Pathetic And Paltry
We've just read the sole review of the 2006 Bayreuther Festspiele Tankred Dorst production of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen filed by New York Times chief music critic Anthony Tommasini, and it's as pathetic a piece of critical writing as we've ever had the displeasure of reading. No enlightenment is to be gained from nor any insight or real substance to be found in this worthless bit of critical dross beyond the de rigueur requirements of even the rankest journeyman review. And as if to add insult to injury, the paltry number of words* allotted this putative complete coverage of this premiere presentation of a new production of Wagner's 16-hour, four-episode masterpiece presented over four days at the world's oldest, most famous, and most prestigious music festival is nothing short of an outrage — most especially and most particularly so considering that this almost burlesque of an opera review was published not in the pages of the Grover's Corners Sentinel, but in our so-called "National Newspaper of Record".
While the review lacked meaningful substance, it was not lacking what is fast becoming a Tommasini opera review trademark: the inexcusable gaffe. Writes Mr. Tommasini:
Because of Bayreuth’s unique covered pit, the orchestra players cannot be seen. So it was a lovely touch during the final ovations on Monday when the curtain opened to reveal the musicians standing onstage, instruments in hand, in their dressed-for-comfort wear. They won a huge and much-deserved ovation.
Perhaps someone should have informed Mr. Tommasini that this "lovely touch" was not merely a lovely touch at the close of this performance, but a tradition of longstanding at the Festspiele at the close of a premiere performance, and would have been worthy of remark only had the tradition not been observed.
But then, the inexcusable gaffe is also a tradition of sorts in a Tommasini opera review, and so, we suppose, we perhaps ought not to begrudge Mr. Tommasini its observance.
* 1300 words; the approximate word-count of an ordinary weekly newspaper column.
