Ring Cycle

I wouldn't say that The Ring is a life-transforming experience, though it is a fine opera cycle. So far, I've sat through it three times: first the much vaunted Solti, then the superior Böhm, and most recently (the last two weekends, in fact), the Boulez on DVD. Indeed, I watched / heard the last three operas of the cycle last Saturday and Sunday – over 11 hours of music drama in two days.

Of the three complete cycles, the Böhm is the best. He’s got a great cast and conducts perfectly; neither too light nor too ponderous (as with Solti). That written, Boulez's Siegfried is a scorcher, as far as those things go, and it is easily my favorite of the four versions I've heard. (I've also watched / heard the Barenboim.) Boulez's Götterdämmerung is also extraordinary: one forgets the length. Of course, his is just over four hours while others take a more leisurely pace. Böhm is also taut enough here, and elicits more glorious playing of the wonderful score.

I assume the Met production has Levine at the helm, which gives me pause. My limited experience with Levine in Wagner has been quite unhappy. But since it’s free, you might as well at least dabble. Das Rheingold is the easiest to absorb, so at least give this weekend a shot, and Die Walküre is the most exciting of the cycle, so perhaps you should give the second weekend a shot.

Of course, Wagner best work is elsewhere: Parsifal, Tristan and Meistersinger are all superior to The Ring.


"The universe is change, life is opinion." Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Well, it is now just starting at 11 am. I'll try to pay attention, but I know that I can't sit still in my apartment for 5.5 hours. I did pay attention to the synopsis. I'll putz, play and clean so that I can feel like I got something done. I'm not a Wagner fan but I will give it a try. It will be more difficult to follow since I don't have a libretto. I centainly do like supertitles at the opera, keeps pace with the action so I know exactly what they are saying.

Cheers

glenn

Life is analogue

quote:

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Originally posted by Ross Blackman:
Todd, I gather you liked the Boulez Ring on DVD? What did you think of the Barenboim version on video? Have you seen the Sawallisch Munich production?

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I loved the Boulez Ring. His approach to the score - a sort of relentless, at times coldly direct and forceful approach - stripped away much excess and pretentiousness that sometimes creeps in. The downside to the approach is that some of the softer, more beautiful passages, particularly in Götterdämmerung were absent. But that's the price one must pay; no Ring does it all.

Overall, I prefer the second "half" of Boulez’s Ring to the first “half,” and found Die Walküre to be the relatively weakest opera, which is odd because it is my favorite in the cycle. I can’t quite explain why, but I found all of the interaction between Siegmund and Sieglinde kind of boring, and despite a breathtaking opening to Act III, the ending kind of drug on. Yes, Wotan, we know you’re pissed off, now get that ring of fire started will you! Das Rheingold was really good, though, with a nicely mean spirited Alberich courtesy of Hermann Becht (and some attractive Rhinemaidens!), and some fine giants, but surely Heinz Zednik’s Loge is the high point of the opera, as his Mime is one of the highpoints of Siegfried. Donald McIntyre makes for an interesting Wotan, perhaps a bit small of voice – he certainly can’t match Hotter – but he certainly evokes the other qualities of this less than perfectly scrupulous titan.

But Siegfried, whew! Manfred Jung makes a fine, slightly retarded hero. His voice is strong enough (certainly far superior to Siegfried Jerusalem’s), and he seems to enjoy playing the character. Again, Zednik is splendid, and McIntyre does better in this opera, his exchanges between first Mime, then Alberich, and especially with Siegfried and Erda are exciting to watch. Boulez builds up to the fight with Fafner just about perfectly, and though the dragon on wheels is a bit hokey (my son was really disappointed, alas), it was fully satisfying. But most impressive is how Act III does not drag on for infinity. This has always been where the cycle takes a turn for the worse for me, but I watched every scene fully glued to the screen. Amazing.

Götterdämmerung also fared well enough, though I disliked the sets and the stupid outfits the Gibichungs wore (though I found myself strangely attracted to Jeannine Altmeyer’s Gutrune in that satiny white dress). Elsewhere I found the sets and costumes more than acceptable. Fritz Hübner’s Hagen is nice and dark and fully unrepentant for his crime. As if killing a moron like Siegfried would be such a terrible crime. The final Immolation Scene and burning Valhalla is quite impressive, even if Brünnhilde’s trusty steed is nowhere to be seen. As mentioned before, some of the beauty is sucked out of the score, but the tension and dramatic unity more than makes up for it.

As to the Sawallisch set, no, I’ve not yet seen it. I’m going to wait until it comes out on DVD (which I assume it will) before I splurge. As to Barenboim’s Siegfried, well, it’s not as good as Boulez’s. The third act drags on forever, and the sets suck. The approach to Fafner is novel, and much of the singing is good, Siegfried Jerusalem’s rather weenie-boy Siegfried aside. As with all of Barenboim’s Wagner that I’ve heard - everything except the other three Ring installments - the orchestral playing is exemplary, and Barenboim’s pacing is generally very good, but he is let down by singers not up to his conducting. (What a shame he couldn’t have conducted Nilsson and Vickers in Tristan!) I may end up heading back to the library to borrow his Götterdämmerung, but I don’t think I’ll buy his Ring. I do own all of his non-Ring Wagner, though, and I am glad I do.


"The universe is change, life is opinion." Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

who sings Gandalfs part?!