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Posted by Mark Berry
on February 25, 2009, 12:00 pm, in reply to "Der fliegende Hollander at Covent Garden"
131.111.209.53
I am touched by Mr Wood’s concern for my digestive system but can assure him that there is no cause for concern. It is generous of him to ‘accept’ differences of perception and experience, although I should caution that these can only extend so far. If coordination between stage and pit is shaky, that is a matter of fact, not of opinion. The same could be said of Bryn Terfel’s breaking up of vocal lines and uncertain pitching – unless I was imagining or inventing such things, in which case I really should be written off. One might, I suppose, take the view that such musical concerns matter little, especially if one counts oneself a ‘fan’. It strikes me as odd, however, that the critics Mr Wood cites do not appear even to have noticed technical shortcomings; at best, they must have thought them unimportant enough to merit comment.
Much musical criticism, especially in the ‘mainstream’ press, has become extremely generalised, presenting adjectival judgements with little or no evidence to support them. I might cite Mr Wood’s own opinion that the conducting was ‘magnificent’, the singing ‘great’, and the production ‘intriguing’. What made the conducting magnificent? Perhaps it was admiration for the number-oriented style, which I discussed in my review. I thought it misguided but readily accept that others may think differently. In what sense was this great singing? And what were those provocative insights afforded by the production? How might they compare and contrast with other productions, especially those on the Continent, of which many English critics appear woefully ignorant. Mr Wood might be interested to hear from the music critic of the 'Evening Standard', a Wagner scholar like myself, albeit of many more years and words standing. Barry Millington writes: ‘this is a far cry from the thrilling productions seen in Germany in recent decades’. Random updating does not to me justify a drab production, which appears to be straining for contemporary resonance, without ever attaining its goal. If others think differently, it would be good to hear explanation rather than assertion.
As for the matter of audience reaction, since when has popularity been a measure of anything substantial? A woman across the aisle from me left the performance no more than half an hour in. She returned at the end, to applaud and to stamp her feet, apparently in a state of near hysteria. It is not clear to me that her judgement was especially worthy of consideration. Ticket prices were extremely high for this production. My suspicion is that selling out of tickets, notwithstanding the cost, has been owed more to demand from fans of one of the singers than to any particular understanding of Wagner. They are, of course, free to attend for whatever reason they might like, but it does not follow that they are the most objective, let alone informed, judges of what they see and hear.
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