Product Description

Includes 7 videos including Siegfried, Gotterdammerung, Die Walkure and Das Rheingold

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35692 in VHS
• Published on: 1992-05
• Released on: 1992-03-10
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Box set, Classical, Color, NTSC
• Number of tapes: 7
• Running time: 937 minutes

Customer Reviews

Amazing performance; appeals to all levels
James Levine has often been regarded as a conductor whose abilities are equal to, or even surpass, those of the venerable Georg Solti, especially in his dynamic recording of the first Ring opera, Die Walkure. In this video cycle, he continues to show how he deserves his shining reputation.

Though most of the Metropolitan Opera's productions are excellent, this cycle is probably the best one on VHS format. Hildegard Behrens as Brunnhild is in full glory in this cycle, especially at the climax of Gotterdammerung (like most other Brunnhilds), and her native German is as always a strong support. She is a superb actress, rarely resorting to the flinging about of arms that some singers tend to do, even though these actions only make the opera more artificial. The other singers and actors/actresses also perform superbly. Siegfried Jerusalem, Gwyneth Jones, Christa Ludwig, among others, complement each other nicely and the performances are wonderfully executed. But the strength of this production is its overall feel.

The Metropolitan has captured the spirit of Wagner's Ring. The visual scenery is just what one would expect after hearing a recording of the cycle; some parts, however, like the full blazing of Valhalla and the throwing of the Ring before Freia were eliminated but they do not detract from the staging. One quibble, however-the Rhinemaidens in the beginning of Das Rheingold do not utilize their multilevel stage with efficiency and the beginning scene's actions are a little odd.

The scenery is very vivid and interesting. The first scene of Das Rheingold produces a reef, underwater, and the swirling light and rising lines produce the exact effect an underground world would call for. Interesting too is Brunnhild at the beginning of the Immolation ("Schweigt eurs jammers...") - the lighting illuminates half of her face, and the resulting darkness on the other side makes her look like the true primeval, victorious Valkyrie she becomes once more in her "Glorification." The final Immolation is also spectacular-Behrens jumps feet first into a roaring inferno (her torch waving scene is worth a rewind or two), and the collapse of the Gibichung Hall is exemplary given that it is all being staged on the Met. The final scene does not follow Wagner's stage directions, but then few performances nowadays do. Brunnhild calling to an invisible horse to join her in flames seems rather odd, but it's from necessity. The original climax to Gotterdammerung, which ends the whole cycle, was intended to have the waters of the Rhine sweep away everything, with the Rhinemaidens swimming happily away following Woglinde and Wellgunde's drowning of the villainous Hagen, and then have Valhalla ablaze completely in the background. Instead, the Met production has opted for a pinnacle of rock rising high above the ruins of Gibichung, bathed in watery light, with the Rhinemaidens passing the ring upwards towards the sunlight. It's beautiful, but one regrets the absence of Hagen's drowning by the Rhinemaidens. Instead of two of them twining their arms around his neck and pulling him under, the Rhinemaidens on the bottom tease him with the Ring and then let him slide downwards. But the final spectacle, Valhalla, is also quite unique. It goes ablaze, but the fires are dulled and there is more smoke. The Asgardian centerpiece goes down behind the rising Rhine river beautifully, and the final scene is not that of Valhalla completely ablaze-but of a shining white light, showing the survivo! rs the way to a new world order.

This performance was extremely satisfying, and will appeal to everyone from the beginner to the expert Wagnerian. Well worth its price! END

An unexpected switch
I can hardly review the Levine "Ring," since you sent me something completely different--a set from the Bayreuther Festspiele, conducted by Pierre Boulez. It appears to be in excellent shape, but it is obviously a different product.