When ‘la mesta’ (the sad one) intones ‘Salce!’ from the lonely heath within the Willow Song, she creates a situation at once compelling and artificial — a song within a song within an opera:

James Treadwell's perceptive and suggestive discussion raises a number of important questions that I am eager to engage. And while Treadwell was rethinking some of my arguments, the Met has unveiled a production of Lohengrin (directed by Robert Wilson) that challenges some of my claims about the Met's steadfast conservatism, especially when it comes to staging Wagner. So I am grateful for the opportunity to rethink some of my original claims and buttress a few as well.