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I saw it on 4/16 and enjoyed most of it. Nothing like having a nearly 3 hour concert of some of your favorite composer's best output! My primary issue was that some of the conducting was simply way too fast. He seemed overly concerned about shortening the length of the opera even beyond the cuts that were made. An extra couple of minutes at the end of the night so that some of the interludes and "I have dreamt" could have been taken at a more sane rate of speed would not have killed the audience.
Despite the mostly negative reviews, I hope the HD video they shot of it is released soon.
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Posted: |
Apr 25, 2011 - 10:09 PM
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By: |
Zoragoth
(Member)
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I saw it on 4/16 and enjoyed most of it. Nothing like having a nearly 3 hour concert of some of your favorite composer's best output! My primary issue was that some of the conducting was simply way too fast. He seemed overly concerned about shortening the length of the opera even beyond the cuts that were made. An extra couple of minutes at the end of the night so that some of the interludes and "I have dreamt" could have been taken at a more sane rate of speed would not have killed the audience.
Despite the mostly negative reviews, I hope the HD video they shot of it is released soon.
There are some good reviews out there (some of the negative ones out there do seem to derive from that ol' anti-film music snobbery), fortunately, and I think the production and the opera itself deserve it. I myself was not bothered by the quicker tempi, esp given Herrmann apparently called for it in his score, but did not practice it in his recording. My impression was that the production definitely went over quite well with the audience, and I think it's a very accessible opera -- a good starter opera for neophytes. After all, colorful music, some memorable vocal set-pieces, a familiar and famous story, and mood and atmosphere to spare. For me, a dazzling night and literally a dream come true.
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Maybe they'll be doing a zippy production of The Ring Cycle -- who needs all of that slow, brooding music anyway? The kids, you know, need more uptempos.
P.S. I posted this before reading Zoragoth's review -- so perhaps my cynicism was uncalled for.
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During the performance I found myself much more engrossed in the work than I ever thought I'd be. Going in, I fully expected that I would catch myself zoning out during the 3rd and 4th acts, as I often do on the album, but that didn't happen. I thought the slowest part was the Prologue, which seems to take forever (actually about 15 minutes) to set up the story. I like much of the Prologue musically, but it was the least-interesting part to see staged.
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Posted: |
Apr 26, 2011 - 6:11 PM
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By: |
Mark Ford
(Member)
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My primary issue was that some of the conducting was simply way too fast. He seemed overly concerned about shortening the length of the opera even beyond the cuts that were made. An extra couple of minutes at the end of the night so that some of the interludes and "I have dreamt" could have been taken at a more sane rate of speed would not have killed the audience.
Sigh - and even then some of those critics found the opera too long! I am biased, of course, since Herrmann is my favorite composer and I've enjoyed his recording for 16 years now, but I didn't find the opera overlong at all. It unquestionably earned its length in terms of plot, music, and production, and so yes, could have been allowed a few extra minutes.
I'm kind of wondering what criteria some of the critics used when determining that WH was too long (I see the total performance time listed at under 3 hours)? If it is inherently slow moving due to its conception then that certainly is a viable factor, but if it is merely the length of the work and its longer performance time than many operas then I wonder how the same critics respond to Wagnerian operas and music dramas? I've seen a number over the years including an all afternoon into evening performance of Tannhäuser in Bayreuth (breaks of nearly an hour in between acts though), Lohengrin (twice) and Tristan und Isolde both of which clocked in at 3 1/2 hours plus, and a performance of Parsifal that was close to 4 1/2 hours (all admittedly long time staples of the repertoire). So did the long performance times for those works get the same response from the critics? Maybe or maybe not, just curious about what factors come into play when determining whether an opera is too long or not.
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Posted: |
Apr 26, 2011 - 8:42 PM
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By: |
Zoragoth
(Member)
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If it is inherently slow moving due to its conception then that certainly is a viable factor, but if it is merely the length of the work and its longer performance time than most operas then I wonder how the same critics respond to Wagnerian operas and music dramas? I've seen a number over the years including an all afternoon into evening performance of Tannhäuser in Bayreuth (breaks of nearly an hour in between acts though), Lohengrin (twice) and Tristan und Isolde both of which clocked in at 3 1/2 hours plus, and a performance of Parsifal that was close to 4 1/2 hours (all admittedly long time staples of the repertoire). So did the long performance times for those works get the same response from the critics? Maybe or maybe not, just curious about what factors come into play when determining whether an opera is too long or not.
Very good point, Mark. I guess if you're Wagner it's one thing, but if you're an upstart *film composer* who has had the temerity to compose an opera without so much as a commission, you better keep it short and sweet, because you're lucky we even deign to give you the time of day, buster!
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Minnesota Public Radio offered a surfeit of Herrmann's music leading up to the final performance- which is uncommon with its spotty moments of film scores. Nothing was lengthy, nothing esoteric... but music that related closely to the opera, such as 'Taxi Driver'.
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