As part of the 200th anniversary celebrations of Richard Wagner’s birth, the Bayreuth Festival has staged a new production of the Ring - by the artistic director of Berlin's Volksbühne, Frank Castorf. Castorf, who clearly had very limited rehearsal time, takes an essentially non-Wagnerian view of the work. The result is a provocative, irritating yet fascinating production that could best be described as an 'imploded' work of art. I find Castorf’s distinctly unmusical approach to Wagner is fundamentally problematic. There are few signs, if any, that the director is able to relate to Wagner’s music, with the exception perhaps of his seemingly ironic efforts to trivialise the central scenes and climaxes. The production is both fascinating and irritating.
Read more about Frank Castorf's Ring production 2013 on Wagneropera.net
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