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 th..
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..
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 t..
