Global Wagner: From Bayreuth to the World
A film by Axel Brüggemann
NTSC 16:9, PCM stereo and DTS 5.1, Region 0, DVD 9
Subtitles: German, English, Japanese, Korean
NAXOS Blu-ray NBD0139V [97]
This is a rather patchy documentary that often doesn’t seem to be quite sure what it’s about, but it’s quite fun in places. It isn’t a backstage insight into the Bayreuth Festival, and it isn’t an investigation into the wider appeal of Wagner the composer, but both of those feature strongly, and they’re both interesting components.
We begin in Venice, at the Palazzo where Wagner died, and are introduced to the annual meeting of Wagnerians in Venice. (It feels strangely appropriate that they begin their proceedings with a moment’s silence in memory of deceased former members.) We then see other societies around the world like Newark, Riga, Abu Dhabi, Japan and Israel, learning how they work and a little about what they do. The Jerusalem association is particularly interesting because it opens up questions about Wagner’s association with the Third Reich and the fact that his music is still officially forbidden in Israel. It’s also fascinating to see the Newark association which put on a Ring featuring only people of colour, and their leader’s insights into the resonances that the Ring’s story has for people of colour are very interesting.
However, these portals of enquiry are opened but not really explored. I’d love to know a bit more about that Israeli society, or the reasons why the Abu Dhabi society has only two members. I guess some of those things could fill entire documentaries themselves, but it still feels like a missed opportunity to explore a rich avenue of enquiry. More baffling still is the world of Wagner societies as a whole. I can’t be the only one who finds the whole culture a little odd. Wagner adoration can’t just be attributable to the beauty of the music. Otherwise, why wouldn’t we have as many Mozart, Beethoven or Tchaikovsky societies? That’s something else that’s left unexplored.
More interesting is the insight into Bayreuth and the festival as a whole. This is rather superficial, too, but it’s a lot more fun, particularly if you’ve been to the festival yourself. We get a look at the rehearsal and staging of two recent productions – Yuval Sharon’s Lohengrin and Barrie Kosky’s Meistersinger – including backstage access and some pretty penetrating interviews with the directors. We even get to see the holiday home that Piotr Beczała and his wife rented for the duration of Lohengrin!
I especially enjoyed the insights into the workings of the theatre. We see the nightwatchman who keeps an eye on it over the winter, and there’s an interview with a couple of butchers who act as hosts for the festival’s guest staff every summer. Best of all is an interview with Christian Thielemann and several musicians who explain the vicissitudes of the unique orchestra pit and the way they have to change their playing to accommodate it.
The many nationalities interviewed all speak in their own language, and the subtitles are well made and easy to follow. Everything else on the technical side is done very well. I wonder, however, whether I enjoyed this film mostly because I’ve been to the festival myself and recognised some of the places and productions they showed? If you haven’t then I suspect you might find much of the film charming if a little baffling, much like those Wagner societies it showcases!
Simon Thompson
Previous review: David Barker
