COMMENTARY AND LINK: Watson, Treleaven complain about L.A. Opera's "Ring"

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News

David Ng has written an article in today’s Los Angeles Times detailing major artistic differences between Linda Watson and John Treleaven, two of the principal singers in Los Angeles Opera’s Ring cycle, and German director Achim Freyer, creator of the company’s production. (LINK)

I certainly hope the two artists aren’t going to fall into the “we were misquoted” syndrome. But the article certainly raises some questions, one in particular: why now?

Watson has sung the role of Brünnhilde in the final three Ring music dramas: Die Walküre, which opened at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion more than a year ago, Siegfried, which was unveiled last September, and Götterdämerung, which debuted last month. Treleaven sang the role of Siegfried in the final two operas. Consequently, Watson has seen the overall concept for more than a year, and even if Treleaven didn’t look at a DVD or other sort of video, he’s seen it for many months. Why raise these issues at this point in time?

The two major complaints outlined in the article are quite different: the safety of the cast and Freyer’s use of masks and other elements to achieve his goal of timelessness in the production.

Watson and Treleaven are upset about the 14-degree rake of the circular stage and how it hinders people’s ability to move freely; both called it “dangerous” and Treleaven said he sustained two minor injuries.

The pitch does seem sharp but it’s ironic that both Watson and Treleaven sang in the company’s most recent revival of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, which also used a sharply raked stage. I can remember when I saw the original mounting nearly 25 years ago from a front-row seat and waited for Jeannine Altmeyer to tumble into my lap.

As the article noted, the company has taken steps to improve traction on the stage and has inserted small platforms on which singers often stand they they’re singing.

The two singers also complained about Freyer’s use of masks and other elements that deemphasized the individual characters. According to the article, “The soprano said that at one point, she became so frustrated with the production's lack of character development that she told Freyer to ‘buy one of my CDs and put it on instead of me.’”

Freyer’s production is quite controversial, in part because it focuses on elements other than the individual characters. Many people love it and others hate it. However, not many people come to a Wagner production because of the singers’ acting abilities, which is a good thing in many cases. There are long stretches during the Ring when singers do nothing but stand and sing and, in the case of Watson and Treleaven, they have done so quite well, in my opinion.

Nonetheless whatever your feelings about Freyer's production, my original question stands: why now?
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(c) Copyright 2010, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.