Customer Reviews

Wagner - Gotterdammerung / Jones, Mazura, Jung, Hubner, Becht, Altmeyer, Killebrew, Boulez, Bayreuth Opera (Boulez Ring Cycle Part 4)

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Due to the high cost of this collection, I decided to purchase my favorite opera from the Ring, which is Götterdämerung. If the rest of the Chéreau Ring Cycle is as incredible as this production of Wagner's Götterdämmergung, then my only regret will be that I didn't save money and buy the entire Ring, which as a set is sold at a special price. This glorious production is on 2 discs (over 4 hours) with rich, full stero and surround sound of the highest quality that DVD has to offer. The sound quality is superior to a lot of opera productions on DVD that were made much later than this one. Unfortunately, the picture quality is not always at the same high level of the sound quality, especially in the darker scenes, of which there are many in this opera. Even so, the picture quality is no worse than slightly below average, and often it is quite good. The singing is first rate--Gwyneth Jones' Brünnhilde especially captivated me. For me the entire cast was outstanding in bringing this amazing work to life. Of course with Wagner the orchestra as is vital as the singing, and the Bayreuther Festspeile Orchestra under Pierre Boulez is radiant throughout. This is a modern production, and while controversial some 20 years ago, it seems just right for today. I prefer it to the more traditional Ring productions, but that is a question of personal taste. I look forward to viewing the rest of the highly acclaimed Chéreau Ring cycle, for if the standards are a high as they are for Götterdämmerung, it will rank for me as one of the greatest accomplishments for opera on DVD.

Although this production is not perfect, as seen on DVD, it is still a magnificent achievement. The drama unfolds powerfully on the stage, and the direction is always appropriate, often superb.

The singers make a fine team, headed by Gwyneth Jones's glorious Brunnhilde. Manfred Jung is a macho Siegfried, even though the character doesn't earn one's sympathy. The Bayreuth Orchestra plays with great skill under Boulez.

When I watched for the first time this DVD (well, it was a Laserdisc, for that happened prior to the release on DVD) I knew the music of the Ring for 6 years (more or less) and I hadn't yet seen any other production. I have to confess that it was watching it that I had for the first time a feeling of understanding not only the music but the drama. Since then my relation with Wagner's music and drama changed completely and he became one of my great musical loves along with Puccini. As time has passed I have also my regrets to this production (the dullness of the image) but I still love it. That cannot say in the same degree about the other operas of the cycle, specially about boring, with nothing to say 'Siegfried'.

I'm not a fan of Boulez conducting Wagner operas. I also think that his axionatic 'return to the truth' when conducting this Ring in Bayreuth in the 70s and his negative to accept tempi acquired by tradition was an out-of-place extrapolation of the phenomenological principles that guided him in composition (that's to say, to do music as if one had been born out of the world, had no bias derived from tradition and had to invent the laws of music from zero).
Nevertheless, although I'm opposed to almost all of Boulez's ideas about music, I feel confortable with much of his music and sometimes also with his conducting. This is the place with this Götterdämmerung, the highest peak of an irregular and overall not very satisfactory Ring cycle. With a disciplined, a little constrained and in some sense modern orchestral sound, with the help of excellent actor-singers achieves some moments of such profound tragicness that I cannot forget while hearing any other recording.

These are my irrepetible moments:

- Act I: Scene between Brünnhilde and Gutrune. I will never forget the tragic accents, the description of the end of an old world, by Gwendoline Killebrew and the sober response by Brünnhilde 'Welch banger Träume Mären meldest du mir". Also excellent her downfall minutes later when Siegfried comes in disguise and submits her.

- Act II almost in its entirety. Haunting first scene between Hagen and Alberich, frightening, almost nazi scene of the vassals, heartbreaking realization of the downfall of the Gods through Hagen's manipulations when Brünnhilde holds her violent agonistic scene with Siegfried, scandal of the people, and final bloody vendetta trio.

- Acto III. Full expresionistic final scene from the moment in which Gutrune (Jeannine Altmeyer) cannot sleep due to nightmares, the murder of king Gunther (great actor Franz Mazura, also excellent Schön/Jack the Ripper in Boulez's Lulu and Moses in Solti's 'Moses und Aron') by his brother for the possesion of the ring and appearance of apocalyptic Brünnhilde in a final monologue for which I haven't words enough.

Ok, this Götterdämmerung has not a brilliant funeral march or a Siegfried singer to compete with many others (althogh here he is much more inspired that in his boring rendition of the role in 'Siegfried'), but it has the Brünnhilde that made me understand the deepest feeling of this work (Gwyneth Jones, and I mean the Ring complete cycle) and I still have to listen to it when want to remember the true sense of this metaphore of the world's destruction by the greedness of the powerful.

Sorry for my English.

Rafael Fernandez

I'm completely bowed over by this ultra-dramatic rendition of Wagner's opera. The drama moves so relentlessly on, and that the conflicts between the characters are put in such sharp focus, that I almost think that I were watching a gripping soap opera!

The standard of the acting is very high, and the singing no less inspiring and energetic. Gwyneth Jones's Brunnhilde, in particular, provides a central focus to the plot, and she did a marvellous job here. Although I'm not sure if Boulez's interpretation will be my favourite, he moves things on well and the Bayreuth orchestra gives a powerful performance.

This is a splendid summation of a memorable Ring Cyle. The drama and stage direction are compelling, and the standard of acting is superb across the board. Although Wagner probably doesn't forsee that such dramatic and scenic up-dates would occur to his mighty dramas, to a modern audience like myself who is familiar with such a kind of approaches in straight theater, I found the production immensely enjoyable.

As I've suggested above, the standard of acting is wonderful. Much of the singing is also very fine, with the entire cast led by Gwyneth Jones in one of her best recorded performances ever. I do like Manfred Jung's Siegfried that much, but I believe such an approach is part of the production's dramaturgy. The others, including the chorus, immersed themselves totally into the production and drama, and Boulez's kept a tight rein on his fine orchestra and, thanks to Bayreuth's unique acoustics, never overwhelmed the singers.

It's all very memorable indeed. I suppose that I'll be watching it over and over again in the days and years to come.

I won't be able to write a lot. Suffice to say that I found the production to be brilliant and the singing and acting to be of superlative quality. This is the kind of modern operatic performances that can prove to most people that the genre is as exciting as any other kind of theatrical performances and is worthy of doing.

This is a splendid version of Richard Wagner's "Gotterdammerung." This is the fourth and final opera in the "Ring" series. The DVD provides a rich visual component, with Patrice Chereau's production on display. While some elements of his production may not be compelling to me (characters dressed in suits or Rhinemaidens at a hydroelectric dam), it is nonetheless powerful in its own terms. Musically, this is strong, too. Pierre Boulez well leads the Bayreuth Orchestra. The cast is capable. Gwyneth Jones is not necessarily the best singing Brunnhilde ever, but she provides a rich characterization and she sings in a serviceable manner. Manfred Jung is a credible Siegfried. Jeannine Altmeyer portrayed Sieglinde excellently in the Chereau/Boulez version of "Die Walkure"; here, she is more than capable as the unfortunate Gutrune. Other singers play their role as well.

Some of the greatest scenes in all opera appear in "Gotterdammerung." The Prologue (the Norn Scene, Morning, and Siegfried's Rhine Journey) and the Immolation Scene (Act III, scene 3) are up there with other great scenes, such as The Mad Scene from "Lucia di Lammermoor," Act I of "La Boheme," Act I of "La Traviata," and Act I, scene 3 of, dare I say it, "Die Walkure."

I'll briefly note a few scenes to provide illustrations from the work.

The Prologue is something else again. The three Norns sing well and expressively, as they weave the rope; they summarize key events of the Ring saga up until this point in time, noting the decline of the gods as Wotan futilely conspired to gain control of the ring and the Rheingold. As the rope breaks, the Norns leave the stage and we see Brunnhilde and Siegfried awakening on the Valkyries' Rock. Jones and Jung sing their rousing duet well, capturing the feeling of their rapture for one another. Then, Siegfried's Ring Journey (and a nice touch of Brunnhilde on the Rock slowly shrinking as, presumably, he rides off to do great deeds in Brunnhilde's name). The reality, of course, is that he is heading to betrayal and becoming the agent of the destruction of the gods.

Act III, Scene 1 is the sparkling (and somewhat lugubrious) scene between the Rhinemaidens and Siegfried. Set again at the hydroelectric dam where we first met them in "Das Rheingold," they cajole Siegfried to return the ring and gold to them. The banter back and forth is well sung. The Rhinemaidens seem drained and tired; the dam is dilapidated,. Perhaps signifying the deterioration of conditions since Wotan's (and the gods') power was demonstrated to be in decline in "Siegfried" (when the hero shattered Wotan's staff with Nothung, his sword)?

Finally, Act III, scene 3 is powerful indeed. Brunnhilde enters dramatically, "calling out" her betrayers and putting Gutrune "in her place." She "takes charge," organizes a funeral pyre for Siegfried (and for herself). Jones sings powerfully and is charismatic as Brunnhilde in this scene. As the fire engulfs the couple, the Rhinemaidens take possession of the Ring and the music swells and the orchestra closes out the opera with powerful musicianship.

This is one of the finer versions of "Gotterdammerung" (and the complete Ring cycle, for that matter) available. The DVD weds the music with the visual tapestry created by Chereau to good effect. This is surely worth a look and a listen.

This is in many ways a splendid production of a mightly opera. The staging is pleasing to the eye and the direction is imaginative. The acting of the singers has reached a level rarely attained on the operatic stage. The singing here is also fine, although perhaps a notch below the level of acting. Fortunately, we have the magnificent Brunnhilde of Gwyneth Jones to anchor the entire enterprise. Handsome in stage presence, Jones sings with great power and abandon from start of finish. This is really an exhilarating portryal of a hugely demanding role. Manfred Jung's voice is not of a high quality, but he definitely looks the part. Anyway, it's a very memorable stage performance that is now well-captured on DVD.

Wagner was German without apology, loved being German, loved the Geman people at least as much as he ever loved or was able to love anything in his long, twistied and excruciating creative life. The fervor of that love of his is so intense that even after more than a century we can warm our hands over its embers here, at century mark of his career's apex, with a view of the incomparable RING This production once thought so controversial is typical of the period of its conception by Chereau and Boulez, because it is both conceptual and post-modern. It is rather like one of the telephones one saw in those days, which were made of clear plastic and allowed you to examine and to enjoy the view and the function of the "innards" of the device as the transistors and wires lit up and flashed while the instrument was being used..

We should remember that before Wagner set anything to music, he wrote and published the libretti in verse that became, over time THE RING OF THE NIBELUNGENS. He began around 1848 and finished orchestrating the final opera GOTTERDAMMERUNG, in 1874. However, the production dates don't seem to fit because DAS RHINEGOLD was presented in 1852; DIE WALKURE in 1856; SIEGFRIED (begun in 1848 as SIEGFRIED'S DEATH) in 1869. What took him so long? He was a sought-after symphonic conductor. He'd already proved he could write opera successfully, when RIENZI was presented. But ultimately, that work didn't please him, and is now neglected. He wanted to get away from the School of Meyerbeer and the Franco-Latin tradition. Though far from being a linguist, in suceeding years Wagner taught himself how to become not merely a librettist, but a dramatist. He did this by studying the then new translations into German of the Greek Tragedies. His model for declamation and versification and dramatic structure was Aschelus. In sixth century BC Athens, Tragedy meant a series of narrative odes relating to the history of (a) god, or of other devine or heroic figures intersperced wth episodes --- in which some actor represented an adventure by means of narrative or dialogue with chorus. It was Aschelus who invened the Trilogy and the Tetralogy. And so, Richard decided to do what Aschelus did, but in the German language, and without compromising that languages peculiar characteristics. Needless to say, it worked, and it is this production of THE RING which, preminently, allows me to examine and to delight in, not just the music; not just the singing, but all the aspects of the creation.

THE PROLOGUE begins in darkness as the Norns, three shapeless, occult females, spin, twist and snip the skien of life. They are the German version of The Fates or Furies of Greek Tragedy. As Erynyes they seek out and punish those who break oaths. Here, they recite the story of Wotan and how he paid for his wife Frica with an eye, and how he came into his godhead. It is this recitation that forecasts the tone of GOTTERDAMMERUNG in its entirety. The Norns do not forecast anything, as the three "midnight hags" of MACBETH do. In their trance-like state these witches only remind us of what has gone before. And abruptly, without explanation, one of the life skiens snaps. They are puzzled and frightened by the event and run off to "the Mother" who is probably Erde, (or Demeter) the Earth-Mother.

Now, Wagner undestood that when Aschelus and the other tradigians wrote, they wrote for an audience already intimately familiar with the material of his stories, which material was taken directly from Greek religion. And he knew that this material had nothing whatever to do with the Judeo-Christian tradition. Therefore, when he went to the old Norse Sagas and the lore of the Celts for material he resolved not to dilute it's religious purity with 19th century sentimentality. He wrote for Germans as he imagined Tacitus to have seen them when they were a semi-nomadic, partly civilized and nearly naked, loose association of tribes living not in towns, but in the woodlands and bogs that bordered the Roman Empire to the south. Tacitus saw these folk as being a superstitious and magical-minded lot. "No people are more addicted to divination by means of casting lots," or rune-reading. Everything, wih them, is suffused witm some occult meaning. And that, to my mind, is the essential character of DIE GOTTAMMERUNG; It is like entering and wandering through a temple during an arcane ceremony, in which every symbl, every action has more than one meaning, and in which people of flesh and blood become possessed by invisible beings. We surrender to the occultism in order to inhale like resinous smoke the atmosphere of a foreign world, to become intoxicated by it and, finally to understand and accept it.

When the curtains part on the second part of the Prelude, we see Brunnhilde who has risen from her marital bed before dawn, and paces the area outside the Walkyre rock where her cave and home is. She appears to be a least distressed and puzzled by her new human state: She is not only a woman, but a married woman. Everything she dreaded has come to pass. Nevertheless, it is in his preliminary scene that she sees Siegfried sleeping, almost exactly as he first saw her sleeping in the same place and in the same pose, in SIEGFRIED. Magnificen conceptt! Siegfried wakes, shattering her reverie, and they exchange gifts. She gives him her shield, armor and horse Grane, and he gives her his ring and title to all his Nibelungen wealth. They embrase fervently, and he races off. Tacitus tells us that "Among them the matrimonial bond is strict and severe. Almost singular among the barbarians, they cntent themselves with one wife." That "the exchange of arms between a man and a woman IS the ancient German wedding ceremony, making the celebrants one, for as long as they live. Siegfried acceptsher in exactly the same manner, a partner and an equal, and when she bestows her breastplate he says, "In dises Schildes Schin, ich Siegfried uch ich nicht."..etc.) Or, "By accepting your sheltering sheid I am no more Siegfried, but am now Brunnehilde's arm." The sacredness of their exhange of weapons justifies the welcome but otherwise incomprehensible glory of the music. And the music is indeed glorious. (How did Boulez inspire his orchestra?) As one progresses through this opera one has the impression that the orchestra has gotten fresher and stronger and more dynamic as well as more lyrical, somehow -- particularly if one's watched THE RING from first to last. Wonderful music throughout, of course! But possibly its because although Wagner wrote the "dramatic poem" or libretto a decade or two before, he only orchestated it in 1874, when he was at the height of his powers. An embarassment of riches.

Then, where's Grane? Though some productions allow Brunnhilde to ride or at least to lead an horse on stage, this one does not. Grane does not appear because he animal is unnecessary. The animal is only a symbol of the Valkyre's occult power: It is her totem, her familiar, the aura and vehicle of her divinity. "The Germans, " Tacius writes, "Are acquainted with the practice of divining from the songs and flights of birds, but it is peculiar to them - - - to derive admonitions and pressages from horses also. Certain of them -- milk-white and untouched by earthly labor -- are pastured at public expense. Priests and Kings "observe their manner of neighing and snorting. Priests consider hem as ministers of the gods, as privy to the devine will."

Meanwhile, after spectacular music wonderfully well played, we find ourselves downrier at the palace of the Gibichungs and in the presence of yet another Chereau TIME TRICK. Soon we will find that this latest reality is or will be Siegfried's destination. The set is brilliant; simple and effective at offering the illusion of sumptuousness but without the clutter. Four extremely tall columns of polished black stone set on either side of what must be a riverside terrace. There's a narrow estuary or inlet just beyond, and standing on the opposite shore, the silouhete of what apears to be a twin of this structure. Here, we find King Gunther, a tall, thin gentleman in evening dress, talking wih rather an ordinary-looking bearded man in a coarse, rumpled brown possibly tweed suit. This is Hagen, Gunther's (almost certaily illigetimate) half-brother, and a sour, loutish fellow.. There's something disturbing about him; its not only tha he's dressed inappropriately for a palace, but that he exudes a kind of familiarity that looks like contempt, and we don't know why. And Gunther? Who is he supposed to be? Is it a semi-historical Wagnerian portrait set into the opera like a trebel-entend? Is he supposed to be Wagner's friend and one-time son-in-law, Hans von Bulow? Franz Mazurka looks as t;hough he belongs on a podium. The three of them sing very well, in character, but again, there's nothing lyrical about the writing; its just Wagnerian declamation. And, it calls for the rare ability to sing at full voice -- and on pitch -- while giving the impression that one is talking. That accomplished, one goes about acting the part of the character. And then there's Gutrune. Gunther's sister sauners on and her dress fixes us in a definate hisorical era; its 1932 - 1934, though her dark hair is later and her underwear is definately conemporary. Jeanine Altemeier as Gutrune wears a floor-length white satin dress and a rope of pearls. She is the kind of woman for whom such dresses are made, and though she is revealed to be without either character or intelligence -- and therefore deserving of Hagenn's scorn -- she looks wonderful, Altemeier can act, and she certainly sings very, very well.

What's happening? Hagen (Fritz Hobner) is putitng a plot in motion. It's a pity. You play an unsympathetic character well, true to the character, and nobody likes you. You know the story; he's going to use the Gibichungs to get Siegfried in his possession in order that he can kill him and get the ring and his treasure. It' beautifully acted out here because it is so well directed. When Siegfried appears, looking like an up and coming athletic young man in a metal breastplate, Hagen gets Gutrune to slip him the nickey she's brewed up (J.I.C.) Siegfried drinks and stumbling, his long-term memory destroyed, he lusts drunkenly for Gutrune. He says that he and Gunther will be as brothers, and that he will find a worthy bride for him. They become blood-brothers and go off to find this perfect woman Siegfried recommends, leaving Hagen alone to sit in Gunther's chair.

It seemed to me that at this point the director chose to show us that the character of Hagen (whoever he may have been) is not who he seems to be. His mannerisms, the spear, the color and texture of the suit? If we recollect the scenes of McIntyre and Becht sneaking through the woods together in SIEGFRIED, their twin outfits of rough brown wool, sniffing around Fafner's cave, we can see that it is not Alberich who has changed, but Wotan. The man Hagen has been overtaken by Wotan, and frequntly sounds like him. Now and here, glowering center stage, he is much as Waltraute described Wotan, burning with resentment and anticipation.

CHANGE OF SCENE. At the Valkyre rock Brunnhilde is left wiating and ponderin her state. In this scene more than in any other, I'm made aware of the nature of Brunnhilde's power in the story: She hovers over all the RING like Quan Yin, a Bhodissatva of Empathy who resigns her divinity to wait on Earth until all lesser beings like ourselves, shall have attained Nirvana or Enlightenment. She defies Time. And it is probably in this aspet and for this unusual and very spiritual portrayal of the heroine that Gwenneth Jones will be long remembered.

At any rate, it is in this state that Walraute, who arrives as lightening crackles, finds her sister. Waltraute is frantic with worry and she tells Brunnhilde that their father Wotan, distraught by his defeat at Sigfried's hands, now sits on his throne, glowering and silent, the pieces of his ashwood spear on his lap, and all the trees of his sacred Ash grove cut down and split into logs. These lie piled up around Vallah and himself, like a pallisade of firewood. "Only the ring can save him. You must give it to me," Waltraute pleads, "In order that I can return it to him." Brunnhilde refuses. They struggle for the ring until, triumphant, Brunnhilde says that whatever may happen, the ring was given to her by Siegfried, "who loves me,," and whatever may happen, the ring is a token of his love, "And I will never part with it." Defeated, horrified by the prospect of what is to be, Waltraute flees.

In this prolonged and emotionally intense scene, Jones is assisted by a great and sensitive director who, without diluting her persona as Brunnhilde, allows Gwendolyn Killebrew as Waltraute, everything needed to share the stage in an emotionally demanding duet. Most effective! One doesn't know if this is moot or not, but in this production the part of Waltraute is sung by a woman with a dark, brown face. Myself, I'd noticed the actress earlier on the Valkyre rock with her sisters, but paid no mind. We are so used to seeing black women on stage singing Opera now, that it didn't seem wothy of notice until, last night, when I wondered whether despite her obvious abilities, Miss Killebrew's skin pigmentation might have provoked some of the harsh reaction to this production? In those days, might her non-aryan appearance at Beyreuth have been seen as a threatening novelty? A token of disrespect for an old tradition of exclusivity?

Eventually, alone again, Brunnhilde examining and meditating on her wedding ring, settles into a contemplative quiet that is shattered when a masked intruder appears and accosts her. It is Siegfried wearing his Tarnhelm and disguised as Gunther, and it is in Gunther's name that (as proxy) he takes Brunnhilde's wedding ring and forces her to bed wih him in her cave until moring. In this ugly scene Brunnhilde is insulted by avin her marriage violated, and further demeaned by being put on the level of a common fornicatrix. As a mortal woman she is immediately in danger not merely of being ostracised, but of being executed, for punishment for adultery is instant. "Among the Germans," Tacitus tells us, "None looks on vice with a smile, or calls mutual seduction the way of the world."

In ACT TWO, afer a haunting and protracted duet between Alberich and Hagen that feels more like an anxiety nightmare than anyhting else, we find ourselves in the mansion of the Gibichungs, and it is from this point on that, for me, the action of GOTTERDAMMERUNG truly begins. I think of the music-drama as BRUNNHILDE'S HUMILIATION. Hagen summons the townspeople and soon there's quite a lot of very fine choral singing. Then, presently, Siegfried will drag Brunnhilde into what now appears to be a town square, and present her as now belonging and betrothed to Gunther. It is shocking. I have never seen an enrance quite like it; never have I seen anything so illustrative of disgrace and abject shame. Her disgrace is a kind of spectacle for the townspeople. It seems in essence to be a symbol of all women who have ever been mistreated and abused, everywhere. Jones handles it supremely well -- though I don't know she is able to hold the semi-supine posture for so long -- and things go along reasonably well until Siegfried, who's gone off to change, returns and wonders why the woman is behaving so ridiculously. He approaches and tries to life her up. She sees him and is aghast; he looks like a handsome young bridegroom in a rented tuxedo. And truly, Jung has never looked better. But the damn bursts and Brunnhilde accuses him of having first married and then seduced and then abandoned her; of haing tricked her from the beginning. She rages and demands justice. He denies everything, and everybody petends to believe him. They drag her off to witness what had been expected to be a double wedding, as she howls for revenge. Hagen asks her how to kill Siegfried and she reveals to him that her magic protects all of Siegfried's body except for a place high on his back.

ACT THREE: After an extended orchestral passage of great beauty and mysery, we're at the hydroelectric facility on the river, and the Rhinemaidens appear to sing and twist and write around the pylons. They appear to miss their gold and carry on abou it for a while, until Siegfried appears. They flirt with him and try to persuade him to return the ring and the gold to them, but he has no inention of doing it. (Although the girls are supposed to look old and tired, in this production they are most attractive and sing deliciously. That he doesn't give way to their demands is a testament to his wooden-headedness, rather than to his character.) Eventually the hunting party arrives. It's what one does on one's wedding day; one goes hunting. It's Gunther and the guys. They've brought deer carcasses and feel the time has come to have a sit-down venison dinner. Siegfried wants to sing, and does. He jump up and begins a song that like some other arias in the opera, talks of something that's happened in the past. In this case its a re-telling of his life with Mime; of his battle with the dragon, and of Mime's death. Hagen gives him to drink what turns out to be an antidote to the drug he's already ingested, and knocked almost senseless, he begins to recall BRUNNHIHLDE. And it is at this piont that Hagen kills him with the spear. He doesn't die easily or quickly, but it is in the final third of his aria that Manfred Jung delivers what may well be the pinnacle of his performance in this demanding but unsympatheic role. His performance throughout has been as full and convincing as his singing has been solid and right. If he has not persuaded some to see him as an heroic tenor, it may well be that he is playing the part of a man who is flawed, and in a sense soul-less: A suit of armor with a child inside. But the part of Siegfried is certainly heroic in its demands.

There's that wonderful funeral march, which is played wonderfully, and soon we find ourselves on the quai of that proto-hanseatic town Chereau and company have given us, with all the townspeople present. The body is presented, laid down, and after explaining to Gutrune and others that she was and remains married to Siegfried, she takes back the ring. There is a great deal of singing by everybody, and the stage is indeed busy as the funeral pyre is being built, but towad the end of it Brunnhilde begins her mourning for Siegfried (and for her father too, it appears) and this seems to me to be one of the best things Jones does in the RING For if her high notes are adequate but not remarkable, her mid-range is very, very good. Her lament from "Ruhe! ruhe, du Got!" is heartbreakingly sad and noble. Eventually she lights the pyre, and throws the ring into the river. As the flames rise she finds her way through the crowd to the fire and jumps into it as the music like the fire itself rises. Hagen. follows after her still crying out for the ring. Walhalla appears in all its splendor, burning until it too is consumed and tumbles like an old wood fire, into the river, which swirling around all, consumes all as the Rhinemaidens sing.

Caught up in all this and watching all those ordinary looking German people standing around staring into the flames, I asked myself, "That horror! What was it? Dresden?" And I didn't know, and don't know. But I watch as all those men, women and children turn from the conflagration they've witnessed, to look at us, expressionless, as if to ask "Did you see what we saw?" I don't know what I saw, but I know it wasn't novelty. I think it was history.

This is a strange production of the Gotterdammerung, which first appeared in the 70?s and was apparently met by booing. Since then it has achieved some measure of acceptance.

The general response to the release of this production that apparently was filmed in the 80?s has generally been positive as far as the music is concerned although it is thought that Jung who sings the role of Siegfried is not up to it.

Prior to this I have heard recordings of the work by Karajan, Solti and Janowski. Although I preferred the Solti the sound quality of this DVD is excellent and generally the singing appears flawless.

It is hard however to watch the production totally dispassionately. Part of the problem with Opera on DVD is that one is a lot closer to the action than one is in the theatre. The appearance of the characters can jar one from the suspension of disbelief which is critical to any film or entertainment experience. In this case Gwyneth Jones is simply to old for the part of Brunnhilde. The looks a fare way the wrong side of 50 and she wears a rather shapeless smock. When she appears one is continually jolted back from being part of the action to realising that this is a performance in which she has been chosen for her voice.

The production sets the actions around the late 19th early 20th century so that the aristocratic characters wear eveningwear and suits and the tribesmen dress as French factory workers. Obviously trying to suggest that the opera had something to say about the break down of a society based on privilege and aristocratic values under the pressure of revolutionary ideas. From memory Wagner himself might have muttered something along these lines before he became conservative and in love with notions of race.

However again it is difficult to suspend one?s disbelief. Hagen wanders around looking like a dishevelled bank clerk holding a rather large spear. Siegfried seems to ponce around with a breast plate and a small dagger which is meant to be his sword. Gunther?s retainers, the French factory workers grab spears in the action scenes.

Still as you see it more, it seems to make sense. When I first saw it I would have joined those who wanted to burn the producer at the stake, but you sort of get used to it.