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Blood, Booze, Brutality, December 23, 2008
The Copenhagen Ring: The Complete DVD Set
The Copenhagen Ring: The Complete DVD SetReactions 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...
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| Topic Title | Summary | Views | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author: Chyron (Antwerp, Flander.. | 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... | 9 | |
| Author: harmless drudge (Philade.. | 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... | 8 | |
| Author: Paco Rivero "Henry" (Mia.. | Notwithstanding all the positive customer reviews, the truth is that neither the conductor nor most of the performers evince much talent for Wagner. The one notable exception is Stig Andersen, who plays both Siegmund and Siegfried. He is the main reason why this silly sci-fi/horror themed Ring is worth watching.The production begins with a gory "Das Rheingold." Wagner's romanticism largely falls by the wayside, but of course that is the case with most contemporary Rings. (Can it be doubted that ours is a thoroughly unromantic age?) Now, there is something to be said for emphasizing the dark side of Wagner's work. The composer himself spoke of the "ghostly fifths" that he found so eerie as a child. He often recalled the thrilling Wolf's glen scene in Weber's Der Freischutz, which made such a frightening impression on his young imagination. He even described some of his own music for the Ring -- specifically, music he wrote for the villian, Hagen -- as "demonic... | 5 | |
