Dear Mike:
Whou wrote: > i wonder what wagner would have thought about amplification. the >fact that he designed the orchestra pit at bayreuth as it is, leads one to >think that he might have been in favor of amplification.
COMMENT: Not an impossible thought. But it is well to keep in mind that what Wagner wanted in terms of sound was the wider sonic palette that a larger orchestra could give, not necessarily a consistent increased volume of sound. In terms of singers he wanted those singer/actors who could carry a heroic kind of role but he did not demand, nor even desire the large voices that we now associate with Wagner's operas. He is quoted as saying that he preferred the "bel canto" voice for his works. It was for this reason that he had built the Bayreuth theatre with its special pit that places the orchestra partially under the stage. With this arrangement the orchestra sound could be rich and full but it would not cover up the singers because it emerged from the front of the pit and was thrown back on stage by a reflective half shell where it mixed with the voices and then emerged into the hall.
I doubt that even with today's vast knowledge of electronic amplification it would be possible to create this rich, blended sound for the theatre solely through the use of amplification.
As an aside. When we redesigned our Ardrey Auditorium at Norther Arizona University for the two summer productions of Wagner's Ring Cycle done by Arizona Opera, we took out the wall at the back of our orchestra pit and opened the pit back into the trap room under the stage. The orchestra seating descended down, away from the conductor much as it does in Bayreuth and the pit would now hold up to a 100 piece orchestra. This arrangement together with a heavily raked stage made it nearly impossible for the 98 piece Wagner orchestra to cover the singers. Some German newspapers spoke of Ardrey Auditorium as being an even better theatre for Wagner operas than Bayreuth -- Lloyd W. Hanson
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