Mad Scientist Wannabe
This is why I've avoided any version of the Ring of the Nibelung that isn't
I agree with Chuck Jones, it's a great work, but I don't know anyone that could sit through the whole thing and come out sane, or even alive.
Of course, don't you know anything about ALCHEMY?!- Twin clones of Ivan the Great
United Earth
The rest of the audience seemeed to pull it off fine. But by the middle of the third act, specifically Wotan and Brunhilde's discussion before he fires her for good, I just couldn't stay awake anymore, and ran away. Also, I really found Wotan's behaviour frankly repulsive.
That's the most convoluted Wife Husbandry I've ever seen.
edited 28th May '14 2:01:40 AM by TheHandle
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
I don't think it's too uncommon of an opinion that Wagner was an infinitely better composer than he was a writer of stage drama. And he does not make for a good first introduction to opera. I learned that the hard way.
Fuck, I still haven't sat all the way through Gotterdamerung.
edited 29th May '14 10:30:12 PM by Pannic
AAARGH! I NEED TO VENT!
Today I went to see The Valkyrie.
Despite a lot of beautiful performances and magnificent voices and memorable mise-en-scéne (they were all dressed like Nazis, which is to say, very snappily, and the setting was full of modern-military stuff). It was a fucking nightmare. For one thing, it was too long
But character-wise, every time Wotan was involved, I wanted to scream. The Allfather is a disgrace. He is indeed a coward and a fool. His treatment of Sigmund and Brunhilde is downright shameful.
As for Sigmund and Siglinda... ehhhhhh. You can't help but pity them.
But the thing that really pissed me off with this story was the Department of Redundancy Department. Why say things in a few words when you can say so with a series of monologues? Why have an argument progress swiftly when you can have characters repeating the same talking points in circles? Who the Hell gave Wagner Protection from Editors?!
Still, I couldn't help but reimagine the whole thing in my head as a miniseries in the style of Game of Thrones or Series/Vikings, with lots of beautiful snow imagery, raging battles (*Siegmund takes a Last Stand for the maiden* *he fights valliantly* *look at his pain* *then BAM, his sword shatters* *and CRACK, so does his shield* *wounded, he is impotent to stop the maiden from being finally slain! he barely makes it out with his life!*), forest treks (*the Wolf and the Wolfling are walking the forest, when suddenly, Random Encounter!*), etc. etc. With some editing and abridging, there's potential for something truly beautiful on our TV screens!
edited 27th May '14 4:11:38 PM by TheHandle
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.