Reflections on Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier
On Saturday I spent my entire late afternoon (3.5 hours) watching from beginning to the end of Richard Strauss' opera Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose).
I will begin by noting that I watched the entire opera without subtitles, so really I don't have a clue of what the singers are saying. In one way this is bad, because I don't know what's going on. On the other hand, in hindsight I am very happy that I did not have the subtitle because it forces me to really pay attention to the music. After the opera, I went online to check the synopsis and found that I was mostly right in the plot, so not having the dialogues wasn't so bad. But I found Strauss' music is really expressive. The overture of the opera in Act I is charming, delightful, light-heartedly Mozartian. The love-duet at the beginning of Act II is especially moving. The finale, of course, is another wonderful love-duet.
After watching Strauss' opera, I begin to realize Wagner's artistic vision. I used to think that it's stupid to write an opera that is a "continuous" melody that lasts for four hours. But now I understand: Wagner's "music drama" is to be a complete synthesis of all the major arts: music, poetry, drama and visual art. All three arts are created so that they are interconnected and form an entirely whole. Too sadly I could not understand the lyrics, but the love duets, the acting, elabourate costume and the music makes it all perfect: as I reflect upon it, I cannot imagine it being done otherwise, nor can it be done any better. Art, in Wagner's vision, transcends the everyday politics - I suppose this is why Wagner set his Ring Cycle back in old German mythology.
It is a vision that modern art now lacks - people are too feeble and afraid to come up with their own visions: they fear that they will offend people here and there. And it is true - I now too become conscious (perhaps overconscious) of political issues and am beginning to be afraid to hold up my views - it can be so easily seen as a kind of cultural rape if we are not careful.
But I must transcend this paralysis...I must become a Wagner, a Strauss, to combine all forms of art (not physically, but metaphorically) into my own vision.
I will begin by noting that I watched the entire opera without subtitles, so really I don't have a clue of what the singers are saying. In one way this is bad, because I don't know what's going on. On the other hand, in hindsight I am very happy that I did not have the subtitle because it forces me to really pay attention to the music. After the opera, I went online to check the synopsis and found that I was mostly right in the plot, so not having the dialogues wasn't so bad. But I found Strauss' music is really expressive. The overture of the opera in Act I is charming, delightful, light-heartedly Mozartian. The love-duet at the beginning of Act II is especially moving. The finale, of course, is another wonderful love-duet.
After watching Strauss' opera, I begin to realize Wagner's artistic vision. I used to think that it's stupid to write an opera that is a "continuous" melody that lasts for four hours. But now I understand: Wagner's "music drama" is to be a complete synthesis of all the major arts: music, poetry, drama and visual art. All three arts are created so that they are interconnected and form an entirely whole. Too sadly I could not understand the lyrics, but the love duets, the acting, elabourate costume and the music makes it all perfect: as I reflect upon it, I cannot imagine it being done otherwise, nor can it be done any better. Art, in Wagner's vision, transcends the everyday politics - I suppose this is why Wagner set his Ring Cycle back in old German mythology.
It is a vision that modern art now lacks - people are too feeble and afraid to come up with their own visions: they fear that they will offend people here and there. And it is true - I now too become conscious (perhaps overconscious) of political issues and am beginning to be afraid to hold up my views - it can be so easily seen as a kind of cultural rape if we are not careful.
But I must transcend this paralysis...I must become a Wagner, a Strauss, to combine all forms of art (not physically, but metaphorically) into my own vision.
posted by Tristan at 11:07 p.m.
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