Thrilling orchestra under Fagen. It’s not just Wagner’s own libretto and the look of the stage that are so stunning. It’s the music, the large cast of acting singers, and the marvelous orchestra that will just bowl you over.
Last, but hardly least, there is the Atlanta Opera’s orchestra under Music Director Fagen. After all, what would Wagner’s music be without the ensemble that could do it justice? They gave a grand performance at the production’s opening that made the long stretches of music pass by in an instant.
Richard Sasanow, May 1, 2023, www.broadwayworld.com
“His orchestral playing was sumptuous (yet never pompous) and bold, allowing the brass section to assert itself in all its splendor from the well-realized Vorspiel, a nerve-wracking fantasy in Eb major for the horn section that expands 136 bars depicting creation, nature and the waves of the Rhein, to the exuberant sonic statements of the Valhalla and Sword motifs.”
Daniel Vasquez, May 3, 2023, www.newoutpost.com
“Conductor Arthur Fagen drew balanced and burnished playing from the orchestra. His pacing and phrasing were deeply satisfying.”
Paul Hyde, May 9, 2023, www.artsatl.org
“Excellent singing by the balanced cast of 14 was well supported by conductor Fagen and the Atlanta Opera Orchestra which had moments that felt genuinely Wagnerian…The orchestral Prelude evolved into sounds evoking the swirling waters of the Rhine”.
Mark Gresham, May 4, 2023, www.earrelevant.net
The musical component of the production was similarly transparent and satisfying. The prelude was sweet, flowing, and ominous. Arthur Fagen conducted a fine band of musicians who played with assurance and without brassy blares or any sense of sensationalism. […] Their experience provided the production with a feeling of unquestioned confidence and excitement.
The Wagner Blog, May 12, 2023
La Ópera de Atlanta presentó una producción extraordinaria de Das Rheingold de Richard Wagner, donde todo salió bien. Arthur Fagen al mando de la orquesta, bajó los sonidos del escenario para hacer cantar a los instrumentos, con bellos colores que demostraron toda la gama de emociones requeridas por su compositor y magistralmente interpretadas por experimentados maestros.
Ximena Sepulveda, May 7, 2023, ProOpera