Rheingold is an enormous hit with our audiences, the most overtly so of my time here. But a few (very few) letters and a few friends have expressed that they dont understand the point of view of the production. Given the narrative clarity, I find this amazing. The directors view of the gold itself is utterly explicit: Valhalla and the gold, played as they are by humans, are the toil required by whatever power controls them. The Nibelungen, in every production, are enslaved to forge the Ring; in ours they are also, probably unknowingly, harvested themselves, since one of Alberichs goals seems to be eggs of perfect (and lucrative) babies. I dont see how it could possibly be more clear. The productions centrality of human life is one of the most moving things about it, particularly as the cycle progresses. Conversations about the Ring are interesting indeed!
Posted on: Sat, 19 Apr 2014 22:48:42 +0000