Customer Reviews

Wagner: Die Walküre

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We all know that this performance is part of the famous, or infamous, Stuttgart Ring where four different directors undertook the task to "deconstruct' Wagner, bringing it to the modern era with rather controversial results.
In spite of the above, the music comes out unscathed as it is proven by this extraordinary, vivid live performance. Lothar Zagrosek is mostly responsible for its success. He conducts with swift speeds, with a grand vision of the work and paces it so well that there is not only a great deal of excitement but also much beautiful lyricism and expansion when required.
I've rarely felt so much frission and newfelt joy from this well known work.
The singers' emphasis on clarity, elocution, delivery and empathy to Wagner's text also have to be emphasized. Perhaps the strongest member of the cast is Robert Gambill, as Siegmund, a strong Heldentenor but with an unusual and appealing vulnerability in his voice that sets him apart from other Wagner tenors. With Angela Denoke, a passionate and beautifully sung Sieglinde, they make a wonderful pair of Walsung twins.Unfortunately some vibrato is manifest in Denoke's delivery. I've always been a great fan of hers, but she is not getting any younger.
Jan-Hendrik Rootering makes a remarkably strong voiced, tireless and frightening Wotan and Renate Behle a sympathetic Brunnhilde though with less even vocal power. Attila Jun is a stentorian basso, very strong in the deep registers and Tichina Vaughn a Fricka beyond compare.
Excellent stereo with good separation and with bargain basement price how can you go wrong? Very much recommended.

I was repulsed by the Eurotrashing of the entire Ring cycle, as seen on DVD, by the Stuttgart State Opera. Its 'Die Walküre' featured such things as Siegmund traipsing around the stage in boxer shorts and tank top (and with no athlete's body to make it at least somewhat palatable) and Sieglinde cooking steaks for Siegmund and Hunding on an electric hotplate. Why such updatings of Wagner's operas are needed is beyond me to understand, or tolerate.

This set of CDs derives from that same production and I'm happy to report that without the distraction - nay, odium - of the visual production, this is not a half-bad recording. Robert Gambill is a fairly good Siegmund, Angela Denoke an excellent Sieglinde and Attila Jun and Renate Behle fine as Hunding and Brünnhilde. Outstanding, vocally, is Tichina Vaughan as Fricka. The Wotan, unfortunately, is more than a little wobbly as sung by veteran Jan-Hendrik Rootering. Orchestral accompaniment, under the seasoned Wagnerian Lothar Zagrosek, is just fine.

But the catch is that there are audio recordings of this opera that feature much better performances, and some of them, although not in absolutely modern sound, don't cost any more than this budget release because they are historical reissues. For instance, there is a London Decca reissue featuring Jon Vickers, George London and Rita Gorr and at Amazon it costs about the same as this present set. Add to that the lack of a libretto in this Naxos issue (although a German-only libretto is available online from Naxos) and this one loses some of its luster.

For hardcore Walkure completists only, I'm afraid. And be glad you don't have to watch the DVD of the production from which is was taken.

Scott Morrison

DEspite being an opera layman, more conditioned to chamber works, I was drifting akimbo in the lush torrent of music, punctuated with personality in each of the arias.