Christoph Schlingensief 1960-2010
The German filmmaker and theater and opera director died earlier today. Among his works was a controversial production of Parsifal at the Bayreuth Festival beginning in 2004. [AP]
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I saw the notorious Parsifal at Bayreuth a few years ago – possibly the worst thing I’ve seen on an opera stage. I found the Konzept preposterous, the singing rough (at best) and Boulez’s conducting atrocious. I booed at the end of the 1st Act along with a lot of the audience and hated every moment of it; that I had seen Keith Warner’s Lohengrin the previous night only made this a travesty beyond redemption. The decomposing “easter bunny” film in the closing moments of Act 3 will haunt me forever. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t wish an early death on anyone and my thoughts are with his family/friends.
Of course this is sad, but how influential – and on whom – was Schlingensief? He provoked a riot at Bayreuth and did some funky political theatre in Germany and Austria. But what was his legacy? Was it important? Or was he just good at getting himself noticed? I’ll be surprised he makes many of the obits pages in the English-speaking world.
well I liked the Parsifal but then I was blown away by the Herheim one even more. The Schlingensief one constantly changed and it wasn’t the same from the first year to the second year. But no matter if someone liked it or not this is not the time to be talking bad about someone who just passed away. Much too young and a major talent.
I dont know about his Parsifal, but he has, or had, the worst dye job I’ve ever seen.
Schlingensief made major thinkers reflect and write on the most important global issues we have.
I am not anyone of those, but reading all the text and analysis that came out from his Bayreuth Parsifal made me think: Ohh, opera has become theater…… and thereby politics
Agree. You need to decide whether opera is going to be active thought or just an awfully good tranquilizer. If the first, Schlingensief’s productions are entirely legitimate. That doesn’t mean they have to be liked.
I found these comments incredibly disrespectful!!!
That Shlingensief never did anything in USA doens´t mean he wasn´t influential. His death was a great loss for the entire performative arts world.
He was a great great great director, a great artist.
and dye job?!?!?! WHAT?!?!? the guy had friggin`cancer, what on earth are you talking about!!? Geez… talk about mean queens…
And his parsifal was incredibly insightful, well thought and a very spannend theater evening. Whether you understud it or not.