No: 213 April 2014 Wagner news Number 213 April 2014 CONTENTS 4 Reports of Committee meetings Andrea Buchanan 5 Wagner Society 2014 Bayreuth Ballot Winners Andrea Buchanan 6 Announcement of Wagner Society 2014 AGM Andrea Buchanan 8 Monte Carlo Rheingold Katie Barnes 13 Chéreau Ring : A contrary view Robert Mitchell 14 Melbourne Ring Ian Rickword 17 Covent Garden Parsifal Katie Barnes 22 Parsifa l: Beauty is in the eye and the ear of the beholder Hilary Reid Evans 23 Regeneration in Parsifal Charles Ellis 24 Masterclasses with Richard Berkeley-Steele Katie Barnes 28 Bromley Symphony Orchestra Die Walküre Act I (photo-essay) Richard Carter 29 Parsifal : Staging an enigma David Edwards 30 Storms at Sea: Three Anniversary Year Reflections John Crowther 32 Illustrated Recital: Wagner and the Dream King Roger Lee 34 News of Young Artists: Our Young Singers: A Progress Report Andrea Buchanan 36 News of Young Artists: Amanda Echalaz Malcolm Rivers 37 Rehearsal Orchestra / Mastersingers: Scenes from Tristan und Isolde, 19 th Oct 2014 38 Après le déluge : Mastersingers / MCL Weekend in Aldeburgh, 12 th –14 th Sept 2014 40 Book review: Walter Widdop: The Great Yorkshire Tenor Richard Hyland 41 Book review: Richard Wagner: The Lighter Side Roger Lee 42 Venues for Wagner Society Events Peter Leppard 43 Wagner Society Contacts 44 Wagner Society Forthcoming Events Peter Leppard Cover photo by Clive Barda for the Covent Garden production of Parsifal reviewed on pages 17 to 23 Printed by Rap Spiderweb – www.rapspiderweb.com 0161 947 3700 EDITOR’S NOTE How do you solve a problem like Parsifal ? Why is it that many of us would prefer to attend a concert performance of what may be regarded as the most sublime of Wagner’s music than to watch a staged performance of the work described by David Edwards on page 29 as having the ability “to set us at loggerheads from virtually the first bar”? He asks whether it is possible to get even close to realising on stage a work that is so densely layered, nuanced and mystically suggestive in its musical atmosphere. Few writers are as Wagner experienced and as open minded as Katie Barnes. In her report of the Covent Garden production of Parsifal on pages 17 to 21 she tells us how she found the Act I finale to be upsetting and disturbing: “I emerged from Act I shaking with horror and anger.” Probably the majority of us agree with the necessity for directorial innovation. In the chapter: “Creativity or Desecration?” of his book Richard Wagner: The Lighter Side reviewed on page 41 Terry Quinn agrees that new ideas and interpretations are the lifeblood of opera at the same time as being a source of anger and bitter argument among audiences and practitioners alike. As shown abundantly in the previous issue of Wagner News , many eminent Wagnerians believe that Patrice Chéreau set the scene for superimposing a director’s thinking to Wagner’s concepts in what has become known as Regietheater (“Director’s Theatre”). Author of Gentle Regrets Roger Scruton writes: “Wagner productions are invariably travesties – not productions in fact but ‘interpretations’ with the ego of the producer placed squarely between the work and the audience, so turning every seat in the opera house into one with an obstructed view.” Terry Quinn coins the term “irrelevant creativity” for what he regards as the worst examples of Regie opera. He points to an antidote suggested by Philip Kennicott in the April 2012 issue of Opera News for counteracting productions which “strive for shock value, unnecessarily alienating large swathes of the audience” – that of simply dispensing with the director and leaving the job to the singers. Let us then return to the thoughts of director David Edwards who writes in this issue of Wagner News: “Directors do not undertake their task lightly. The best ones seek to reveal the piece, to let it speak, to facilitate its expression of its own self. In other words, they aim to show the work for what it is, not tell us what it means.” –3– FROM THE COMMITTEE Andrea Buchanan, Secretary 10 th December 2013 Apologies for absence were received from Roger Lee and Charlie Furness Smith. Both the incoming Treasurer (Neil King) and the outgoing Treasurer (Mike Morgan) were in attendance. Neil was formally co-opted to the Committee and was appointed as an Officer of the Wagner Society by unanimous vote. The Secretary reported on the recent Singing Competition, which was generally judged to have been a success and written feedback from attendees on the day had endorsed this view. There followed a debate on the best way forward. No decision would be taken until a proper budget for 2014 had been agreed and accepted. It was agreed that this event was important to the Wagner Society, both in terms of the charitable remit and of its popularity with members. Ed Hewitt reported on progress with the Constitution sub-Committee, led by Ray Godson. The Committee were pleased to note that an amicable and constructive meeting had been held with the President and that the sub-Committee were making good progress. Plans were on track for a final proposed revised Constitution to be in place for members to vote on its adoption at the forthcoming AGM on 12 th May. Neil King had prepared an indicative budget for 2014. Various comments and clarifications were offered by Committee members and a refined version would be submitted at the next meeting, scheduled for early February. Additional items discussed included formalising the grants application process and clarifying the relationship with Mastersingers by means of a Memorandum of Understanding. Work would be undertaken to create the necessary documentation for agreement and adoption of these proposals by the Committee. The Secretary reported on Verband matters (a new Praesidium would be elected in May) and on the forthcoming Kongress in Graz in May, which it was hoped more members would attend. 4th February 2014 This was largely a meeting to discuss the annual budget, prepared and presented by Neil King, who had taken over from Mike Morgan as Treasurer on 1 st January. The Committee debated various areas of income and expenditure in order to decide what might be affordable for 2014. The aim was to create a break-even scenario for the year. Edward Hewitt reported on progress with the new draft constitution. This draft, once agreed, would be circulated to all members with the papers for consideration at the AGM. Other agenda items included reports on progress with the Bayreuth ticket ballot, an update on the Richard Wagner Verband International, the MoU recently signed with Mastersingers and consideration of grant requests that had been received. It was agreed to award the following: £500 to Free London Theatre for their free staging of The Ring as a play this summer in London, £339 to soprano Lee Bissett for German lessons and £305 to soprano Cara McHardy for coaching in the role of Isolde. Fulham Opera’s request for funding in support of their Ring cycle was turned down, as they had previously received support from the Society. –4– 10 th March 2014 Apologies for absence were received from Peter Leppard, Roger Lee, Charlie Furness Smith, Ed Hewitt and Emmanuelle Waters. All applications for membership of the Society were approved by the Committee. The Treasurer then gave a brief update on the budget for 2014, noting that the previously projected deficit for 2014 had been considerably reduced by refining the forecast, although the Committee would need to exercise caution and prudence with all spend this year and the aim was to break even. Ed Hewitt had circulated all the feedback from Committee members on the proposed new Constitution. There followed a discussion on several items. The Committee proposed a few minor amendments to the draft, which would be submitted to the membership in advance of the AGM. The document was however broadly acceptable to the Committee. The Secretary ran through the proposed papers for the AGM and a schedule for submission and distribution of the papers to members was agreed. The Committee then noted the excellent events programme that had been prepared by Peter Leppard over the coming months. A discussion took place on the 2014 Singing Competition, which was deemed affordable and the format would be similar to last year. Advertising rates for Wagner News for 2014 were discussed and decided. In general, the Committee would welcome additional income from suitable advertisers. There followed a couple of AOB items regarding future dates for Committee meetings and the desirability of more artistic input on the Committee. BAYREUTH BALLOT 2014 Andrea Buchanan, Secretary We received an allocation of 6 tickets this year from our Society membership of the Gesellschaft der Freunde. 31 people applied for the ballot. Of these, the majority were for the tickets to Lohengrin and the fewest were for Holländer . All the winners were informed immediately after the ballot draw, which took place on 7 th March. At the time of going to press only two winners had confirmed that they would take up the tickets: Joan Clinch and Katie Bradford, both of whom are delighted to be attending Holländer . We wonder why so few of you took part and we would be most interested to have your feedback. Is it because of the availability of online tickets, or because some of you are becoming disenchanted with productions in Bayreuth, or because the tickets are becoming unaffordable? We should like to continue with this activity in principle and, as our membership of the Gesellschaft is inexpensive, we feel that it represents good value for money.