Behind the Scenes at the Opera: Matthew Rye finds a documentary on the creation of the Mannheim ‘Ring’ by iconoclastic artist/director Achim Freyer as frustrating as it is perceptive

Review of The Becoming of the Mannheim 'Ring' (Arthaus Musik, 2 DVDs).

November 2017, Volume 11, Number 3, 68–71.

We are all familiar with the inclusion of a short background film accompanying DVDs of opera productions, often with artist interviews and behind-the-scenes filming. This release goes somewhat further in being a standalone, almost five-hour ‘fly-on-the-wall’ documentary on the making of one of the more notable Ring cycles staged for Wagner’s bicentenary year. German director and artist Achim Freyer, a one-time Brecht pupil, first directed the Ring in Los Angeles in 2009–10, a stormy experience that saw singers rebelling against his use of oversized masks and a heavily raked stage. His production was remounted at Mannheim’s National Theatre three years later: the masks were largely scaled down, with the visual style giving more emphasis to heavy make-up and elaborate head-gear; and the stage was now flat, though constantly revolving. In part this rethink was a question of economics – LA reputedly spent $32 million on its production, a figure of which even the well-subsidised German houses can only dream. Physical challenges still remained for the singers – and they’re unafraid to make their complaints when pushed in interview on this film – but none, to my knowledge, walked out this time.