Lead singers voice strong dissent over L.A. Opera's 'Ring' cycle

Los Angeles Opera is spending $32 million on its production of Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle. Now it appears that this expensive ring has been somewhat tarnished before its big unveiling.

In a break with informal but widely common protocol, the two lead singers of the company's "Ring" have said they are unhappy with the staging in advance of the opening at the end of this month.

The singers -- British tenor John Treleaven and American soprano Linda Watson -- have criticized director Achim Freyer's production as artistically flawed and physically dangerous. They also have spoken up about their backstage skirmishes with the idiosyncratic auteur whose controversial staging has already divided audiences and critics alike since the individual "Ring" operas were first seen starting last year.

Treleaven, who plays the hero Siegfried, said he has been hurt twice during stand-alone productions of "Siegfried" and "Götterdämmerung" that ran earlier. The culprit is the severely raked, or angled, stage that forces singers to perform as if on the side of a slope. The rake is among the steepest ever used by the company.

Watson, who plays the role of Brünnhilde, called the set the "most dangerous stage I've been on in my entire career." She added that she has nothing against modern operatic interpretations, citing her appearance in Robert Wilson's "Ring" in Paris a few years ago. "That production was difficult, but it wasn't dangerous," she said.

The singers said that Freyer doesn't appear to care about the dramatic and psychological depth that they bring to their respective roles. Both singers emphasized that their criticisms are not personal in nature.

L.A. Opera defended the safety of its stage and its choice of hiring Freyer, saying that the German director is still the right man for the job. But Christopher Koelsch, the company's head of artistic planning, said that Freyer may not have done the best job in selling his vision of the production to the cast.

Plácido Domingo, who is the general director of the company and appears in "Die Walküre," said in a statement that he happens "to admire Freyer’s interpretation of the ‘Ring,’ but there have been plenty of other times in my long career when I didn’t agree with a director’s concept of a piece.”

The company has been gradually rolling out its version of the "Ring" in installments since last season. Three complete cycles of the 19-hour epic will be performed from May 29 to June 26.

Read the full story on the controversy surrounding L.A. Opera's "Ring" production.

-- David Ng

Photo: John Treleaven and Linda Watson in L.A. Opera's production of "Götterdämmerung." Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

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Comments

[markiejoe]

Oh boo hoo. And they wonder why opera is boring.

I've acted on stages that were raked more than 14 degrees and did just fine. I've acted behind masks and did just fine.

Opera singers need to (1) lose weight, (2) get in shape, and (3) learn how to act. If they want to stand in one place and face front while singing every note with perfect tone production, stick to recitals.

If you want to be part of dynamic musical theatrical productions that actually engage the audience, then learn to act and move while you sing.

[Nick]

The raked stage is much steeper than 14 degrees. It's at least 30.

[rip rense]

Bravo, and brava! Treleaven and Watson are absolutely heroic in their denunciation of this farce. This is very brave of them, and many audience members undoubtedly are thrilled by their courage. This makes the debacle that is the L.A. Ring complete---unless, that is, Treleaven and Watson quit or are fired. Think of it: Siegfried and Brunhilde quit! Maybe they could be replaced by Siegfried and Roy, who would fit right into Freyer's ridiculous circus. And they'd be a bigger draw, too, as tickets are not selling for the upcoming three Ring cycles. This also exposes the sheer irresponsibility of Times Music Critic Mark Swed in refusing to point out the painfully obvious scandal of having spent nearly $40 million on this nonsense. Not to mention his refusal to report what other critics noted as the loudest booing in the history of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion following the recent premier of "Gotterdamerung." The first Ring in L.A. history looks to its last for a long time, and could seriously compromise the future of L.A. Opera.

[markiejoe]

"A major complaint is the raked stage, which tilts at a 14-degree angle toward the audience, among the steepest ever used at the L.A. Opera."

[Jack Niente]

you've got to understand the full scope of the situation. the only way critics can keep their jobs is to over-inflate the artsy-crafty scene in CA. otherwise, they'll be out of a gig before entering retirement. nonetheless, this is the same publication that replaced the term "resistance" for "insurgency". after that one, no more words needed...

[Mike]

I'm not a lifelong opera "buff" having inherited a set of season tickets from my aunt 4 years ago. I've renewed my seat ever since. I have never seen any other production of The Ring operas, but have now seen all four over the last two seasons. They were challenging, but enjoyable. I wish I'd been let in on more of the director's symbols and maybe had a scorecard of sorts visible to keep track of the characters and story a bit more easily. Everyone is entitled to their own reaction-- isn't that what art of any kind is supposed to accomplish? I look forward to seeing another production of the cycle in years to come and compare and contrast how they present Wagner's vision. Overall, I came away with feeling my 19 hours were well-spent.

[Elizabet Patterson]

As a confirmed "Ringhead", I would say this is the worst staging I've ever seen. Creative and experimental stagings are fine IF they serve the music. I am in deep admiration that Watson and Treleaven were honest (and the L.A. Opera did the connecting between them and David Ng, by the way...). They are not the only critics of this production--just the ones who were interviewed. I'll probably go to the whole thing again, but I'll keep my eyes shut and just enjoy the music and singing, which fortunately has not been totally ruined by Freyer's ego.

[Nick]

I know what the LA Times article says, markiejoe. 14 degrees is a wildly inaccurate figure, and I'm surprised the paper hasn't issued a correction. The stage is raked somewhere between 30-40 degrees.

[Nick]

From LA Opera's own website:

"Opera choreographer Peggy Hickey was on a mission. She had a 12-minute ballet to choreograph on a 30-degree raked stage for LA Opera's spring 2009 production of Walter Braunfels' The Birds, to be directed by Darko Tresnjak, and she was driving around L. A. looking for a hill to help in "mastering a [dance] vocabulary on a rake." She had already looked at and walked the rake that was also being used for LA Opera's Ring cycle and she realized that using the usual lifts and leaps to indicate flight wouldn't work."

[bettie]

If you want to"just enjoy the music and singing," stay home and put on a CD. The theater is no place for you.

[T1]

Obviously, Markijoe, you haven't been to an opera in awhile. The day of the stand still fat opera singer is long past. There also some very fine actors performing as well. I know of know movie stars or theater actors who have to work on what is essentially at least a 30 degree rake. You also know obviously little about this production. If you did, you could see the difficulty singers are put under. Acting behind a mask is not the same thing as trying to sing behind one and over a 90 piece orchestra UNAMPLIFIED.

[Elizabet Patterson]

The beauty of opera is the synthesis of wonderful music and singing combined with staging that illuminates and supports the story line. It is to my mind the most "complete" art form. This production obscures, befuddles, contradicts, and demeans both the music and the singers. (As well as being dangerous.) A test of good production--will other companies want to use it? Thus far, any companies that had shown interest have now pulled out after they saw what they would be getting. I suspect LA has a $32M white elephant on its hands. Too bad--it could have been a creative gem.

[Liz Bell]

Hearing the opening to Duff Murphy's opera program this morning on KUSC, in which he played the closing of "Gotterdamerung" reminded me just how awful Achim Freyer's staging was. Singers were not allowed to move normally, not even during the touching duet between Siegfried and Brunnhilde were they allowed to gaze upon each other. A production designer's obligation is to get out of the way of the composer and to allow the singers to reveal their characters, not inject his ego so totally that it dominates and creates danger for the singers. As a veteran Ringhead, I'm saddened L.A.'s first Ring didn't take advantage of the wonderful media arts we have--movies, animation, video--to introduce a wider audience to the glorious music Wagner has provided. We cancelled our full Ring Cycle tickets after seeing two of the regular season's Ring operas. Had the music been rendered purely, without imprisoning the performers, it would have created an inspirational flood by all of us to attend more Ring Festival events and learn more about Wagner.