This clip from a mid-1990s British documentary about the Royal Opera House exemplifies the conflict between traditional, reverential opera productions, and the modernist approach.
It begins with a group of opera traditionalists protesting the house's staging of a modern opera, ''Gawain,'' that is marked by its dissonant style. Next we get a glimpse of a postmodern production of ''The Magic Flute'' (which proves to be an artistic and commercial failure).
Then, in the highlight of the clip, we see a glorious, traditional production of ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg,'' conducted by Bernard Haitink, which is a bona fide triumph, and wildly popular.
The video concludes with a look at the opera house's plans to stage a ridiculous, revisionist version, bordering on self-parody, of Wagner's ''Ring.''
4 Comments
DeanoYou'd think they could have made a better model of the idea for a Wagner opera with a collapsible car!
bluecliffHey silvercord! really great find.
Sylvester_InkI don't understand the attraction of such extreme forms of modernism. While modernists such as Stravinsky bring fresh, new ideas to the field, there is such thing as going too far. I think this kind of thing is more of an avant garde/postmodernist style, and those generally push a bit far into the extremes. (Atonal "music" is an example.)
In the end, such extremes often take something that's potentially beautiful and turn it into something rather ugly. (In my eyes . . .)
SketchMakes me feel sad for our American "culture" knowing that our greatest arguments usually revolve around The Simpsons versus Family Guy.
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