Fafner's Death

Wagner: Siegfried.
New York Metropolitan Opera, conducted by James Levine, 1990.
Siegfried Jerusalem as the eponymous hero; Matti Salminen, Fafner.

[@elistevens5350]

wonder how they did the dragon, i heard it was described as a living horror.

[@TheR92]

I love how the dragon looks like an eldritch horror

[@DAAspden]

Eldritch - new word. Will have to look it up.

[@moiraclegg3380]

@@DAAspden It doesn't look like an eldritch horror. It's pretty feeble!

[@MrThorfan64]

This is quite an impressive version of the dragon... though the fight is quite difficult to do in Opera. You can have people fighting but an actual dragon fighting a hero? It can play out as deliberately padded while the music builds up. Still, it's better than some dragons, playing it like an Eldritch monster.

[@craigwalters]

Very difficult to stage without it coming across as silly

[@MrThorfan64]

@craigwalters oh I agree. I've seen a lot of versions that look rather silly, Siegfried just standing there. Trying to actually do a dragon on stage is difficult. I recall that the Copenhagen version had Fafner like an evil Wizard of Oz, with Siegfried trying to fight his way through tentacles into a pit.

[@deanrantz1112]

Der Drache...The Beast from Forbidden Planet /Little Shop of Horrors.....Glad Trash bag Mashup

[@knightofarkronia9968]

Sorry, but how is that supposed to be a dragon? It looks more like something from H.P. Lovecraft’s reject bin.

[@nathanschafer6420]

You try being a stage director for something like this

[@moiraclegg3380]

Yes! I am surprised that so far I've looked at several and haven't seen a terrific dragon yet! Need Hollywood!

[@jefolson6989]

It was a nebulous pile. More of a blob.

[@kirstendonovan4092]

0:21

[@mikeobrien1559]

What's up with the drunken Kung Fu moves?

[@DAAspden]

Yes, the music sounds like a proper fight. You can see the dragon recoiling and fighting, trying to get a proper strike into the darting hero but when you've got the lumpen reality... ...he moves as upon a doll and must pad it out. They should make a cartoon of it and project it on the stage at that moment.

[@mikeobrien1559]

@@DAAspden Imagine how weird it would be with marionettes.🤢

[@DAAspden]

@@mikeobrien1559 The String Ring?

[@mikeobrien1559]

@@DAAspden 😻

[@Blokewood3]

When it comes to actual fighting...this one is probably the best. Most other stage Fafners are barely able to move their limbs or take a blow, so there's just a lot of standing around or Siegfried cutting at air. I don't think Wagner gave much thought to how anyone was supposed to actually put this onstage when he wrote it.