"Will Robert Lepage’s version of the “Ring,” which finishes a run at the Met this week, recover from the drubbing it has received in the print press and on the Internet? Anything is possible, but probably not. This “Ring” has few defenders, and they are far exceeded in vehemence by its detractors.
"In a column in March, I went out on a limb and declared that “pound for pound, ton for ton, it is the most witless and wasteful production in modern operatic history.” Anthony Tommasini, in the Times, called it “the most frustrating opera production I have ever had to grapple with.” Justin Davidson, in New York, wrote, “There’s hardly a moment in any of the four episodes when you sense the director’s passionate involvement with the characters or their moral dilemmas.” Brian Kellow, in Opera News (published by the Metropolitan Opera Guild), announced that “we are in the midst of a very bad period,” and went on to quote my “Ring” review. Heidi Waleson, in the Wall Street Journal, perceived “no sustaining vision.” Jeremy Eichler, in the Boston Globe, tapped in the final nail: “In their fetishization of technological brilliance at the expense of just about everything else, Lepage’s productions remain a chilling, cautionary tale."
But, what the hell; it's free on PBS. Pity those who spent thousands of dollars for one seat to all four operas!
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/05/the-met-ring-cycle-critics.html#ixzz1x8lA0wA5
I saw it in the theater and loved it. It works better that way than live in this case.
Right. now, there is a hate-on going on between the majority gay NY critical media and Peter Gelb, the General Manager at the Met - they’re PO’d because they don’t feel he’s giving enough face time to their favorite gay conductor, Yannick Nezet Seguin.
In the case of Brian Kellow and Heidi Wallison, they are connected to the Metropolitan Opera Guild, whose budget Peter Gelb had a hand in reducing sharply, resulting in quite a few firings and reductions in salary.
I wouldn’t pay much attention to these articles.
(I saw two cycles of the new production - enjoyed them very much.)