Could the Bayreuth Festival's untested multimedia production of Die Walkure (The Valkyrie), to be performed at Emirates Palace Wednesday and Friday, represent the way forward for opera in the internet age?
It is headline-worthy already that the 100-piece house orchestra of Richard Wagner's famous opera house will make a rare international engagement in the city. It performed at the same venue in 2008 – the ensemble's second show outside Europe in 120 years.
But amid the historical hubbub and banner names – Stephen Gould and Daniela Kohler voice Siegmund and Sieglinde, respectively – the most noteworthy feature of the concerts has been somewhat overlooked.
The full five-hour performance will be accompanied by an all-new, specially commissioned, live-action film that may never be screened again.
You do not need to be a hardened Wagnerian to know that such a stunt is likely to ruffle the feathers of traditionalists, but could it also provide a new avenue for opera, an outreach to hyper-aware millennial audiences?
Opera for the 21st Century?
Opera is a costly business and, for logistical and budgetary reasons, it is not uncommon for famous works to be staged as audio-only "concert" versions that feature live singers on stage and an orchestra performing the complete score, without the drama, costumes, stage sets or spectacle. That is particularly the case with Wagner, whose 10 mature operas are lengthy and grandiose epics.
But this production of Die Walkure promises to inject the adrenalin and tragedy of a blockbuster through director David Kasperovski's accompanying film, recounting the five-hour saga in real time. Live actors play out Siegmund's battle with Hunding for Sieglinde, and god Wotan's banishment of meddling daughter Brunnhilde.
This surprise turn represents the reversal of a trend. More and more symphony ensembles and concert halls are boosting their seasonal turnout by staging live orchestral accompaniments to classic Hollywood films – such as The Godfather and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, screenings coming to Dubai Opera in February and March, respectively.
Abu Dhabi Classics' production flips this concept on its head, giving the stages back to the canonical composers they were built for, while injecting fresh, fidgety audiences with the visceral excitement of film. And, in this Game of Thrones climate, the outlandish gods and dragons that inhabit the fantasy world of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen cycle – of which Die Walkure is the second and most popular of four chapters – seem to be the place to start.
New voices, new approaches
Such an approach might only be possible under the direction of Katharina Wagner, the German composer's great-granddaughter, who has spent the past decade modernising his work for younger and more diverse audiences.
"This is a big thing," says Wagner, 40, who oversaw Kasperovski's direction. "It's a real movie telling the whole story of Die Walkure, which is just bizarre – it's like, you hear what the singers are singing and then you see it in the movie."
There are no plans to screen the film in the traditionalist haven of Bayreuth in Germany, and neither are there any plans to take it to other cities, nor film other operas. But Wagner acknowledges that if the production proves to be successful in Abu Dhabi, the concept could be emulated
in future.
"If the people want it, we will see how it works, but we're pretty convinced," she says. "The movie has some very dramatic pictures, so probably it will work. I'm excited because it's another way of making a show – and the only way you can see it is by travelling to Abu Dhabi."
Wagner – who is also the great-great-granddaughter of composer Franz Liszt – took over as co-director of the Bayreuth Festival in 2008, following the retirement of her father, the renowned opera director Wolfgang Wagner. One of her first steps was to start hosting casual, free, outdoor screenings of Bayreuth's famously well-heeled performance, and to present condensed, hour-long children's versions of Wagner's epics.
Both steps were divisive among opera enthusiasts, many of whom part with thousands of euros every year to keep their beloved Bayreuth afloat. Indeed, tickets are priced on a sliding scale from 10 euros (Dh42) to 416 euros, but customers typically have to apply annually for a decade or more for the chance to get their hands on them, while priority goes to patrons and donor members of the Society of Friends of Bayreuth.
Tickets for Abu Dhabi's concert, priced between Dh200 and Dh1,195, may be a steal by comparison, although the aural experience at the fabled Bayreuth Festival is something of a once-in-a-lifetime honour.
There’s no place like Bayreuth
Founded by Richard Wagner and named after its host town, the Bayreuth Festival may be classical music's most renowned annual spectacle, with close to 60,000 opera fans descending on the modest Bavarian city every summer for five weeks of Wagnerian operas.
Legendary composers Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Anton Bruckner, Edvard Grieg and Liszt attended the 1876 performance of Das Rheingold, which inaugurated the Bayreuth Festspielhaus – the 1,925-capacity theatre Wagner commissioned to accommodate his large orchestras and ornate sets – where the festival continues to take place.
"It's always a misconception that [Wagner] expected Bayreuth to be like this – he didn't want it to last so long," says his great-granddaughter. "But it still lives and that's a miracle.
"In Bayreuth you have the special acoustics. It is a unique place, but it also has a unique, special orchestra, so why not bring it to other places, too?"
How might that orchestra adapt to the multi-purpose Emirates Palace Auditorium? "Well, we'll see. Our orchestra is very good and we have a very good conductor, and I'm pretty sure we will solve this problem."
A new generation of Wagner
Katharina became the sixth direct descendant of the composer to take stewardship of Bayreuth when she assumed duties in 2008 alongside half-sister Eva Wagner-Pasquier, who stepped down to leave Katharina full control in 2015.
"There's nothing worse than lukewarm. When they bravo or boo, something happened to them. And that means the whole experience means something."
Her reign has not been without controversy. Other than her free screenings and condensed productions, Wagner's 2007 Bayreuth directional debut, Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, was met with widespread booing, and her productions continue to divide critics. "The level sinks and sinks," declared online German news website inFranken in an end-of-decade wrap last summer.
But she remains undeterred. "If you have a position that is public, it's normal that people love you, or criticise you," she says. "If you can't stand that, you shouldn't have a public position. More or less, the people are pretty happy, and that's why we do it. So, if they're happy, I'm happy."
But are they happy? It is still not uncommon to hear booing at Bayreuth – including at a 2015 production of Tristan and Isolde attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "It's very common in Germany to boo – normally it never happens that you don't have some boos," says Wagner. "I have had performances at other houses where people would just clap and go out very soon. But if they boo or bravo, you've somehow got their emotions, they are into the piece they see.
“There’s nothing worse than lukewarm. When they bravo or boo, something happened to them. And that means the whole experience means something.”
The Bayreuth Festival’s Die Walkure takes place at Emirates Palace Wednesday and Friday at 6pm. Tickets from Dh200 and are available at www.ticketmaster.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
Abdul Jabar Qahraman was meeting supporters in his campaign office in the southern Afghan province of Helmand when a bomb hidden under a sofa exploded on Wednesday.
The blast in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah killed the Afghan election candidate and at least another three people, Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak told reporters. Another three were wounded, while three suspects were detained, he said.
The Taliban – which controls much of Helmand and has vowed to disrupt the October 20 parliamentary elections – claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mr Qahraman was at least the 10th candidate killed so far during the campaign season, and the second from Lashkar Gah this month. Another candidate, Saleh Mohammad Asikzai, was among eight people killed in a suicide attack last week. Most of the slain candidates were murdered in targeted assassinations, including Avtar Singh Khalsa, the first Afghan Sikh to run for the lower house of the parliament.
The same week the Taliban warned candidates to withdraw from the elections. On Wednesday the group issued fresh warnings, calling on educational workers to stop schools from being used as polling centres.
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
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Abu Dhabi Card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,400m
National selection: AF Mohanak
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 1,400m
National selection: Jayide Al Boraq
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 100,000 1,400m
National selection: Rocket Power
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh 180,000 1,600m
National selection: Ihtesham
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,600m
National selection: Noof KB
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 2.200m
National selection: EL Faust
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')
Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
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Queen
Nicki Minaj
(Young Money/Cash Money)
Tuesday results:
- Singapore bt Malaysia by 29 runs
- UAE bt Oman by 13 runs
- Hong Kong bt Nepal by 3 wickets
Final:
Thursday, UAE v Hong Kong
Match info:
Burnley 0
Manchester United 2
Lukaku (22', 44')
Red card: Marcus Rashford (Man United)
Man of the match: Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
