We saw the season premiere of Das Rheingold at the Met this weekend.  I had never seen it and neither of us had seen the Met’s Robert Lepage production.  While there was much fine singing the series of onstage technical snafus made for an interesting matinee. 

Elizabeth – This was the first time attending any kind of performance where not only was I told several times by ushers that there would be no intermission (and the performance was to be 2 hours and 40 minutes) but also tersely informed that if I left during the performance I would not be permitted back in.  While in some ways I appreciated the last call for the bathroom, it seemed to put everyone on edge.  From the beginning the audience was fussy, lots of shifting in seats and twisting programs into tightly rolled batons.  I don’t know about you, but as soon as I’m told I won’t be able to use the bathroom, I immediately have to go.  And so the battle of the bladders had begun. 

I had heard and read a great deal about The Machine built for the Ring, yet I had not imagined it anything like it is.  Long boards close together, like the keys on a piano, move and bend and rise and lower to all sorts of different configurations.  It is a stunning and massive technological feat.  I loved the opening with the Rhinemaidens floating in the air against the machine and the projected effects that made the maidens appear to be on water, complete with bubbles rising on The Machine.  There was also a screen used that made it seem like the pebbles and gold were moving when the Rhinemaidens touched that part of the screen. 

But of course The Machine got stuck despite it now being in use for almost three years.  It was rather odd to have this massive technology be frozen, with the only way to fix it was to have a little man come onstage and adjust each stuck board by hand.  The singers handled it professionally.  Instead of ascending The Machine stairs to the door to Nibelheim they walked along the stage.  Other stage snafus—Alberich walked offstage with his magic helmet making him invisible instead of disappearing—made me apprehensive during later parts of the opera.  When gold was being piled onstage on top of Freia on a net that was suspended between two parts of The Machine, I was worried about her falling and so The Machine got to be a bit of a distraction.  Not helping were the sounds it was making, ominous creaking and groaning at points with stagehands audibly calling to one another as they adjusted the set.

The Machine aside, I love Wagner and really enjoyed how the Met presented this piece.  It is very hard for me to say much about the singers because with Wagner the orchestral and vocal music seem to blend to become one unit as opposed to other operas where the orchestra seems to be in an accompanying position.  That said, Mark Delavan as Wotan, Stephanie Blythe as Fricka, and Eric Owens as Alberich were wonderful and powerful in their roles.  Blythe, in particular, was amazing in how gorgeous and strong her voice was.  Loge, as sung by Stefan Margita was great fun, and he also seemed to be enjoying himself in the role which is always great to see.

Fabio Luisi conducted, and while he is a great conductor and everything he does seems technically perfect there’s something a bit boring and staid about his conducting.  But it could just be me. 

Finally, I talked to Wotan afterwards and he dispelled one of my favorite parts of the opera—as Wotan and the gang walk to Valhalla, it’s not the actual singers who are hitched into the harnesses at that point, but stunt doubles.  Maybe I’m just naïve, but I assumed it was the singers and that was a real bummer.  Overall, aside from the lack of intermission—and the resulting mad dash en masse to the bathrooms afterward (many left before the curtain call)—I greatly enjoyed Das Rheingold, and loved this introductory piece of the Ring.  

Shawn – Never having seen Das Rheingold or any part of The Ring Cycle I was very excited to see the Met’s multi-million dollar spectacular.  I was also pleased that it is only 2 ½ hours as opposed to the 5 ½ hours of the other chapters of The Ring.   I thought it would be a good way to ease myself into it. 

The Met ushers walking up and down the aisles reminding the audience in Dress Circle that the show was 2 ½ hours without intermission and if anyone left they would NOT be allowed back in (they really did emphasize the NOT) felt a little ominous.  Especially the repeated warning of, “If you have to go to the bathroom, please do so now.”  I have never been ordered by a Met employee to use the bathroom before. (Well by my father but that doesn’t really count.)  Hopefully it won’t be the last time.  I kind of liked it. 

I had heard the criticisms and stories of the malfunctioning “Machine” of the Ring Cycle at the Met since the productions premiere.  But surely, I thought, in the nearly three years since the production premiered all of the bugs had been worked out.  I was wrong.  Wrong as a dwarf in a helmet.

The show opens strikingly.  The Rhinemaidens floating above the stage “swimming” is a beautiful and almost breathtaking effect.  As they rise, the Machine rotates and creates a giant pile of gold upon which they sit.  All excellent, seamless and highly dramatic.  In fact, the entire first two scenes went off almost without a hitch—until the end of scene two. 

There was a long dark static pause onstage as the gods lay there aging after Freia is taken hostage by the giants.  I have never seen the production before so I can’t be sure, but it felt like something was missing.  Far too much static dark space onstage.  Dead space. 

Then in the transition between scenes two and three, when Wotan and Loge are descending into Nibelheim, the Machine completely stopped mid rotation.  I know from production photos that Wotan and Loge are supposed to be seen walking sideways down a giant passageway created by the Machine above the stage.  The passageway was not created due to The Machine’s mid rotation freeze.  Again, more dark, dead space onstage.  Even more distracting, after Wotan and Loge reentered below the stuck half rotated Machine one could easily see stagehands scrambling and reaching up to physically rotate the Machine slats down into position for the next set change.  The thought that the giant Machine had to be physically restored into position by hand mid performance frightened me and I remained concerned for the singers’ safety for the rest of the performance.  How is it that after nearly three years and many performances the best that can be done is stagehands scampering onstage to force The Machine into position by hand?  As I said it made me feel the performers were not completely safe onstage.  Every time one of the singers approached an elevated edge of the Machine I winced.  I feared too, for Wendy Bryn Harmer’s safety as she was suspended in a net between two slats in The Machine in scene four.  During each technical snafu I could also hear the stagehands yelling backstage.  Can the Met do no better?  One would hope so.

Additionally, whatever effect was meant to depict Alberich turning invisible, whether it was a trap door or smoke or whatever, also completely failed.  Eric Owens was forced to drape the helmet over his head, growl, wait for an effect that did not happen and then simply walk off stage.  He sold it well, but I’m sure he was not pleased.  

In spite of all this, there was much fine singing.  Eric Owens and Mark Delavan were predictably excellent as I expected.  But Stefan Margita as Loge almost stole the show for me.  His “floating” on a ball of fire above the action was the only effect that consistently worked.  I wonder if there was some connection to this and the consistent excellence of his performance.  The music is breathtaking.  Even the grievous technical problems couldn’t detract from that.

Regardless or perhaps because of the snafus I look forward to seeing Die Walkure as soon as possible.