Siegfried at the Royal Theater

It is not comfortable to write this article. It is not because the effort that the Royal Theater has been making for months to overcome the pandemic is admirable. He bravely dared to return to activity last September with “Traviata” and then continued with “Ballo in maschera”, “The birth of the Sun King”, “Rusalka”, “Don Giovanni”, “Marie” at the Abbey and “Elektra” when theaters across Europe were closed tight, offering only streams. Without a doubt something worthy of admiration and for what is spoken of Spain in the whole musical world. However, the case of “Siegfried” is different and deserves special consideration. I am sure that in the theater team what happened to Elena Salgado with the “Parsifal” with whom the Real wanted to reopen in 1997 has not happened.

I, who was then on the foundation’s executive committee, asked him if he had noticed its inadequate duration for an occasion that was to be a social event presided over by the Kings. He answered that, of course, yes, it was only a little over an hour and a half. “That’s how long the first act lasts,” I replied. It was not reopened with “Parsifal”. That has not happened now, but I think that perhaps the duration, only of music, of the four hours of the third day of the Wagnerian “Ring” has not been well appreciated. To these we must add two breaks.

Almost five hours is too long to sit or wander around the theater. Not because of the discomfort of the masks, because there are many people who are forced to wear them in their professions, although it is also true that it is not something that the public that usually goes to the Real is used to. It is possible that this public withdraws and does not attend. Then the issue of the refund of the amount of the seats will come, something that the theater has not yet fully resolved. But the problem is another: is it really not too risky to keep viewers locked up for so long? Worth? Are there no other alternatives? I, of course, would not assume such responsibility.

I think there are alternatives and I can think of at least two apart from the one for which many theaters have adopted performing the performances, but behind closed doors and offering them by streaming. The first would be to schedule a selection from the opera and not a complete one. The second, dividing it into three, programming each of its acts on successive days. In cities like Munich, something like this has been done with “Tristan and Isolde”, even without pandemics. The schedule could be adjusted, the public and artists would understand, and security would increase. By the way, let’s not forget that the Palau de les Arts, after rethinking it, has just announced the cancellation of its “Tristán”. Day 13 is the first of the performances. It deserves a reflection and there is time for it.