The Metropolitan Opera House has been home to some of the greatest opera productions known to man. Many of the patrons to the Metropolitan Opera feel that they get their monies worth every time they attend an event there, no matter how steep the price tag may be. However, according to Tom Huizenga’s article ‘Wagner’s Dream’: Is It The Met’s Nightmare?, many critics feel that not only is this production bland, but it is extremely expensive.

The production that was chosen was Richard Wagner’s “Ring Cycle.” The ring Cycle is a set of four “epic and mythical” operas that allegedly came to Wagner in his sleep. Huizenga is in no way criticizing Wagner’s musical ability, however, he harshly criticizes the amount of money that was contributed putting together the $16 million dollar project.  One aspect of the production that seemed to have really bothered Huizenga is the high tech device in the back called the “machine.” It was very interesting to read about how Huizenga felt about it:

“The brunt of this Ring’s criticism falls on Canadian stage director Robert Lepage’s set. For all four operas, his concept literally hinges on a single 90,000-pound, dizzyingly high-tech contraption dubbed the “machine.” It looks like a giant 24-plank see-saw on which images are projected and characters walk, ride and even dangle.”

By using words such as “plank” and “see-saw” he manages to belittle the “machine” and makes it seem as if it were child-like. In addition, Huizenga states that there were numerous “mechanical, technical, and safety glitches” that deemed the “machine” contraption useless in the eyes of many prominent music critics.  To sum up the way that music critics feel about Robert Lepage’s rendition of Richard Wagner’s “Ring Cycle,” Alex Ross boldly states, “Pound for pound, ton for ton, it is the most witless and wasteful production in modern operatic history.” Those are extremely tough words for Mr. Lepage.

Although I may not have seen the production, I believe that perhaps the critics may have been too hard on Lepage. The reason I believe this is because I am sure that if the production were to be as bad as they perceived it to be, the Metropolitan Opera House would not have allowed the production to take place in their home. The production was even called “stale as white bread.” This is probably the last thing that Lepage would have liked to read about.

From the photos and video that is in Huizenga’s article, the “machine” looks like it adds stunning visuals to the opera. During the video clip, three opera singers dressed as mermaids appear to be dangling off the “machine” in a form that it looks like they are swimming. If I were in the Met watching this, it would have certainly grabbed my attention. Personally, it just seems like Huizenga and the other critics were bent on negatively criticizing any aspect they could of Lepage’s “Ring Cycle.” I always say in class that what may be considered art or music to one person may not be that to the next person. I encourage others to watch the production before making a judgement on it.