Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Patrice Chéreau - Pierre Boulez, Bayreuth Festival (Complete Ring Cycle)

Rating:
Summary: For those of you wondering what the heck this is.
Review: (Note: This review was submitted before any information (or even a preview picture) about the recording was availible on the Amazon site)
High-resolution picture
6-channel surround sound (5.1) and LPCM stereo
English and French subtitles
attractive menu presentation

The first DVD release of the Bayreuth Centenary production of Wagner's Ring (or any Ring for that matter). This is a recording of Patrice ChÈreauís legendary production. Add Pierre Boulez to this mix and an outstanding price and this one's a no-brainer. One can only hope that many more of opera's masterworks get this kind of treatment (for the DVD format) in the near future.

Rating:
Summary: A good buy
Review: A great set to own. Some technical information that people may want to know about: 7 discs in total. The Rhine Gold is on one disc only and the others span over 2 discs each. The booklets for each of the four operas in the set are informative and concise, there are notes on the director's stage directions also - an essential ingredient I think in appreciating the production.

The quality of the DVD is not great (it is OK), but one must understand that the recording is a quarter of a century old. Just don't compare it to any movie DVD that you've purchased recently.

An additional extras DVD on 'the making of' this Ring Cycle performance would have been a BIG improvement to the set. And also some more subtitles (there are English and French subtitles only). Nonetheless, it deserves 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Opera Ever Made Is An Incredible DVD Film
Review: A live performance, conceptual, modern and very breathtaking of Richard Wagner's masterpiece, The Ring of the Nibelung. It is excellent to look at, effectively orchestrated, sung well (although not perfectly as did the legendary singers in the Bayreuth Festival with Bohm conducting, a cast which included Birgitte Nillson as Brunhilde). This is a must have for opera fans. Romantic opera reached its zenith with this impressive 4 part German music drama of pride, fatalism and greed. It begins with The Rhinegold, in which the lusty and vindictive dwarf Albrecht steals the gold from the Rhinemaidens and forges a ring. The second opera, The Valkyrie, accounts the tragic love between Siegmund and Sieglende. Against her father's wishes, Brunhilde, the Valkyrie queen, protects Sieglende although is unable to save Siegmund who is killed. Brunhilde and her Valkyries defy Wotan and take flight on their steeds in the incredible, unforgettable and famous Ride of the Valkyries sequence. But Wotan punishes Brunhilde and casts a dark spell. She is to sleep in a circle of fire and only awaken when she is kissed by a great hero. That great hero is none other than Siegfried, who is raised by the beneveolent Mime. Forging the sword Nothung, he defeats the dragon Falfner and receives the gift of communication with Nature. After which he saves Brunhilde with the traditional kiss. In the last opera, the story reaches its denouement when Siegfried is slain by greedy giants and Brunhilde immolates herself on his funeral pyre. The world ends and Valhalla burns to the ground. The Rhine river overflows and the Rhinemaidens once again take possesion of the ring.

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Summary: Response to earlier review
Review: An earlier reviewer raised some objections to this Ring which contain inaccuracies:

1. Wotan wears a black trench coat instead of carrying a spear.

Yes, Wotan wears a black coat (though not a trench coat) but he DOES carry his spear, which is essential.

3. Wotan actually boxes Brunnhilde's ears during the last act of Walkure.

He doesn't. He knocks her to the ground, but he doesn't do anything as silly as box her ears.

4. One of the dwarfs (can't remember which one) moves about with 20 Henchmen.

Not a dwarf at all, but Hunding in Act I of Walkure. It's a bit gimmickey, but it works.

5. The Rhine is turned into a hydroelectric dam type thing.

This is true, but it is still the River Rhein and there is a lot of effective movement on the muddy flats created by this dam.

6. Erda is rolled out onto the stage in Siegfried.

So? Her entrance is extremely effective and ties into her entrance /stage movements in Rheingold.

7. Freia is buried under the Gold, which is in large plastic bags.

This is true, and it looks silly: on the one hand the gold should have looked heavier (i.e. like gold) but that would have made it look even more like she would be crushed to death by it. This moment is not very effective in this Ring.

8. Siegfried does not forge the sword - rather he makes it through the use of a "sword making machine". (This I CANNOT LIVE WITH - the forging is VITAL).

Siegfried DOES forge the sword *using* the large metallurgical machinery. Not every Siegfried does the full hammering anyway, even in a traditional staging. The aspect of his creating the sword from its broken pieces, which is the important bit, is clearly portrayed.

Rating:
Summary: A Ring Cycle for the Ages
Review: At this writing this edition is out of stock. I only hope it isn't out of print. That would be a crime.

Traditionalists won't like this thought, but it seems any "setting" for a staging of the Ring Cycle is secondary to the point of the drama, even if Wagner himself specified otherwise. His musical odyssey about the mighty trapped by their own devices and the devastating effect it has on everything around them has always been relevant. Wotan's tale of being trapped by contracts could be easily be the story of the dilemma faced by any world leader. The idea that Patrice Chéreau's staging lent an anti-capitalist spin to the cycle doesn't hold up. That was always part of the story. Capitalism is just one of many names for systematic greed that leads to rulers and societies destroying themselves from within. Those themes permeate the text of the Ring and are well served by any staging that tells the story well.

Boulez' interpretation is very light but it serves the music well. That's not to say the thunder is gone; it's not. If anything the thunder seems louder. Wagner's scores are alive with subtle nuances of expression. The brisk tempo Boulez used makes those subtleties sparkle, a touch which gives more radiance to the piece as a whole. Because of that those infamous "dull quarter hours" are fewer and farther between.

It (apparently) wasn't his intent but Wagner established the formula Hollywood uses for leaving stories open ended enough to produce sequels. Ring I (Das Rheingold) closes with the major players fighting over the money. There are a few illegitimate kids running around to throw wrenches in the works too. Ring II outstrips the first episode and gets a glorious title. Die Walküre recaps the first production, ties up loose threads and creates new ones for a new chapter. Son of Siegmund (Siegfried) carries out all the standard sequel chores and proves that incest produces morons. Gwyneth Jones reminds viewers that aging beauties don't always look great in the morning. (Jones is splendid so don't take that comment too seriously.) The piece ends on a happy note but with enough loose ends for another four hours. Ring IV: The Final Chapter (Götterdämmerung) ties up those threads without creating news ones and ends in a blaze of glory. It also teaches the lesson Hollywood didn't learn; get out while you're on top. Anyone staging this has to has to work around these things. That means doing an effective enough job of it to suspend the viewers' belief for a while. That's no small task. Chéreau's staging won't be perfect for anybody. No staging could be with a work of this scope. His vision is very effective though. The costuming leans toward the nineteenth century but is in a state of decay. With a few exceptions the suits, though of fine quality, look as if they haven't been pressed, cleaned or mended since about the time of ancient Egypt. Much of the set is cast in the same mould. The home of the Rhine Maidens is a sewer. Valhalla is crumbling and Hunding's people look like concentration camp victims. But that's fine. That decay is the price of greed, and the Ring is about greed and it's consequences.

The cast is fabulous. There are too many to name all of them but a few warrant mention. Not enough can be said about Donald McIntyre in the role of Wotan. The character has to be proud, sympathetic, just and unjust all at once. McIntyre brings this off well. His rage is fearsome yet his love for his errant child melts the heart. Manfred Jung captures all there is of Siegfried. He's especially good portraying the true nature of Siegfried's bravery-he's too dumb to be afraid. Franz Hübner is as loathsome a Hagen as there could ever be. The slime is just about oozing out of him. Peter Hofmann and Jeanine Altmeyer are wonderful as the twins. The passion in their singing makes their situation a sympathetic one despite the crime of their union. Heinz Zednik steals the scene wherever he appears, be it as Loge or Mime. As Mime he's hilarious. This man could probably have an alternate career in film. He developed a set of mannerisms for "Mime" and maintains them consistently throughout his time on stage. As well, he has great comic timing. That's something that can't be taught. Then there's the lady who (to my mind) dominates this production. It's true that Gwyneth Jones wasn't young when this was filmed and there are times when harsh lighting displays it. Still, age or no, she is a beautiful lady. And she can act and she can sing. Can she ever sing! She combines control with unbridled passion in a way most can only dream about. In the end it's hard to imagine a better Brünnhilde. She is magnificent!

Picture quality is good. For television it was the best of it's time and it holds up well. The sound is even better. The old analog recordings weren't as clean but they have a more lifelike sound than digital recordings. That's particularly noticeable with the brass and the bass instruments from the string sections. The re-mastering of this edition serves those qualities well.

The only complaint I have is that the individual works should be available as such instead of just as a set. Each drama is a self contained story and can be enjoyed as such. Offering them separately might create a wider range of interest in the Cycle. Given its quality and importance that could only be a plus.

Rating:
Summary: Some great strengths here, but not my favorite production
Review: Every Ring production is controversial, and this one certainly was back when it was first unveiled. I imagine that there are a number of viewers that will be led to Wagner's Ring by way of the renewed interest in fantasy, and particularly the success of the somewhat similar "Lord of the Rings." While this production certainly has its merits, I have to admit that many elements of this production irritated me, and I suspect those viewers coming to Wagner for the first time might be better directed to the Met's traditional staging (also on DVD). The orchestra here is world class, and I would agree that as a whole the acting here is superior to the Met's, although its a toss up as to which production has the better singing. What never worked for me is the staging, set in the "real world" of the Industrial Age. For some this made the cycle more understandable, for me there was too much of a clash between the mythological actions and the real life settings... its hard to understand why industial tycoons would put their daughters into a magical sleep to be awoken by future heroes. Couldn't they just disinheret them? The dragon is ridiculous. Why do prostitutes live *in* the river? And it seems that Wotan keeps up the manipulation too long, rendering the idea of Siegfried as an "independent" hero moot. Certain aspects of the production do make the viewer rethink his/her ideas about the meaning of the Ring, and it certainly qualifies as an important Wagner achievement, but I'd start my Wagner journey elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: I've never seen anything like this
Review: First I just wanted to get Die Walkure and Gotterdammerung, and I ended up buying the whole set. I made a good choice because I loved Das Rheingold and Siegfried even more than Die Walkure!
Here every single singer acts stunningly well. The production is not traditional but it's realistic. I never found a dull moment from the beginning to the end. I think I can even just sit down 15 hours and watch the whole thing at once! It's so well done.
The included booklets in each DVD have the detailed explanation of the production and the inverview with Patrice Chereau and Pierre Boulez.
I still can't get over it. What a great theatrical experience it was! It changed my whole view about opera & theater.

Rating:
Summary: A surprise at many levels
Review: First, a little background is in order. I believe I was among the first reviewers of the Solti "Ring" for amazon, and I hereby confess that my present review is biased by that former work. That being said, I will found several surprises in this DVD that made it an overall pleasant experience.

First, the technical details: This DVD supports Dolby 2 and 5.1. It also features subtitles. However, it has a poor menu system, so it is impossible to jump to a specific scene from the main menu: a scene can only be accessed through the "next/previous track" option in the DVD remote control.

This is a live performance without an audience. In my opinion, this can be tricky. On the one hand, it is possible to record the event without the problems associated with an audience: freedom of equipment placement, no noise from the audience, etc. However, it may also be something akin to a rehearsal for the performers. Where do they find the inspiration to please their audience? I believe that a little of this crept into the work.

The performances are acceptable for many of the characters. I liked Gwyneth Jones as Brunnhilde: She sings with authority and is faithful to the strength of the character. On the other hand, I found Manfred Jung's Siegfried challenging to enjoy: He often belts out notes instead of singing, and some his acting mannerisms are distracting. It's almost as though he's just rehearsing and can let a few (actually many) notes get away...

This is only one of the reasons why the work did not get 5 stars. Another reason: Why, oh why, wasn't Matti Salminen cast as Hagen? (At least we are graced by his vocal prowess as Hunding, but only too briefly.) Also, the pace in some parts of the work are a little brisk, as though the conductor wanted to just get on with it.

However, the DVD set has some pleasant surprises, and often at many levels. For example, Siegfried is certainly the weakest of the set, as it is simple dramatically. But it was difficult to ignore the performance of Heinz Zednik's Mime. He was comical while not being overly so. Even my small children liked his interactions with Siegfried and the Wanderer. (It's never too early to start the children on Wagner.)

The staging is not traditional, but it is not distracting either. Indeed, I found the imagery and the use of lighting another pleasant surprise. And at least the Valkyries are actually gathering up heroes. (However, I could not understand why the interaction between Wotan and Brunnhilde in Act 2 of Die Walkure was staged as it was: quirky to say the least.)

Since this review is for the work as a whole, it merits the 4 stars. This review is a balance of the overall production; individually, each opera leaves its mark in a distinct way. But it is also important to note that this DVD set is cheaper than some CD sets, and the pleasure of a live performance is there, warts and all. Yes, the work could have been better in many respects, but the idiosynchrasies of this set give it much of its charm.

Rating:
Summary: Won over by it
Review: I agree with most of Brian Hay's assessment of this dvd production. Nevertheless, I've perhaps derived even more pleasure from it, as it has completely changed my previous perception about opera as a fossilised art form. Both the singing and acting are great, and the drama, though a little odd at times, holds together very well. I can't dwell in depth about the technicalities of the singing and conducting, but suffice to say that I'm completely won over by it!

Rating:
Summary: 'Great Ring, but ...
Review: I don't have much to add to the other reviewers comments. I think this is great singing and it is a much welcome full Ring cycle in DVD. I have a complaint though in that again, borrowing from the VHS and LaserDisks era, we don't have German subtitles option, that is, the language in which the drama is performed.
In the DVD medium this would be very easy to do and would permit Wagner opera admirers with some basic knowledge of German and of the Ring story (for instance, by repetitive viewing of the English subtitled option) to follow what is being sung in actual terms.
I once bought a Tristan DVD in the Amazon.uk with the European area format and it had German subtitle option besides English, whereas the same DVD in Amazon.com seems not to have this option.