla is a dug-out. I think those go to far, but there are some things to be said for them...

Well, I won't copy my whole thesis here, but when I finish it I can probably sum it up for ya

[Liza]

Originally posted by theanswerman
ooh i love wagner.

Me too. Definately. I first fell in love with him when I was eight years old and saw the Metropoltian Opera's production of The Ring. My parents thought it was pretty strange - an eight year old that refused to go to bed because she had to see Brunhilde save Siegfried... but it's stuck with me. Here I am fourteen years later, finally putting all my Wagnerian knowledge to some use

[Liza]

Originally posted by Georgia's on my Mind
i think all the beauty of the opera is lost when it is brought to a modern setting

Do you mean the beauty of the old-fashioned costumes/sets? Or is the music somehow changed for you?

[theanswerman]

Originally posted by Liza
Not quite sure I understand what you mean. First of all no Italian opera singer would touch Wagner - The Ring is so complex that it really requires a German speaker (I got that info from a woman I know who performs Wagner). Secondly, casting isn't really a problem. There aren't many Wagnerian singers, but there are some, and they are never in any shortage of productions.

My thesis is over the modern stagings and interpretations. There are versions where the Valkuries are riding motorcycles and Valhalla is a dug-out. I think those go to far, but there are some things to be said for them...

Well, I won't copy my whole thesis here, but when I finish it I can probably sum it up for ya

i meant in general.

[Kitt]

Is it time for you to answer your own question, or at least divulge your uncertain opinon yet, Emily?

[Liza]

Originally posted by theanswerman
i meant in general.

okay, now I'm more confused than ever. How does finding singers have anything to do with staging?

[Liza]

Originally posted by Kitt
Is it time for you to answer your own question, or at least divulge your uncertain opinon yet, Emily?

Why not? I've been sitting here avoiding writing the paper all night.

Okay, I am a Wagnerite, and I was always very much against all modernizations/interpretations because his stage directions are so specific that it seems criminal to just throw them out the window for the sake of "being clever." But when I picked this topic I deliberately chose to try and see the other side of it. And interpretations do have their place - Wagner himself admitted that works of art have meanings that the artists themselves never saw. But I still think there should be traditional versions, and people should see those (or at least be familiar with them) before they see it spun any different way.

[theanswerman]

liza, what do you recommend me buying? what are your favorite operas?

[theanswerman]

i've been listening to maria callas lately. shes amazing

[Liza]

Originally posted by theanswerman
liza, what do you recommend me buying? what are your favorite operas?

I'm a sucker for German opera (in case you didn't notice) so my knowledge of Italian opera is pretty limited. But my favorite operas are:

Tannhäuser (Wagner)
Die Fledermaus (Strauss) The Bat
Die Zauberflötte (Mozart) The Magic Flute
Don Giovanni (Mozart)
Tristan und Isolde (Wagner)
Carmen (Bizet)

And of course the four operas of The Ring: (Wagner)
Das Rheingold The Rhine Gold
Die Walküre The Valkyrie
Siegfried
Götterdämmerung Twilight of the Gods

***English titles are in italics***