Wagner: Das Rheingold ****
Opera North, Royal Festival Hall, 28th June 2016
Richard Jones has a lot to answer for. His cartoon-kitsch Ring for The Royal Opera back in 1994-5 scarred me so deeply that I’ve been reluctant to return to a staged cycle ever since. The mental picture of Rhinemaidens in fat suits and Brünnhilde in skeleton-print body-stocking still makes me shudder, not to mention Mime wearing a pinny as the dragon, Fafner. Opera North’s cycle offers a form of personal Wagner therapy: all four music dramas in concert performances, but with Peter Mumford’s carefully choreographed video and lighting effects. It was time to dip a tentative toe back into the Rhine.
Jeni Bern, Madeleine Shaw and Sarah Castle (Rhinemaidens)
© Clive Barda
Read the full review on Bachtrack.