- The Ring is Forged - and Reaping Applause and Praise
Applause for the singers and conductor Simone Young - and unmistakable boos for director Valentin Schwarz: In Bayreuth, the revival of the four-part "Ring Cycle" had its premiere and found its conclusion with "Götterdämmerung" on the late Friday evening.
However, the expressions of displeasure with the staging concept were also accompanied by audible applause, suggesting that Schwarz's approach may have found some fans in the festival hall. The production is a clear rejection of any form of mythologization and pathos. Some ideas work, others remain incoherent. In Schwarz's concept, the Ring is consistently a child, leading to disruptive scenes, such as when the child seems unsure of what to do beside Siegfried's corpse in the final act of "Götterdämmerung".
The "Götterdämmerung" as the Ring's finale was marked by Klaus Florian Vogt as Siegfried and Catherine Foster as Brünnhilde. Both had already convinced at the revival of "Siegfried". But the star of the evening worked in the legendary orchestra pit of the festival hall: Conductor Simone Young was cheered and celebrated in her Bayreuth debut.
The Wagner Festival continues until August 27th.
The performance of Simone Young as the conductor received rapturous applause, making her Bayreuth debut a resounding success in the music realm. The staging of "Götterdämmerung" featured an unconventional portrayal of the Ring as a child, resulting in mixed reactions from the audience.
