MIF 6

2 days and what a Wagner-fest it turned out to be. Friday kick-off at 1930 (after a meal at new restaurant Grill on New York Street - we'll definitely be going back there) started with a "play" explaining the background to Die Walkure. At least that was what we thought it would be and as the director was Neil Bartlett, expectations were high. However, it was really disappointing. Essentially it was 3 actors reading extracts from Wagner's diaries and contemporary accounts of his work. Interesting as an academic exercise (no doubt) but not what we were hoping for. Luckily the synopses in the programme told us all we needed to know. Act 1 followed the interval and gosh, what a twisted, mixed-up world old Norse mythology was. Turns out the "hero" in this part falls in love with and marries his twin sister. Turns out later that their father was actually King of the Gods (Wotan) and so it was therefore probably OK.

Day 2 was more of a challenge. Kick-off happened at 1530 with an announcement by Sir Mark Elder (our conductor) that Wotan's voice wasn't performing too well. Luckily, he told us, "we have a Wotan in a car heading up the M6 so if it gives out the performance can still go on"! As it turned out, Wotan managed to make it through. Act 2 is really complicated stuff (our hero ends up dead, betrayed by his father whose wife insists that he betray him - not because the brother and sister have married and conceived a child but because the sister left her husband to do this - apparently the more heinous sin). Anyway, Act 2 is about 2 hours long and much the best of the three I felt.

Then it was a 75 minute interval so back to DD's for cocktails and canapes - this worked really well I thought. Act 3 includes that very famous (and stirring) Ride of the Valkyries music. However, looking at the surtitles for this bit, they're not actually riding off to war as the stirring music might suggest but rather just chatting about their horses - a sort of Norse Pony Club gathering. Quite incongruous. However, during this bit Wotan disowns his daughter (Brunhilde - who in this production was magnificent) and condemns her to sleep on a rock until she gets married. Bizarre stuff. This Act goes on a bit as it takes ages for Wotan to put her to sleep so there's not much story happening. Then off to Rain Bar for drinks. Great fun.

I thought the Wagner was enjoyable and interesting and I'd really like to see it "staged" properly by a good opera company - maybe the Royal Opera.

That's all. J x Apart from to say thank you to Andrea for the lovely card.