Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

I saw Die Walkure in the house, when they were filming the HD production, and the other 3 operas at my local movie theater in HD. All were fantastic experiences, but having them home to watch over and over again is even better. And just think, $119.99. To compare, I bought the laserdisc version of the Schenk Ring Cycle in 1994, at a cost of $335.00. And I've enjoyed it many times. And when I saw Die Walkure live, my ticket was around $300.00. For just the one opera. In the house, of course, you get better sound. In the movie theater, you get great picture, but the sound of the orchestra is not always so full and rich. But at home, on a widescreen HD television, with a surround sound system, you get great picture, with closeups, and amazing sound quality.The bluray has DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM Stereo. Compared with my laserdisc version of the Schenk production, the sound here is much richer, much more enveloping, for both orchestra and singers. The picture is 1080i HD, 16:9, which fills my 59 inch screen, and looks beautiful (the Schenk is SD, soft picture, 1.33:1, with black bars on the sides on my TV). There are subtitles, which you can turn on or off, in English, German, French, Spanish and Chinese. As others have pointed out the set includes four blurays, one for each opera, along with a fifth bluray of the film Wagner's Dream. I watched this first, and it really explains the challenges of the production well. Each opera disc contains a short booklet, listing the chapter stops and timings, an essay and the synopsis. The discs themselves have some special features. When I saw the broadcasts in the theaters, there were live cast interviews between the acts. But by including these as special features, you can watch the opera uninterrupted, and then view the interviews later. The Walkure disc has a short special on leitmotifs, with members of the horn section illustrating the themes, in closeup and stunning sound.You've read all the pros and cons of the production. I for one, thought it was just right, a balance between traditionalist productions and crazy modern ones. I loved the costumes, which are traditional, especially the Walkyries' costumes, which I thought were very flattering to the various builds of the nine ladies. I thought the ring of fire scene in the Schenk production (which I also saw live) was more magical, but in general, the myriad imaginative uses of the machine were both technically impressive and wonderfully illustrative of the story.As for the singing, unless one goes back and compares it to something like the Solti Ring, which was recorded over many years, with numerous outtakes, not in front of a live audience like this, it was magnificent. In Rheingold, the cast is top notch throughout, from a lovely trio sound of the Rheinmaidens, to Eric Owens as a powerful Alberich, ably showing the frustration and later arrogance of the character, to Stephanie Blythe as Fricka, and Bryn Terfel as Wotan, his deep, lush, Wagnerian baritone showing why he is king of the Gods. I also liked Adam Diegel in the small role of Froh, his clarion tenor showing promise for the future. Wendy Bryn Harmer plays a fetching Freia in Rheingold. She later is one of the Walkyries, and then Gutrune in Gotterdammerung.In Die Walkure, Terfel really gets to show his credentials, both as a singer and an actor, and his performance is gripping. Deborah Voigt, whom I have seen many times, is one of the finest filmed Brunhildes ever (not comparing to CD versions). I agree with some that her voice is just a tad less amazing than it was in her 1993 Elektra broadcast, but she still has power to spare, a deep, rich sound, and excellent control throughout her range. She also acts the part wonderfully. I can imagine Birgit Nilsson, who of course had the greatest voice of all time for this role, costumed like this, with ultra closeups. Well, maybe I shouldn't imagine that. Eva-Maria Westbroek is an excellent Sieglinde, able to hit the highest notes without any strain, a large voice. And then there is Jonas Kaufmann as Siegmund. Wow. What a voice. He really makes this opera special.Now I've watched Siegfried. I love this opera, as it has tons of comedy, and a dramatic happy ending, things not always present in opera. I am even more convinced than before that the Lepage production is a winner. There are beautiful visual effects, such as a video "pond" with reflections of the live characters, a 3-D forest bird whose beak actually is triggered to the voice of the singer, and a stunning representation of the fiery top of the mountain where Siegfried wakes Brunnhilde. I went back and looked at my dvd of the Chereau production in 1976 and the Met Otto Schenk production. Compared to this new one, they both looked static, boring. Costumes are also better, especially Erda, who comes from the Earth, and has a dress covered with what looks like pieces of shiny volcanic rock. You really have to see it, and it matches her character. As for singing, once again, it's excellent. Terfel as the Wanderer is commanding, but now world weary. Gerhard Siegel as Mime is excellent, a very strong voice (he used to sing Siegfrieds). Jay Hunter Morris, the last minute replacement, has a fine voice, smooth and powerful. I'm not sure he matches every Siegfried of the past, but he really looks heroic, and acts perfectly, starting as a naive foolish wild child, but gradually learning about love, women and destiny. But Deborah Voigt, for me, is the star. Her 35 minute love duet showcases a huge, full sound, torrents of notes flowing effortlessly over the orchestra to fill the hall. Her acting is also spot on, and the chemistry between Brunnhilde and Siegfried is palpable. This is one wonderful disc, which I'll watch over and over again.One singer I haven't mentioned yet is Hans-Peter Konig, who plays Fafner, Hunding and Hagen over the course of the cycle. He has a thunderous deep bass, used to great effect in these villain roles. Wendy Bryn Harmer, who was Freia and then one of the Valkyries, plays Gutrune in Gotterdammerung. She looks and sounds beautiful, and acts her part well. One of the best things about this 4th opera in the cycle is that it has a chorus. And what a sound they make! Their singing in Act 2 is thrilling, and like the rest of the set, sounded wonderful on my sound system. In fact, the sound and picture are so good throughout, that alone makes this Ring Cycle a great buy. The new uses of the machine continue to delight the eye and support the story. Jay Hunter Morris has even more difficult acting here, and does an excellent job. But once again, it's Deborah Voigt who really knocked my socks off. She sounds truly heroic here, from the opening love scene with Siegfried, to the immolation scene, where she unleashes the full power and beauty of her voice. The end of the opera is lovely and moving, the depiction of the Rhine echoing the beginning in Das Rheingold, bringing the entire cycle back to where it began. I truly adored this bluray set, and recommend it highly.

After watching Wagner’s “Ring” in early September, 2012 on PBS for 4 consecutive nights, I felt like I had self-immolated at the end! What an immensely gut-wrenching final scene! It took me a week to decompress.It wasn’t that I was just being introduced to Wagner for the first time; I had studied his work in Music Composition class at university (both the musical scores; the stories built on old legends, going back to the times of the Gods, creating half-men/ half-gods; discussing main themes like ‘immortality’; all within the context of old German legends). Besides this, I come from a strand of German lineage (I was born into a family with the name of one of the characters in this group of operas), so studying and performing music from my original ‘homeland’ drew me in like a duck to water.This “Ring” set is comprised of 4 operas: ‘Das Reingold’, ‘Die Walkure’, ‘Siegfried’, and ‘Gotterdammerung’.The 4 operas recorded from this set were first performed and filmed live at The Metropolitan Opera Company in New York in 2011. They were then broadcast on PBS in early September, 2012. This box set not only contains BluRays of performances of the 4 operas; it also contains a 5th one – dealing with LePage’s ‘mobile’/ IT-enhanced stage and how it worked, to perfectly integrate into scenery that was so vivid that it looked almost out of this world. I don’t think that I can ever see another opera again that isn’t performed with LePage’s ‘plank’ (lever-like) set, which is built and operated by LePage’s Canadian company, creating a wonderful collaboration between companies for the sake of art.The operas had 2 different conductors: James Levine and then Fabio Luisi, who had to take over because of Levine’s health problems.At the last moment, Texan Jay Hunter Morris also had to take over the entire role of Siegfried. The understudy of the sick original cast member was too afraid to take on this huge role and didn’t want to damage his reputation, but Morris (3rd in line) stepped right up to the plate. He was absolutely riveting in his vocal timbre and performance. He performed in a state of being ‘in the zone’, and everyone watching and listening felt this, too. This role/ performance propelled him into international stardom. What a joy that this box set captures this.Internationally acclaimed soprano Deborah Voigt in the role of Brunnhilde had just lost over 100 pounds before she took this role. The plank set had her exercising while working in these operas! She looked and sounded magnificent.The other operatic singers also shined.Run an internet search for the Metropolitan Opera and look for short video clips of these 4 operas, rehearsals, outtakes, and the behind-the-scenes happenings of LePage’s plank set. Especially look for ‘The Ride of the Valkyries’, which will be the finest rendition of this that you have ever seen! This will whet your appetite for purchasing this amazing boxed set.The entire 5 disc BluRay set is manufactured by Deutsch Grammophone (there are subtitles in English, French, Spanish, and Chinese, so that listeners/ viewers understand the context of the story in a language that they can comprehend [all of the operas are sung in German]). The video is shot in HD, and there is a total of 1111 minutes (18 hours and 51.6 Minutes) in the 5 discs. Broken down into sections: the 4 operas contain 920 minutes (15.33 hours); the 5th disc, called ‘Wagner’s Dream’, dealing with the making of the ‘Ring’ opera, is 114 minutes (1.9 hours). A final 72 minutes (1.28 hours) is devoted to extras.(Note: One of my friends bought this box set for her family one Christmas, because funnily enough, she, too, comes from a German lineage, and her maiden name is also a part of “The Ring”! She bought this set so that her kids could learn more about their German heritage.)This “Ring” box set should be part of every music and opera-lover’s collection. People who are just being introduced to opera (including children and teens and adults who aren’t yet fans) will find this rendition with the plank sets very believable and enjoyable to watch. This is the finest opera video set that I own, and I am very happy that I bought it.I would give this boxed set 10 stars if I could!

Bühnenbild, Sänger und Orchster sind grossartig! Sehr durchdachte und aufwendige Inszenierung die sich genau an der Handlung orientiert. Das was man auf der Bühne sieht entspricht genau der Musik und der Handlung.

Excellent production. In particular Jay Hunter Morris is outstanding as Siegfried.

Me llegó rápido y esta muy buena la obra

A truly glorious, wondrous Ring in so many respects. It has to rank with the very best. And given the casting I cannot think how it could sound any better. To assemble this level of soloists in all the major roles is astonishing in itself. And the blue ray recording delivers fantastic pure sound that few people would afford to match in the opera house. Just soak it up, Its marvellous, assuredly that. I will single out just three for their phenomenal performances. First among equals is Jay Hunter Morris. The very best Siegfried I have ever heard. So assured and natural and such a beautiful ringing tone. Then Jonas Kaufman. At his very very best. So relaxed and such a velvet tone. Sheer magic. And Debra Voigt. How does she manage the power and range without the slightest tremor. There are many others who could be mentioned but lets just say none will disappoint. Then a general comment of the staging. Its is fantastic in each of the four parts. The combination of CGI and the stage machinery is breathtaking. The death of Siegfried in particular and all the transformations. The orchestra's majesty is just fine. Not in the league of Barenboim's magic but still good. Of the four parts, for me Rheingold was the least impressive but I still enjoyed it. The finest is Die Walkure probably equalled by Gotterdamerung. Thats for the all round magic and impression. But I do have one criticism. Maybe its my problem with the Met I don't know. But the for all its stunning theatre it lacks one thing - this production doesn't really challenge the brain. Pause and think that Wagner created THE most complex web in music drama, song, story and characterisation. In 25 years I am still finding things I didn't initially notice or appreciate. The subtitles and inferences between this and that which cause xxxxx. The story and myths and music themes are that complex. That's the lure and infinite intoxicating drug of the Ring. But this production simplifies (mostly) all that into a one dimensional stand up and sing. Like a Reader's Digest condensed book (for those who may remember!) The Met more than any other opera house does this for safety first rather than risk incur the wrath of the claque. So for me I was enthralled by the standard of singing and the magic of the sets - but there was no challenge to my brain to understand more of the Ring's intricate web of intrigue and betrayal and consequence.If only the Bayreuth production by Bertrand de Billy and Barenboim (still my favourite Ring) had this standard of singing and recording ......Something to wish for. And to keep us interested, after all who wants to solve and fully understand the mystery of the Ring in their lifetime. What would be left to do? !!!!; I'll still look forward to discovering new prodructions to broaden my learning curve. And I hope it never ends! But DO view this Ring Cycle. Its groundbreaking.

First, let me commend Amazon on the excellent delivery service. The Blu-Ray Quality is superb and both colour and sound are fantastic. I had seen the opera at a theatre that showed the live HD feed from the Met on the Sat. matinee performance. It was just like being there. This was my first time making a purchase from Amazon and will certainly do so again and will recommend it to my friends. Thank you.......Ross Bell