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25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The best DVD production of the Ring, September 1, 2008
This Ring is different from all other Rings on DVD and is mostly successful in what it aims to bring. It is wonderful to have this pinnacle of operatic spectacles in a staging worthy of the subject, a stage with `actors who can sing' as Wagner wished it. The singers do act as if in a movie and the DVD has been filmed as a dramatic movie, not as a static stage performance though a live stage performance it of course is. This may at times be a bit tiresome as images and image angles may seem to switch a bit too often but most of the time by far this cinematographic approach pays off well and enhances the drama without disturbing the operatic enjoyment. The result is an experience unlike the live experience in the opera house itself but I'm inclined to say the choice was well made. After all, a film on DVD is not a stage performance even if it is based on one.
Staging and acting, all of the visuals are evidently extremely important in a DVD release and the Copenhagen Ring gives you decors to relish and acting on a very high and convincing level indeed. As in the Boulez Ring, the acting closely follows the music and specifically the text though it may sometimes appear to stretch the imagination a little too far. The film quality in itself is superb and so is the sound.
Speaking of sound, the orchestra is more than up to the task. No one I think expects this orchestra and this conductor to give the best-ever performance of Wagner's Ring on record. It is however more than adequate to deliver a good reading that never disappoints and often impresses.
There are moments when the singing (never less than adequate, often quite good) struggles without really succeeding to rise above the orchestra. It is noticeable and thus it is a blemish albeit a small one and more forgivable in a live performance than in a studio recording.
A few remarks on the side : Hagen acted splendidly but his voice was less impressive. Siegfried in Götterdämmerung was not that strong either. Brünnhilde was great.
There was one scene that I thoroughly disliked : the Norns in the introduction to Götterdämmerung really knew how to irritate me, making by exaggerated playacting a parody out of what could have been an original idea (casting the Norns as members of the audience), it simply does not fit in the whole and to me it stands out as a black spot on this otherwise quite excellently directed Ring.
I feared for even worse when the curtain rose on Siegfried and Brünnhilde's farewell scene and uncovered a sight that awakened horrified memories of Konwitschny's Götterdämmerung (for those who watched it in the Stuttgart Ring) : you will see Siegfried donning an apron to start doing the washing-up (à la Konwitschny) but then Brünnhilde gestures him not to be silly and to take it off again, and the story starts at last to unfold again in a Wagnerian mould. So was this only a director's joke ? If so, I find it out of place in a production such as this one.
In short, this is a very good production and a very good DVD release with some weak moments that do not fundamentally alter the overall impression of a rewarding experience. If it weren't for the Norns, I'd give it overall five stars despite of a number of imperfections here and there. The first three parts of the cycle deserve five stars, the fourth only four (without counting the Norns) or three (when counting the Norns).
Should you watch this Ring ? Yes, absolutely.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blood, Booze, Brutality, December 23, 2008
Reactions to this Ring production have been varied; see other posted reviews. As with most "modern" productions, there are liberties taken with the settings, costumes, and interactions among the characters that may be stimulating or irritating to the viewer. Rheingold takes place in the early 20th century (1920s?). The maidens cavort about dressed as "flappers" in a nightclub; Alberich drinks like a fish; the gold is personified as a young adult male swimming in a lobster tank. The first scene introduces three motifs that recur throughout this production: booze (all the major male characters drink frequently -- no doubt a comment on their weakness), blood and brutality (besides the scripted deaths additional characters are bumped off, always in a graphic, brutal manner). This is not a "PG" Ring. As a Ring lover, I found most of this production entertaining and often provocative. One effect of living in our time with video and audio recordings readily available is that a performance of the Ring is not a particularly unusual event. To be special productions have to introduce novel interpretations. So far, thankfully, the music and libretto have not often been violated; that leaves the setting, costumes, and stage action as the domains for creative directors. The major conceit in the Copenhagen production is the the idea that Brunnhilde seeks out the history of her predicament between Acts 2 and 3 of Gott. The earlier operas become something of a flashback; she appears periodically (often during scene changes in the earlier operas) pouring over diaries and souvenirs (from Valhalla's library?) that recount the history of the ring. Although great effort went into achieving this effect, for me all of this effort doesn't add or subtract much from the production. And it certainly doesn't make the production a "feminist" Ring cycle. The power relations are the same as any traditional production. (How could they be otherwise without changing the libretto?) The men are clueless (Siegfried), short-sighted (Wotan), and evil (Hagan) as they make the decisions and wield power; wisdom rests with the women (Erda, Fricka, and eventually Brunnhilde) -- but that's just as true in traditional productions because that's what Wagner wrote. There are a few touches that suggest a "feminist take" such as the sword pulling scene in Act1 of Walkure. Brunnshilde's discovery of the history of the ring hardly makes the production a feminist one. I have focused on this point because several reviewers suggest some radical feminist interpretation; by and large I didn't see it. In addition, Brunnhilde is not so ignorant of the ring's history as this production implies; she gets much of the story from Wotan in the Act 2 monologue (Walkure) as well as from Waltraute in Act 1 of Gott.
Normally, I would not reveal a surprise ending but other reviewers already have; Brunnhilde appears at the beginning of Gott. visibly pregnant and delivers the child during the immolation scene; this makes for an uplifting, warm conclusion but hardly fits with Wagner's intent that the race of gods are destroyed at the end of the cycle (Brunnhilde and Siegfried are not "pure" humans)
Each succeeding opera in the series moves the action closer to the present era. For example, in Gott. Siegfried returns from wooing Brunnhilde for Gunther in a Mercedes. For the most part, modernizing the production works and the similarity between the brutality displaced by Hagan and his minions to that we have observed in recent years in Bosnia, Iraq, and so forth is striking and can be unsettling (that's a compliment). For me the most chilling scenes were the theft of the ring from Alberich in Rheingold and Hagan's watch in Gott. Speaking of Hagan, many reviewers have applauded his acting but found his voice a bit weak. Nevertheless, the evil 3 (Hagan, Alberich, Mime) were among the best singing actors in the production. Most of the cast did a fine job; not as brilliant as some of the classic audio Rings, but certainly more than competent. Altough old timers like myself often wax nostalgic about Nilsson, Traubel, Varnay, or Flagstad, none of the aforementioned grand ladies (or comparable grand men of the past) could act (or more accurately were required to act) like the singers in this production. I thought all the singers did a great job of acting and a very good job (more variable here) of singing. The cast and production was worthy of any of the "great" opera houses.
The quality of the film is excellent; sharp images; vivid colors. My only complaint is that because it is shot like a movie with multiple cameras and perspectives, the camera often jumps around excessively and there are too many way-too-close closeups. Wny film makers think viewers enjoy seeing the pores of the actors and the fillings of open mouthed singers is beyond me.
Before closing, I want to single out the production of Siegfried. Often, this opera is considered the most difficult to bring off successfully. In this production, the set was great and, for once, the opera moved along without dragging.
I've rambled too long, so to close, I recommend this Ring along with the recently released, but quite different, Amsterdam Ring to stand along with the Barenboim, Boulez, and Levine efforts. It certainly may not "click" with some viewers (hence the wide range of opinions posted here), but it is never less than entertaining and thought provoking.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eurotrash - but good Eurotrash, January 22, 2009
'Eurotrash' is an odd, rather dismissive term. It's bandied around by critics of non-traditional productions of classic operas, particularly if the director's interpretation differs from that of the reviewer.
I'm going to modify this slightly. After all, the latest Bayreuth production of Meistersinger fits the above definition, but it isn't Eurotrash - it's just trash.
For the purposes of this review, let's define 'Eurotrash' as a production where the director feels that
- His views are more important than those of the composer
- The audience are far too jaded to appreciate a traditional production
- All those gods and heroes aren't particularly relevant to our modern age - let's introduce some good honest mediocrity; everyone can relate to that.
- Opera doesn't have to be inspiring, just provocative
- Keep it shallow; these days people don't understand 'deep'
- When all else fails, make fun of your audience
However, and this is very important, if the director actually understands the source material, and has the integrity to make the best possible interpretation (within his world view), Eurotrash isn't necessarily a bad thing.
By this definition, the Copenhangen Ring is an excellent example of Eurotrash, and would be a worthy addition to the collection of any Wagnerite who hasn't yet acquired a specimen - far better than the Stuttgart travesty, and actually quite entertaining, in an irritating kind of way.
There are some quite bizarre aspects of this performance. The most obvious is Kasper Bech Holten's decision to portray der Ring as a comedy!
Loge is a sleazy, chain-smoking lawyer, always looking for a light (he's the God of Fire, and doesn't have a light(har har))
When Wotan is quizzing Mime, he keeps glancing at a kichen knife, trying to influence Mime's choice of questions. You know, the same way that Harry Kupfer did it, but less subtle.
The Norns are portrayed as Wagnerites, sitting in the audience. When they talk about the past, they wave a copy of Wagner's autobiography. When Norn III complains that her view of the future is obscured by the actions of humans, the Norns hold up a picture of the director, with a placard denigrating 'regietheater'. (Ego showing a bit, old chap)
And for the hard of understanding, when they return to Mother, they show a picture of Cosima.(Laugh? I nearly started!)
And throughout, the characters drink like fish. When Siegfried finally catches up with Wotan on the mountain, he's sitting there surrounded by empties. Is the constant drinking a Danish thing? I vaguely remember Hamlet saying something of the sort.
There is some unnecessary gore, which seems to be a Eurotrash standard. Was it really necessary to remove Alberich's arm? Surely a spot of vaseline would have done the trick.
Add to this the obligatory, uninspiring, provincial drabness and squalor (maybe Eurodrab would be a better term than Eurotrash). Why oh why do European directors think this is a good thing!!!!
In its defence, this isn't actually a bad production.
There is a consistent dramaturgical vision, unlike Stuttgart. There are some liberties, including the presence of Brunnhilde in Rheingold, the death of Alberich, the non-death of Hunding, and of course, the ending..... but these don't detract from the composer's intent, I think.
With the exception of Susanne Resmar's Erda, sung with a strange, almost yodelling tone, the standard of singing is perfectly adequate, if not exactly stellar.
The acting, and general interpretation of the roles, was good. Stig Andersen ably stood up to the challenge of playing both Siegmund and Siegfried. James Johnson managed to preserve the dignity of Wotan despite the rather unpleasant makeup and costume. Michael Kristensen's Legal Loge was hilarious.
The orchestra was adequate, if occasionally out of its depth.The singers were drowned out a couple of times; perhaps Michael Schonwandt could take a few lessons from Barenboim. Tempos were fast, but they matched the general shallowness of the approach.
And as a bonus, there's a discussion between the director and the Queen of Denmark (who is a keen Wagnerite). How cool is that!
If you have all the traditional productions, and would like to see how the other half lives, give this one a shot. It won't be particularly inspiring, but you might find it entertaining.
If you think the Chereau Ring is controversial, give this one a miss.
And look out for the sequel: Son of Siegfried
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