Shirley Apthorp reveals that a spat is brewing between Daniel Barenboim and Stefan Herheim, the director of Berlin Staatsoper's new Lohengrin, which opens on Saturday.
“We have a disagreement about the overture.”
Herheim plans to stage a silent play to the music of the overture. Barenboim believes that the overture should be heard without distraction.
“In Rossini, even in Mozart, overtures are often interchangeable,” Barenboim says. “But with Wagner the whole world of the opera to come is expressed in the prelude. If the curtain is down, you create your own associations, and I think the experience is richer.”
So what does he think should be done?
“It’s too late to change Herheim’s staging, so I’m toying with the idea of playing through the overture twice.”
Yay !!! two for the price of one!!! The civilised solution.
