As a colleague said to me when we hailed each other at the Royal Opera House the other night, "This one really has had mixed reviews, hasn't it?" He was referring to Stephen Langridge's much-discussed new production of Wagner's Parsifal, just opened at Covent Garden. And he is right, the critics have either tended to love or to hate it. But audience members also were discussing it fairly ferociously (as ferociously as that genteel, sophisticated group of people ever get, anyway) and there were comments along the lines of, "What was that all about?" I am driven, therefore, by one of the most visceral, thought-provoking and sometimes just plain provoking Wagner stagings I have seen to put digits to keyboard and give my take...
First, a (limited) declaration of interest. I have a music consultancy company, and we work with artists who are employed by the Royal Opera from time to time. If that means you decide to entirely ignore this qualified rave, feel free. I'll understand. But I'm not here to discuss the musical side other than to say it was all outstanding (Angela Denoke's brilliant acting won the day over her worn high notes) and not that the cast--which also included Simon O'Neil, Gerald Finley, René Pape, Willard White and Robert Lloyd with Antonio Pappano magnificent in the pit--was pretty much as good as you will find in the world today.
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