mortier on the green hill?
Opera Chic reports this morning that Gerard Mortier is throwing his hat in the, uh, Ring for the co-directorship of the Bayreuth Festival. The Belgian intendant is reportedly teaming up with Nike Wagner to apply for the top Bayreuth spot to be vacated as soon as it can be pried from Wolfgang Wagner‘s cold dead fingers. (And he’s not even dead yet, so don’t hold your breath.)
The Mortier/Nike partnership is considered a dark horse for the job, with the odds-on favorite the team comprised of Wolfgang’s daughters Katharina Wagner and Eva Wagner-Pasquier.
So…go fuck yourself, NYCO? Does he really think he can do both? If he’s already looking for another job before he’s started his next, this is not a good sign.
This is a great idea. Nike and Morty can cancel all the opera productions and replace them with concerts in interesting makeshift locations around the town of Bayreuth.
…the top Bayreuth spot to be vacated as soon as it can be pried from Wolfgang Wagner’s cold dead fingers.
It was pried from his fingers well over a month ago. He voluntarily resigned his position in writing at that time. He’s out, no matter what.
ACD
Hey! I have a great idea for that Cycle’s production.
Let’s Make Wotan a CEO, Brunnhilde his daughter something like a CFO, Erda his secretary and Fricka his spurned wife because he cheated on her with Erda.
The Walkures could be mailroom workers, Hunding can be a high-powered company attorney and Segliende his trophy wife who was forced into a marriage of convenience by her father.
I am sure this will be shocking to all of you, since this concept is completely new and goes against everything what is done at the Bayreuth Festival; but it can work, can’t it?
Nike is far and away the most intelligent and psycholgically healthy ( a relative term with this family, you understand ) of her Wagner generation.
They’ll never let her near the top job.
I’ve no idea if that means NYCO is saved, though.
hey … if placido can helm both LA and DC, why cant mortier handle city opera and bayreuth?
Oops: I wrote above:
It [Wolfgang Wagner's position as director of the Bayreuther Festspiele] was pried from his [Wolfgang Wagner's] fingers well over a month ago.
I misremembered the date. Wolfgang’s formal letter of resignation was dated (or rather publicly announced) 29 April 2008.
ACD
If NYCO weren’t in such trouble, I’d say it would be possible for him to run both companies. But the two are half-way across the world from each other, and one of them is on life support. I can only imagine which would end up getting the most attention after a time. When would this schizophrenia start?
Wolfgang Wagner may not be dead yet, but he’s VERY OLD, so it can’t be that long.
I think it would be a shame for Mortier to bail on the NYCO job before he has even done his inaugural season. His first season is unique, after all, while the MET in the same season is offering almost all warhorses.
He seems to be either passionately hated, or revered as the Jesus Christ of opera by all and sundry. I wonder if Bayreuth wants to really take on his baggage. He does come with a great deal of baggage. I guess it comes down to “does his baggage outweigh his talent and ability”.
Mortier at Bayreuth? Nike allying herself with an outsider to wrest control? Probably not gonna happen. But this does seems like Mortier realizes the quagmire that he has gotten himself into at NYCO. Focusing on the Festspielhaus wouldn’t be a glamorous excuse to take an early leave from NYC after a couple of seasons. His second in charge has already headed for COC. How many more of his trusted staff may not be making the trip across the pond?
Who has the poopy on what’s going on at NYCO?