Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Patrice Ch?reau - Pierre Boulez, Bayreuth Festival (Complete Ring Cycle)
by Brian Large
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DVD details
Actor: Donald McIntyre, Fritz H?bner, Heinz Zednik, Martin Egel, Siegfried JerusalemDirector: Brian Large
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); German (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Box set, Classical, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
DVD Release Date: 2001-10-30
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Umvd Labels
DVD Reviews of Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Patrice Ch?reau - Pierre Boulez, Bayreuth Festival (Complete Ring Cycle)
DVD Review: Twilight Of Wagner's Masterpiece: A Classic Butchered
Summary: 1 Stars
ABOUT THIS DVD: Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen Director Pierre Chareau, Conductor Pierre Boulez Centennial Bayreuth Opera production. CAST: Manfred Jung (tenor, Siegfried) Gwyneth Jones (soprano, Brunhilde) Fritz Hubner ( bass, Hagen) Franz Masura (bass, Gibechung) Jeanne Altmeyer (mezzo soprano, Gutrune) Gwendolyn Killebrew (soprano, Waltraud) ....Four Operas..Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried and Gotterdammerung.
I have never given a 1-star rating to anything before but after watching director Patrice Chereau' Centennial production of Wagner's Gotterdammerung at the Bayreuth Opera (filmed in the 80's)I have to. This is by no means the best Gotterdammerung nor the way the opera should be staged or represented. While I'm sure there are worse productions (Peter Sellers is another abstract, post-modern nut job of an opera director)which probably have the Gibechung giants become Nazis or have even more minimalist staging "nothing" production values, this opera is weak and ineffective and downright boring. The three operas that lead up to this climatic final opera - Rhinegold, Walkure and Siegfried- are also lackluster and full of the same unorthodox, unconventional and terrible production elements. The general theme seems to be (and this is my personal theory) that the 19th century "look" of this production represents the time that Wagner composed this opera and the people of that century he was writing for. His message to them at the time was that it was imperative that Germany be unified into an Empire. By honoring the noble heroes and heroines of old Germanic myth, the greatest being this one drawn from the Volsung and Nibelung saga, he was urgently calling for heroism and zealous patriotism in 19th century Germany. But at the same time, this production seems to be suggesting that the explosive Industrial Revolution and rapid modernization of the late 19th century was killing old, more human values and alienating humans from one another, and worse, igniting greed and lust for power. It's not that I don't understand Boulez or his concept of the Ring, but it is not to my liking and it was the first time I have ever seen the Ring operas. Living in the desert that is California, I have no access to opera and least of all not traditional Wagner opera productions. In Wagner's time, the Ring operas that were staged at Bayreuth followed Wagner's original instructions as written. This is an old Norse/Viking saga and we are dealing with mythical beings - the King of the Gods, Wotan, his wife the frigid goddess Freya, the human lovers Siegmund and Sieglende Wotan's daughter the Valkyre and later ex-Valkyrie daughter Brunnhilde, the heroic semi-god/human hero Siegfried, and nasty dwarfs like Albrecht, Giants Fafner and Falsolt and the Gibechung and Nibelung race of giants. There is a rainbrow bridge that leads to the palatial home of the Gods Valhalla, a beautiful and eternally flowing river called the Rhine and beautiful sirens called the Rhinemaidens. In Siegfried, there is even a Talking Bird-Woman and a powerful fire-breathing dragon. You do not see any of them in this production. Since the fall of the Third Reich at the end of World War II, namely throughout the decade of the 50's, strange, modern, abstract designs appeared in Wagner opera productions. Wieland Wagner, the last member of the Wagner family, introduced bold new ideas to Bayreuth. The only good thing about his involvement with Bayreuth was that through him ethnic singers like African-American opera diva Grace Bumbry were able to sing at Bayreuth when prior to that only white/European singers sang there. Wieland Wagner welcomed modern stage productions and would have surely enjoyed Boulez' version. But not me.
Director Pierre Chereau and Conductor Pierre Boulez has changed everything to suit his directorial concept. Leave it to two Frenchies to destroy Wagner's masterpiece. Instead of rich, colorful, evocative Romantic/Nordic imagery, we have low lighting and a lot of darkness, minimal set design, a 19th century time period (and that I can tell from the costumes)and the few edifices we see are 19th century architecture. What the heck is this all about ? The worst part is that eventhough they are singing the libretto as written (i.e. Brunhilde summons her flying horse Grane.."Grane Meine Ross! during the Immolation Scene...and orders the Gibechungs to erect Siegfried's funeral pyre.."Starke Scheite"..) we do not see any of the things they are singing about. It is not as minimalist as some other operas but it is still far too modern for my tastes. As such, this particular production is suited for lovers of modern concept operas. But all I'm saying is that Wagner's Ring Des Nibelungen should not look like this and the better ones are always the ones that stick to the original concept by Wagner.
As for the singers, I like Manfred Jung's Siegfried. Blonde, handsome and noble, he epitomizes the Wagnerian hero even if the music for Siegfried taxes him to the point he is out of breath. Singing Siegfried is not easy and Jung is considerably underpowered next to the more striking Siegfrieds sung by tenors Wolfgang Windgassen, Jon Vickers and James King. He is more like Wagnerian tenor Rene Kollo, a strong lyric tenor with some dramatic abilities but not really enough to carry Wagner's music well and cut through large-scale orchestras. Fritz Hubner and Franz Masura are superb villains Hagen and Gibechung. They have secure, strong Wagnerian baritone-bass voices and are perhaps the only good singers in the cast, which is ultimately very disappointing and sad because the two most powerful singers in this opera should be the tenor and soprano in the roles of Siegfried and Brunhilde. Dame Gwyneth Jones' Brunhilde was hailed by critics as a great performance, not just in this production but in others. Why that is, I don't know. I don't really care for her voice. It's an unsteady, blowzy, grating soprano voice and to me, it doesn't feel right for Brunhilde. She is of course no Birgit Nilsson or Astrid Varnay, who vocally capture the true spirit of Brunhilde's character and Wagner's music for the character, and granted Gwyneth Jones is better than the light voice of Hildegard Behrens, but she is not singing Brunhilde correctly. Gwyneth Jones sang several Wagnerian heroines (Elisabeth in Tannhauser, Isolde, Senta)and she was considered to be a fine Wagnerian soprano by many but let's face it. That voice is not properly placed, the vibrato is far too wide, and she seems very nervous when she sings. I have heard her both in recordings and in video/DVD and at certain parts her voice cracks under pressure. The Immolation Scene is God-awful. Wearing a plain white gown with long elbow sleeves, and ranting and raving in that unsteady and shaky, awful voice of hers, it is the worst I've ever seen or heard. She makes it look more like a Mad Scene than anything else. At the end of this opera, the world is supposed to end, destroyed by fire and water, and Valhalla is supposed to be consumed by flames. But insstead we see a pillar of fire into which Brunhilde leaps into, and dry ice/smoke. A group of people in 19th century clothes stand around with silent and unfeeling expressions. It's unbelievably awful.
DVD Review: It's Comming Back!
Summary: 4 Stars
It is interesting to note that Deutsche Grammophon will be
issuing this DVD set on it's label within the next few months.
This production was considered quite "different" when it was
first shown back in the late 1970's. I personally found it hard
to watch at first. Once I got used to it I found that Patrice
Chereau and Pierre Boulez et al, had put together one of the
most moving productions of the "Ring" ever. Is this set better
than the Levine, MET DVD set? perhaps not. Better than some of
newer ones on the market? Without a doubt!! This DVD set makes
Wagners Ring Cycle a bit more relevant to us and is timeless.
Now if only Decca could see fit to re-release the Boulez,
Bayreuth CD set at midprice, as DG did with the Levine,MET CD
set.
DVD Review: One of the best opera dvds
Summary: 5 Stars
Can't make any detailed analysis. But I'd say that it's one of the very best dvds that I've come across. Even if I'm not a very devoted opera fan, the drama and the intensity of the acting and singing pulls me into its world. Doubtlessly an important document of a major operatic event.DVD Review: Won over by it
Summary: 5 Stars
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!DVD Review: A Ring Cycle for the Ages
Summary: 4 Stars
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 Ch?reau'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 Walk?re 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 (G?tterd?mmerung) 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. Ch?reau'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 H?bner 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 Br?nnhilde. 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.
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