Rating: 
Summary: Made me the opera nut that I am!
Review: I can't begin to say how much this production of Der Ring des Nibelungen has meant to me. I first saw it when it aired on TV back in 1990. I was eight years old, and was hooked. My parents were somewhat surprised that I was so into it - and although it's certainly an impressive thing to be interested in at eight, I wasn't allowed to stay up late to watch the endings! The whole collection of operas, the beautiful music and the magical stories had me completely captivated. It started my whole love of opera, and made me a Wagner fan for life. I was so glad that they finally released this version on DVD. Frankly, I didn't want to see any other - it was this one that meant so much to me. Hildegard Behrens has a voice from the heavens, and I for one was not surprised when she was acclaimed "The greatest living Brunnhilde." She deserves it. Apart from an amazing voice, she has the face and figure to carry off the role, and does a beautiful job. However the one who stole the show for me was Siegfried Jerusalem. He takes on two roles here: Loge and Siegfried, and brings such a youthful energy to the part - he IS Siegfried. I can't imagine anyone doing a better job. Some reviewers have commented on this bogging down at times and being slow-paced. Remember folks, we're talking about 15 hours of Wagner. You'd have to be crazy to try and watch it all at once. But if it could keep an eight-year-old perfectly still for four nights in a row - that definately says something. Lavine's conducting is respectful to the music, and doesn't rush it. The first American-born conductor at the Met to tackle Wagner's Ring does a first-class job. True, there are parts that tend to drag - but that's unavoidable. They are few and far between. The stories of the operas and the fabulous music is top-notch. I can't recommend this set more.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Work of Art
Review: "The greatest work of art of Western Civilization," is what George Bernard Shaw said of Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. This DVD set is the best introduction yet to this great work of art.
Avoiding a director's natural tendency to become a bit of a prima donna by trying to put one's own stamp on a production, James Levine rises higher, and presents a faithful, authentic production of the Ring. As most folks eventually come to learn, there are invariably compromises in any production. One has better staging, one has better singing, better acting, better lighting, and so forth. This MET production has pretty high scores in all areas. One of the more outstanding aspects of operatic works on dvd is the added dimension afforded by subtitles. The English subtitles help viewers get so much more out of the Ring, and for those with some understanding of German, switching to German subtitles will help them understand more of the precise meanings of this musical dramatic representation. James Morris,exhibiting grace and majesty as well as excellent singing, may well be the Wotan of the century. Hildegard Behrens dispels the "fat lady" stereotype of a Valkry, as she portrays a young, energetic, warrior-daughter of Wotan. Heinz Zednik is a splendid Loge, who seems to inquire of the audience if they can see the implications which present actions will have on future situations. Matti Salminen is the ultimate Hagen, exuding evil from his singing and his cold-blooded stares. I do find I must agree with other reviewers who have suggested that Jessye Norman and Gary Lakes do not make a credible pair of young Walsung twins, even for those who are adept at "suspension of disbelief." Levine and the MET orchestra play superbly. Staging and scenery are traditional and very well-done. Gil Wechsler deserves all his acclaim for his brillance in lighting direction: who can forget Wotan's aria, "Diesen Augen, leuchtendes paar...?" It would be easy to watch "The Ring," again and again, learning more about it, and about life, with each viewing. All in all, people who like opera, especially opera with a storyline, grand drama, and an invitation to think philosophically about the meaning of life--such individuals will likely find this Metropolitan Opera performance of Wagner's Ring, a delightful addition to their lives.
Rating:
Summary: Siegfried Jerusalem,Christa Ludwig,'outstanding!'.
Review: Siegfried Jerusalem and Christa Ludwig,these two performers names you will find plastered on alot of 'vinyls' and 'cds'. I must say the visional backstage lighting is absolutely breath taking,the music 'flight of the Walkure'(Siegfried 3) and 'Siegfried's funeral march'(Gotterdammerung 4) are memorable. In all four opera's,you will find them using costumes of ancient 'Nordic' times. You may say what's so unusual about that,now adays they have the performers dress in shorts,bright colored hawaiin shirts,wear sunglasses,and carry brief cases on stage. I guess its used to draw your attention,it works,at least for me. But don't worry,you wont find that here in this 'opera set'.
Rating:
Summary: The difinitive recording of the ring on DVD
Review: Many Wagner snobs may decry the traditional staging - but what use is modern new wave stagings unless you have seen the orginal first. is it helpful for a first time Ring viewer to see Valkyries on bicycles for example. As most people will not have seen the ring on stage this traditional version must be welcome. I loved Levines thoughtful reflective reading on the music score. The singer is as good as it can be - all the big Wagner stars were in this production. It may not compare with the great cast ensembled for Solti landmark audio recording but what can? For those of us who cannot understand German the subtitle is a godsend). My understanding of Wagner has made a quantum leap! The importance of subtitles cannot be underestimated for this work because the total integration of words and music. In fact even if you can follow German I think that you would understand it better with the subtitles (in German). The sound is superb esp in DTS - better then the CDs of either Barenboim or Solti. One other great thing about DVD and Wagner is that only two DVD are needed for each opera. So you can listen to your favorite bits without the hassle of changing DVD After the release of this DVD I do not think I will ever listen to my CDs again. I probably want even bother seeing the Ring again on stage! Highly recommened
Rating: 
Summary: Unevenly cast in a tepid interpretation
Review: Frankly, I had high hopes for this set before it was released, because I very much prefer a traditional staging of Wagner's great work than those gimmicky productions that we're now accustomed in the opera house. Unfortunately, this set does not live up to expectations. One of the major reasons is that the performances captured here have been very unevely cast. Some of the singers are distinctly below their best and some (like Behrens's Brunnhilde) shouldn't have been singing their roles at all. Another reason for my disappointment arises from the conducting of Levine, which I found to be lethargic and dramatically stunted. The orchestra performed very well, though. But as an interpretation, it lacks fire and drama. The production loses much of its grandeur when viewed through a home TV (unless one has a very large and wide-screen TV set), and the stage direction is merely dutiful. Some of the stage effects are also too much subdued. I'll award this set 2 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Spoilt by inadequate casting
Review: The chief glory of this Ring, in my view, is the performance of the orchestra of the Met. However, Levine's conducting is at times lethargic. The cast is wildly uneven. The major blot on the set is Hildegard Behrens's unstable and weak Brunnhilde. Some of the cast members are also past their prime. The acting is unremarkable and the production, though loyal to most of Wagner's original instructions, is uninteresting.
Rating:
Summary: Dull and rigid
Review: After watching this set of dvds, I can only say that I'm bored by most of it. The staging and direction is often dull and the acting is mostly rigid. The singing is mediocre, and Hildegard Behrens well past her prime. The saving grace is the excellent performance of the Met orchestra under Levine. But the odds still win the day at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Ah Jeez!--more typical snobby classical music reviewers!
Review: I'm not going to write my usual verbose review here. Suffice it to say that some of the unfavorable reviews here are nothing more than the haughty opinions of typical classical music snobs--you know, the kind of people who do more than anything else to discourage more people from becoming interested in "classical" (or in this case Late Romantic) music? Like every opera recording/performance--esp. one as monumental as "The Ring" cycle--this set may have its flaws, but most of the quibbles that some reviewers have with this cycle are nothing more than nitpicking. At least some negative reviewers are honest enough to admit that maybe Wagner is just "not their cup of tea" (it is certainly understandable that his grandiose gestures are not for everybody). Let me put it this way, when one considers all the elements that it takes to bring off a successful realization of Wagner's massive conception--and to do it in the original Romantic spirit that Wagner intended (not some space age reinterpretation)--there has never been a better version of the Ring on "video" (or DVD, in this case)...nor is their likely to be, anytime soon. I would normally give this set four-and-a-half stars, but I am giving it five stars to "bring up the average" a little, since a three-and-a-half star average review is simply not acceptable--or accurate--imho.
Rating: 
Summary: A fine Ring
Review: Siegfried Jerusalem's Loge is utterly captivating: his Wagnerian tenor voice is matched in intensity with his acting. Levine's conducting is very accurate: he does not take the extended ritards (unfaithful to the text of the score) that seem to pervade the Boulez version. The stage direction is superb, with a single exception: Das Rheingold, scene one works very well (the set is excellent, the acting so-so) but the way the Rhinemaidens wave their arms and torsos around is just silly.
Rating:
Summary: A let-down
Review: I have to say I'm rather disappointed by this production. Maybe it works well in the theatre (I didn't see it at the Metropolitan). However, it doesn't work too well on video. Both the production and stage direction are stodgey and the acting is of the elementary kind. I don't think the singing is too inspiring. Maybe Wagner isn't that suitable for me, but this production definitely fails to arouse my interest in Wagner's music and drama. It doesn't work for me.
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