by Kenneth Woods | Jul 23, 2007 | A view from the podium
And now onto Siegfried. Many consider the toughest nut to crack in the cycle, and it comes at the toughest point in the day, right after we’ve all gone out for Chinese food…. For episode three we’ve turned to the Met and James Levine. After the leather and lasers from...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 22, 2007 | A view from the podium
As we got to the end of Act II of Walkure, it occurred to me that the moments of unintentional hilarity were getting much harder to find. The despair of Wotan at the loss of his free will, the burden of Brunnhilde to ensure the death of the Walsung, Sieglinde’s shame...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 22, 2007 | A view from the podium
Act I of Walkure is now done- brother and sister have fallen into each other’s arms in libidinous passion to the words “this sword that I now hold,” which is definitely in the top 20 best unintentional laugh lines in the Ring. All props to DB- the Bayreuth orchestra...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 22, 2007 | A view from the podium
The curtain calls for Das Rheingold are finished, and the genius of our plan is apparent. While a live Ring would certainly be cooler, a DVD Ring among friends is an epic idea. In a laid-back setting, all present feel free to heckle or cheer as appropriate. We can...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 22, 2007 | A view from the podium
The definite visual highlight of Das Rheingold is not the hydraulically-operated world tree, not the transformers-robots-in-disguise giants nor is it the Oakley sunglasses on Wotan. It’s the stuffed frog they throw in the air when Alberich changes shapes. In such a...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 22, 2007 | A view from the podium
Das Rheingold begins…A gang of happily insane musicians today embark upon a quest to view all of Wagner’s Ring on DVD in one day. We’ve procured a projector and our hosts have been baking bread since 3 AM. We’ve got fruit, coffee, juice, junk food, veggies. Episode...
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