Daniel Barenboim may have struck first. His poke at Stefan Herheim's disregard for the sanctity of Wagner's overtures - mere days before their Lohengrin premiere - was boldly timed. But then the whole run's sold out and Berlin Staatsoper operates a no-returns policy, so who cares?
But now the Norwegian bruiser hits back, and hard, in two German newspaper interviews.
He tells Der Tagesspiel that the Staatsoper is all about the big names on the bill, and artists are stifled because too much effort is wasted in day-to-day damage control. And yes he does mention names - just one in fact - Barenboim's.
Going even further in Die Welt, he complains of Barenboim's lack of interest in the production - despite the fact that it was Barenboim who personally begged him to take it on, and even shifted the dates around to accommodate him. He alleges a lack of discipline which begins at the top. Again he talks about management by damage control. Decisions are governed by the fear that it doesn't continue at all [the Staatsoper is due to shut in 2013 for extensive renovations], not by the hope that something new might develop. In this respect, he claims Berlin Staatsoper resembles Brabant - discord prevails.
Despite the strife, he's been working round the clock - sometimes until 7am - to perfect the production. "Lots of people think I'm on coke" he says, "but music is my drug".
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