THE BAYREUTH SUCCESSION
Continuing the series in our Newsletter on the Bayreuth Succession,
we take a look at the line up that Wolfgang Wagner has compiled for
the next three years of productions at Bayreuth:
2004 Parsifal
Musikalische Leitung: Pierre Boulez
Inszenierung: Christoph Schlingensief
2005 Tristan und Isolde
Musikalische Leitung: Eiji Oue
Inszenierung: Christoph Marthaler
Bühnenbild und Kostüme: Anna Viebrock
2006 Der Ring des Nibelungen
Musikalische Leitung: Christian Thielemann
Inszenierung: Lars von Trier
Bühnenbild: Karl Juliusson
You, like me may find some of these names unfamiliar so you may
also find enlightening the comments of John Rockwell in the New York
Times (22 June 2003 - the full article may still be on-line at http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/22/arts/music/22ROCK.html?ex=1057286531&ei=1&en=4eed2a0149fd6beb)
Mr Rockwell titled his article "The Weird Twilight of a Wagner"
that gives some indication of his perspective on the future line-up
for Bayreuth.
Rockwell begins "...now, having beaten back the latest challenges
by Eva and Nike and their allies [see Newsletter No. 87, March 2002
for our last instalment - Ed.], Wolfgang has apparently decided to
go out with a bang. A supernova-size bang. Not only has he put his
artistic stamp on the festival through at least 2010, whether or not
he is in charge or even alive by then, but that stamp is defiantly,
maybe even madly weird". Rockwell then analysis the production
teams listed above and makes some interesting comments.
Members may already know of Lars von Trier as the director of
such films as: Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark (with
singer Bjork), and Dogville.
A Friday, 19 October, 2001 BBC online news article quotes "Festival
director Wolfgang Wagner, the 82-year-old grandson of the composer"
as saying that "von Trier attended performances at the festival
this year. 'He has a particular affinity and artistic relation with
this work," said Mr Wagner, adding that he is a fan of von Trier's
films'." The article also notes that "Daylight, hand-held
cameras, improvised acting and limited dialogue are features of his
work", which may inspire you to imagine how these techniques
could translate to the stage.
Rockwell also introduces us to the 42 year old Mr. Schlingensief:
He is a "Dadaist provocateur whose agenda is to shock and amuse
audiences in the service of his own vaguely utopian, quasi-political
aims. He's against the establishment and globalization and fat-cat
politicians, and he's for the downtrodden. But mostly he seems out
to galvanize, disturb and entertain".
Rockwell quotes Schlingensief as saying: "I hate things that
are perfect," he said in 1999. "I want to encourage people
to destroy everything that seems perfect." Rockwell then comments:
"The statement might seem to come straight from the German nihilist,
proto-fascist playbook, but Mr. Schlingensief seems to be against
Hitler along with capitalism in a way that would do Gottfried Wagner,
the most strident of the anti-anti-Semitic Wagners, proud".
Rockwell concludes by noting that: "Through a spokesman at
the time of this latest announcement, Bayreuth's patriarch assured
Wagnerians that Mr. Schlingensief would come up with an 'exciting,
meaningful staging that would be true to the spirit" of Parsifal'.
"We shall see". We shall indeed - and we will endeavour
to keep you up-to-date on the developments on the grune Hügel!
[Ed. July 2003
This Page was last updated on:
10-Mar-2004
© Wagner Society in NSW Inc 2004 |