“Das Rheingold” in Mariinsky theatre.
I have listened in Mariinsky
theatre "Das Rheingold" - Richard Wagner's opera
(the part of tetralogies “Der Ring des Nibelungen”: Die Walküre",
"Siegfried", "Götterdämmerung"
(Twilight of the Gods).
Wagner’s cycle is created on the basis of the German-Scandinavian
mythology and the epos. The libretto was written by the great composer, rather
originally having constructed action, but having kept spirit of North legends.
Thus
Wagner used the basic lines from the Scandinavian "Edda"
sated with myths about gods, and names, and that, as to a heroic part has
taken from the German tradition. Therefore the Supreme god Odin
refers to here Wotan, the god of a thunder of Thor – Donner, hero Sigurd –
Siegfried, etc.
And here this
opera, in view of coming globalization, sounds
unexpectedly actually.
We see here
the female elements of Fate embodied by the goddess of the ground Erd and her daughters - the Norns.
Above the earth great spirit Wotan establishes the man's domination. It does
it by means of giants (spontaneous titanic forces) built illusive palace
Wotan and Donner, Fro, Fricka, Freia personify Superelite. Eternal
- the world will not be destroyed yet.
But
their board keeping on force and oaths, fastening contracts, is undermined from
each wrong act. And here, in underground foggy Nibelhejm the authority
hostile to man's gods “a night army of Nibelungs” (gnomes) and
their master – Alberich, renounced from love for the sake of
the gold which has held down a ring of power (Tolkien has written the Gorlum under impression Wagner’s operas) arises.
Alberich is the international financial
capital there, powerful already during Wagner’s time and so actively trying
last years to impose to the world the model of globalization.
There is also
one more player – the Broad gully, the god of fire. It
is artful and changeable. Once the Broad gully
other Nibelungs,
but has come over to of the party of gods. It deceives all – Nibelungs (taking
away at them authority), gods (involving them in the lie), giants (having
transferred them damned Alberich a ring). In
the Broad gully look through features of the bohemian intellectual and the
latent revolutionary serving the financial capital and Elite, but despising and
deceiving those and others (and, in turn, them despised).
All world of "Das
Rheingold" is based on a lie and doomed for destruction. And
only future hero Siegfried) is capable to expiate evil by a life. But it is a
plot of the subsequent operas “Der Ring des Nibelungen”.
Now it
is a little about statement. Any unexpectedness for me was not – the opera goes
in Mariinsky
theatre some years, and I listened one year ago here to " Destruction of gods ». Musical execution corresponds
to the highest modern standards (as maestro Gergiev conducted), singing also
(especially would note party Alberich –
A certain
Joseph Jusupov worked at scenery.
As far as I can judge, he possessed also registration of statement to "Götterdämmerung" (Twilight of the Gods),
seen by me earlier.
In the first
picture, (coast of ancient Rhein) the role of rocks
is executed with any vertically put humanoid cobble-stones among which action
proceeds.
In the second
picture (the opera has gone without intervals) on a stage four legs (like tower
cranes), divided on segments inside of which the same cobble-stones are placed
fall. Plus – some the huge horizontal figures suspended to a ceiling. All this
symbolizes constructed by giants Valhall Wotan.
Giants are showed
as two huge black block from which heads and shoulders of singers are put out.
Inside of them the workers moving block on a stage (what process looks
comically enough) disappear.
Probably, the
idea was to show ancient giants as the certain blocks which have arisen at the
beginning of the world (similarly to the Greek Cyclopes in whom saw artistic
realization of volcanoes).
But as a
whole, despite of good work of the artist on light (Gleb
Filshtinsky), scenery make depressing impression.
What to do, it is necessary to reckon with aesthetic taste modern
Alberichs.
The costume
designer is Tatyana working in
Mariinsky with operas of
Wagner traditionally. She not the costumier by a trade also has got in Mariinsky casually enough
(someone from art dealers would say for her a word at
suitable minute – usual Soviet and Russian practice). However Noginova’s work looks much more successfully scenery. Such
clothes could rush and five thousand years up to
us, and five millennium later.
Wotan, Donner, Fro (the god of light) and Loge like
elves. Daughters of Rhein
remind, more likely pagan priestesses (in their suits obviously influence of
set dressers of the Siver age). Beauty
Freia
(Fricka’s
sister, goddesses of a youth, a subject of man's desire) a long golden dress
with "tail" (according to a fashion of the end of the nineteenth
century).
Are ominous
black small Nibelungs
(children's chorus of Mariinsky
theatre) with naked big skulls.
Alberich
likes them but he big and flavovirent (conducts a
water way of life).
Alberich’s transformations
(in a dragon and a toad) are solved not so successfully, from the point of view
of modern opportunities. The dragon is represented by the actress mimans, with holding
umbrellas and running on a stage a chain.
Goddess Erd acts with the closed person and the longest horns who support her daughters (also the actress mimans).
In
ending and the wife it Frika
set up to itself on heads enormous white crown, as the Egyptian gods (at Wotan – Anubis - a jackal, at Frika – Bast – a cat). These are eclectic.
Alex Fantalov.
Ursula K. Le Guin and Karlos Castaneda.