# The 'official' Met in HD Die Walküre thread



## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

This doesn't look good, folks. I didn't like Lepage's "machine" in Das Rheingold, and apparently it isn't getting any better. This, added to Levine's ill health and erratic conducting, and Voigt's vocal troubles, spells disaster.

Read this review:

http://www.observer.com/2011/cultur...ne-robert-lepages-timid-visionless-production


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Ouch. And here it was all set up to be a great cycle before the performances actually got underway...


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

Almaviva said:


> This doesn't look good, folks. I didn't like Lepage's "machine" in Das Rheingold, and apparently it isn't getting any better. This, added to Levine's ill health and erratic conducting, and Voigt's vocal troubles, spells disaster.
> 
> Read this review:
> 
> http://www.observer.com/2011/cultur...ne-robert-lepages-timid-visionless-production


But at least the reviewer has nice things to say about el Guapo!


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

MAuer said:


> But at least the reviewer has nice things to say about el Guapo!


Also, the reviewer had some less-than-nice things to say about Levine's conducting, which _(I hasten to add)_ puts him in the minority among his fellow reviewers.

I'll have to see for myself _(which I most certainly will)_ before making up my own mind- but my front-most feeling is that I can put up with some stage-machinery noise and "lead-by-the-nose" projected summations of previous parts of the story in order to be spared some other director's latest historical, political, philosophical or psychosocial whim-_du-jour_.


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

I wonder what the Met reviewers would say about an average European Ring.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

I read a review of Met's Das Rheingold in a Finnish classical music magazine some time ago, and it was pretty scathing as well. What annoyed me the most was how the reviewer mocked the old-fashioned staging, saying that the Ring always has to be "about our time". I couldn't disagree more - the Ring is TIMELESS. And timeless insights always apply to our time as well! Give the Ring either a mythological, classical setting, or a completely abstract, minimalist setting... but to apply things of a particular time (or a particular whim-du-jour... what a lovely word, thanks Chi_townPhilly!) to a work that is completely timeless seems to constrain it.

I liked Met's Das Rheingold a lot, with its combination of the mythological and the minimalist.


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## Rasa (Apr 23, 2009)

> Mr. Kaufmann, an intensely eloquent, intelligent singer, used his focused, dark tone to project Siegmund's wounded cautiousness, his sense of isolation.


I wonder if the reviewer realises he's just jutting down his own projection of events.


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## BalloinMaschera (Apr 4, 2011)

I once heard D Voigt at the Met as Sieglinde alongside Domingo as her Siegmund and Jane Eaglen as Brunnhilde.
Voigt was glorious...at the time, I wondered if she would ever graduate to the Valkyrie, herself...and kind of hoped she would not... her instrument is too lyric, not steely enuough... in my mind, Brunnhilde should also be able to sing Turandot , for example, but I don't think DV has this role in her arsenal. Case in point is her recent Isolde, which was excellent but still will not erase memories of Flagstad, Jones, or Nilsson.

I guess what I am saying is that I consider DV to be a terrific dramatic, but not quite a hoch dramatic, and in roles like Isolde & Brunnhilde, that can make a big difference... 

On the flipside, with the dearth of true dramatic sopranos these days, you can't really blame her for wanting to step up to the plate...


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

Also, Kaufmann as Siegmund... <3 Do want.

Can't wait till the wholel Met Ring comes on dvd...


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Oh, OK, this review is much more favorable. Strange how one review bashes Levine and the other idolizes him.
Seems like Voigt did well after all.
The damn "machine" continues to be intrusive, it seems.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/arts/music/walkure-opera-review.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&hp


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

Almaviva said:


> Oh, OK, this review is much more favorable. Strange how one review bashes Levine and the other idolizes him.
> Seems like Voigt did well after all.
> The damn "machine" continues to be intrusive, it seems.
> http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/arts/music/walkure-opera-review.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&hp


Apparently, it claimed another victim at a later performance when one of the Valkyries took a tumble. Fortunately, she wasn't hurt.


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## AmericanGesamtkunstwerk (May 9, 2011)

I saw the broadcast of this Rheingold at the theater, and Walkure is coming up this Saturday. 
there are already clips available online, the jonas kaufman siegmund stuff seemed like it could be an unparalleled performance of my green appreciation. the Act II beginning was also posted, Levine taking it a bit faster, and punctuated as much as the most visceral recordings. Terfel has a fantastic voice, I feel. the blocking and the body language of the players i felt was so incredibly spot on in every aspect, i was willing to forgive deborah voigt's heia-ho's. i think she gets a great sound for them on the higher notes, her lower end was just weaker, and I thought the space between the notes was too sweepingly slidey.

I haven't seen many Rings yet but I've listened extensively, and I suspect this Saturday to be an unforgettable and effective experience of theatric and narrative ecstasy, just like Rheingold. (and that's _after _ you take into account the snobby smelly senior citizens in the movie theater!


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## Bill H. (Dec 23, 2010)

AmericanGesamtkunstwerk said:


> I saw the broadcast of this Rheingold at the theater, and Walkure is coming up this Saturday.
> there are already clips available online, the jonas kaufman siegmund stuff seemed like it could be an unparalleled performance of my green appreciation. the Act II beginning was also posted, Levine taking it a bit faster, and punctuated as much as the most visceral recordings. Terfel has a fantastic voice, I feel. the blocking and the body language of the players i felt was so incredibly spot on in every aspect, i was willing to forgive deborah voigt's heia-ho's. i think she gets a great sound for them on the higher notes, her lower end was just weaker, and I thought the space between the notes was too sweepingly slidey.
> 
> I haven't seen many Rings yet but I've listened extensively, and I suspect this Saturday to be an unforgettable and effective experience of theatric and narrative ecstasy, just like Rheingold. (and that's _after _ you take into account the snobby smelly senior citizens in the movie theater!


Thanks for the preview, we are looking forward to it.

Yes, demographics for the HD attendees tends to the blue-haired. You'd think with all the noisy soundtrack and the hot-charged god-on-god action, not to mention the "Ride", there'd be more teenagers crossing over from "Thor" to see this....
But I will do my part to skew the demographics somewhat--taking my 17 year old son to see "Walkure," after we both saw Rheingold last year. [he wants to see the rest of the Ring live at the Met, but I believe it's all sold out anyway].


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

Bill H. said:


> Thanks for the preview, we are looking forward to it.
> 
> Yes, demographics for the HD attendees tends to the blue-haired. You'd think with all the noisy soundtrack and the hot-charged god-on-god action, not to mention the "Ride", there'd be more teenagers crossing over from "Thor" to see this....
> But I will do my part to skew the demographics somewhat--taking my 17 year old son to see "Walkure," after we both saw Rheingold last year. [he wants to see the rest of the Ring live at the Met, but I believe it's all sold out anyway].


I think all the performances of Siegfried and Götterdämmerung are sold out, but there are still seats for the complete cycles. But I'm not sure.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Aksel said:


> I think all the performances of Siegfried and Götterdämmerung are sold out, but there are still seats for the complete cycles. But I'm not sure.


There's also resellers.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Couchie said:


> There's also resellers.


Then again the $25 cinema ticket may be more attractive than the $300 house ticket for what apparently may be a potential train-wreck.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Couchie said:


> Then again the $25 cinema ticket may be more attractive than the $300 house ticket for what apparently may be a potential train-wreck.


Yes but think of the bragging rights. You'd be able to say "I was there - the night of that train-wreck!!"


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

Couchie said:


> Then again the $25 cinema ticket may be more attractive than the $300 house ticket for what apparently may be a potential train-wreck.


Sure, but what a train wreck.
It will be interesting to see how the Siegfrieds fare in the fall.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Aksel said:


> Sure, but what a train wreck.
> It will be interesting to see how the Siegfrieds fare in the fall.


I wonder if the machine will be used as the dragon.
In the final performance of Götterdämmerung they should just blow it up.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

I'll edit the title of this thread to reflect a new function for it: a space to comment upon the Met in HD broadcast of this Saturday; before, during (I may post from my cell phone) and after the performance.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

How sold out are your guy's theatres? Mine shows only about 1/3 of seats sold, although other theatres in the city are sold out.

Edit: actually I just checked again and its closer to 1/2 capacity now.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Too soon to say - not showing until June.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

In my town the seats usually sell out for the most popular operas, and tickets need to be purchased way in advance. I actually get them the first day when they go on sale. Nixon in China though had many empty seats. But Das Rheingold was completely full.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Almaviva said:


> In my town the seats usually sell out for the most popular operas, and tickets need to be purchased way in advance. I actually get them the first day when they go on sale. Nixon in China though had many empty seats. But Das Rheingold was completely full.


Do you guys have reserved (ie, seat D13) seating, or general first-come-first-choice admission?


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Couchie said:


> Do you guys have reserved (ie, seat D13) seating, or general first-come-first-choice admission?


Unfortunately it's first-come-first-choice. To get a good seat I have to arrive 30 minutes before the show. If I get their late I have to seat very close to the screen which is very uncomfortable.


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## AmericanGesamtkunstwerk (May 9, 2011)

What do we know about this Gary Lehman guy, Siegfried. I can't find much online, just a poorly recorded fragment of some Parsifal. I like the sound of his voice, and he looks righteous in the single still we've seen. I'd just like to be able to absorb more about him.

I'm sure more information on Siegfried and Gotterdammerung, and the future of the production as a whole, will be revealed in the backstage/documentary footage around the intermissions. I thought that with the Rheingold broadcast the "special features" were almost as breathtaking as the actual show, and with a 6 hour running time on Walkure I am prepared for no less. 

Anyway, today I went down to the local university's music library and picked up a Walkure score so I can give it a good read-through to warm-up. I try to do that before I see any Wagner. Anyone else have their own Der Pregame rituals?


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

Couchie said:


> I wonder if *the machine* will be used as the dragon.
> In the final performance of Götterdämmerung *they should just blow it up*.


:lol::lol::lol:

Brilliant idea.......as Asgard home of the gods is destroyed we could de-construct "the machine" and cleanse the world for new reign of man. The machine represents gods controlling affairs of the human world therefore it is fitting to be destroyed, let's do it


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

Gary Lehman has been doing some stuff in Oslo. He sang Tannhäuser last year to great acclaim and is singing Tristan again this autumn. The other one who is singing Siegfried, Jay Hunter Morris is singing Siegfried in San Fransisco in their Ring cycle (that does look a lot more interesting than the Met one) later this month.


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

AmericanGesamtkunstwerk said:


> What do we know about this Gary Lehman guy, Siegfried. I can't find much online, just a poorly recorded fragment of some Parsifal. I like the sound of his voice, and he looks righteous in the single still we've seen. I'd just like to be able to absorb more about him.


He's a long-time 'Heldentenor pinch-hitter' at the MET, who's come through for a few under-the-weather headliners over the years. When he does a run of Siegfried next year, THAT will be a stiffer test. 


AmericanGesamtkunstwerk said:


> Anyone else have their own Der Pregame rituals?


Just the usual practical ones. Light meal the night before, budget some "oversleep," cut off fluids the morning of the performance (except for clear water, and then only a splash at a time, and only when very thirsty).


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

AmericanGesamtkunstwerk said:


> What do we know about this Gary Lehman guy, Siegfried. I can't find much online, just a poorly recorded fragment of some Parsifal. I like the sound of his voice, and he looks righteous in the single still we've seen. I'd just like to be able to absorb more about him.
> 
> I'm sure more information on Siegfried and Gotterdammerung, and the future of the production as a whole, will be revealed in the backstage/documentary footage around the intermissions. I thought that with the Rheingold broadcast the "special features" were almost as breathtaking as the actual show, and with a 6 hour running time on Walkure I am prepared for no less.
> 
> Anyway, today I went down to the local university's music library and picked up a Walkure score so I can give it a good read-through to warm-up. I try to do that before I see any Wagner. Anyone else have their own Der Pregame rituals?


I heard him sing Tristan in a concert performance in London last autumn. He was quite impressive and did more than just get through that most difficult of roles.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Delayed performance! Arghh, what's going on?


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

The Machine is probably being a Diva.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Yes, it was the machine, it malfunctioned, they explained it during intermission. The first act was spectacular. El guapo is very good and so are Eva and Hans-Peter. The machine this time is very effective. I love it so far. The second act is about to start.


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

I got to hear the beginning of Die Walkure including the interview with Jimmy Levine but only on radio. The staging sounds spectacular and I wish I could watch it. For those of you watching, tell us more!

I'm glad that our Jimmy feels that his health is in great condition, and it's inspiring to hear his optimism about the back recovery too. He considers Die Walkure the most difficult of the four operas, and explained a whole lot about the intricacies and emotional impact of conducting parts of the work. Finally, the Alberich, who is on a break today from his part in the Ring, spoke a few words to the broadcasters.

Kaufmann is doing really well in his new role and Eva is just mind-blowing. It seems that Levine was extremely excited about the new cast and he has good reason to be.

Again, sigh, wish I could be at the Met right now or at least be able to watch the video. Need to get that Met subscription sometime!


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Trooper Xaltotun reporting from Finland. The first act was awesome, I liked everything except the acting of the guy playing Siegmund. He should have looked more into Sieglinde's eyes, and paid more emotional attention to her. But otherwise, it was really superb. I wept my eyes dry.

We saw a minute or two of the second act, until the connection collapsed and we lost both sound and picture. There was nothing to do, and the whole audience left. I'm disappointed in technology... again.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Act two is over. We lost the signal for some ten minutes but it came back. Bryn and Debbie did well. All predictions of fiasco were groundless. This time the Met has delivered the goodies. It is going much better than Das Rheingold.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Loving it so far! Flawless connection here. Volume is a bit low but I am used to this opera at earsplitting volume at home.


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## Agatha (Nov 3, 2009)

Couchie said:


> Loving it so far! Flawless connection here.


+1000... same here
I enjoyed every minute, wept at times. The "ride of Valkyries" in the last part was funny how they "rode" the "planks". kaufmann was great, voigt - magnificent! ending with Bryn Terfel and Voigt even better - how hard it is to raise kids, you need to punish them ...


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Agatha said:


> +1000... same here
> I enjoyed every minute, wept at times. The "ride of Valkyries" in the last part was funny how they "rode" the "planks". kaufmann was great, voigt - magnificent! ending with Bryn Terfel and Voigt even better - *how hard it is to raise kids, you need to punish them .*..


Great idea, next time my 15-year-old misbehaves I know exactly what I'm going to to. Now, need fire, rock.....


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Loved it! The 3rd act flew by far too fast. I loved the use of the machine for the Valkyrie ride. I didn't find the machine at all intrusive during the entire opera... the mountain transition was very slow and subtle and not at all distracting, but perhaps its more daunting in person. I also loved the final mountain top transition, I agree with the critics that a bit of something was lost when you know that it's a stunt double up there, but still awesome.

My only complaints were theatre-specific. Audience was exceptionally well-behaved for the first 2 acts, deathly silent except for the occasional and unavoidable cough. Third act however, a guy down in my row decided to start eating popcorn during the performance. Tried to ignore it the best I could, but as the audio in the theatre was not the loudest and he continued doing it even after the quieter music began, I finally got up, walked over to him and asked him to stop. If it was the first act, I might have let it slide, maybe even the second, BUT YOU DO NOT CRUNCH ON POPCORN DURING THE THIRD ACT OF DIE WALKÜRE . Anyways he looked terrified and apologized profusely, so I felt bad but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. A few people did look at me appreciatively as I walked back to my seat. Also this same guy walked out halfway through Wotan's farewell. Who does that?


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## AmericanGesamtkunstwerk (May 9, 2011)

Incredible.

I found nearly all the negative points raised in reviews to be irrelevant and even groundless. I actually suspect the show may have been altered since earlier performances.

Weak point for me was Deborah Voigt. 
She acted fine in her face, and her physicality was spot on. I just seriously don't think her voice was well-cast at all. She put an admirable effort, but I felt the emotional, intellectual, dramatic, poetic, and musical catharsis of acts II and III (particularly II) was *seriously* reduced by *her.*

Kaufman was brilliant. I've never felt the first act so strongly, in fact it was the highlight of the night for me. As I was saying, I think it is in the cast. (I generally consider Act II to be highest peak on the mountain that is Der Ring, so for me to be more affected by Act I is a rare occurrence). Eva-marie Westbrook turned in exceptional work as well.

BRYN TERFEL don't even get me started on Bryn Terfel. I feel like when I'm really old and I'm talking to young Wagner fans about Wotans of my generation I'll describe him like some unattainable legend. On the purely aural level, or on the physicality, or the way he illustrates things with his face (and he only needs one eye to do it).

costumes. very classic, borderline typical, yet not in a bad way by my reckoning.

the direction, not relating to the machine speaking just of the dramatic merit- not as detached and thoughtless as reviews suggested. again, perhaps the work was altered or refined extensively. Blocking was effective, and dare I say had moments of nuance.

and lastly The Machine: loved it. many are saying this production is intellectually hollow and theatrically weak despite it's immense level of technical craftsmanship, and I don't wholly disagree. But they pulled off an _effective_ balance of old school and progressive. to my understanding Wagner lived for the balance of old school and progressive. I didn't think the shadow puppets were terribly excessive (just because the words and notes may carry it all doesn't mean the imagery shouldn't offer more). The Eye wasn't as easy to defend, but i wouldn't consider it a terrible idea. In both cases though (to a lesser extent with the eye) i certainly didn't think either special-effect detracted from anything.
Ride of the Valkyries was awesome. that was the closest Walkure came to competing with its Rheingold, as far as effective ways to put The Machine to use. actually everything about all of those warring sopranos was *spot on*.

the video crew- I really liked their work here, I felt they weren't doing it justice with the Rheingold broadcast. Some of these HD broadcast things don't do it justice at all in my opinion, but this is one of the better ones. Sound came through effectively too. disappointed about the special features and backstage things though. besides the rather excellent dig into the brass section in front of Act II, I didn't take away any more than I would have from the backstage interviews at a rossini (which just seems wrong, after the mindblowing material that made up the Rheingold special features)

the crowd: I always like the Wagner crowds better than the buses of elders that turn out to the verdis and donizettis. some good
conversation, and there was like 15 people who looked under fifty years old (which is more than usual)

well, that's about it. sorry if you found that review to be a little long. I feel like the least negative person in regard to this particular production, also I feel i may not be as seasoned as some of these Ring guys around here, but don't chew me out if you didn't find Lepage's effort as admirable!


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Xaltotun said:


> I liked everything except the acting of the guy playing Siegmund.


He was busy delivering spectacular singing.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

AmericanGesamtkunstwerk said:


> I feel i may not be as seasoned as some of these Ring guys around here, but don't chew me out if you didn't find Lepage's effort as admirable!


Chew you out? I loved your review and agree with most of it.:tiphat:


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

OK folks, back home (I've edited my confusing posts above done from my cell phone during the two intermissions), and I spent the evening installing a shower door - fun fun (I'm kidding - difficult and exhausting), that's why I didn't post right away.

Since I'm a Met fan and contributor and Guild member, I'm very relieved that all the bad reviews and doomsday predictions were completely wrong. This was a mighty good Die Walküre in my opinion - not perfect of course, but better than most, and all the defects that I had criticized in Das Rheingold are gone or much improved - it looks like Lepage and the team are listening, after all (not listening to humble Almaviva, of course, but to critics that said many of the same things I had a problem with).

First, the few negatives:

That special effect that is being called The Eye was a little ridiculous, this stuff is better left to movies like The Lord of The Rings, I'd do away with it.
Debbie tried hard but was still the least good singer. But she was *very* far from the disaster that was being anticipated.
I felt that the orchestra only came alive in the third act - maybe it has to do with my theater, the sound was not loud enough. At times I thought that Levine's tempo was a little slow. But these observations are almost nitpicking, because it wasn't a big deal.

Gee, at this time I can't think of other negatives, which is incredible in terms of staging of Wagner (directors have a way to screw up when it's Wagner). 

Oh, OK, I just remembered a couple more. The video director allowed a blunder - when Siegmund is being killed, the camera changes angle and shows that the blade is between his arm and his body. I mean, we know that El Guapo wasn't being killed, LOL, but it's just silly to show the fakery insted of just showing the scene from the other side so that it is not obvious.

Finally, I found that the combat scene between Siegmund and Hunding was not well done. It could have used some directing.

Now, the positives. Where do I start? There are many.

First of all, the boys. *PERFECT* singing from El Guapo, really impressive. I'll have to become a fan and add my applause to that of the ladies here (for different reasons, LOL). Bryn Terfel was a Wotan for the ages. His subdued and uninterested performance in Das Rheingold got a complete turnaround here (granted that Wotan, the character, does become a lot more impressive in Die Walküre, but I don't think it's just that, I think he did try harder, in response to some of the criticism). And even his costume which was ridiculous in Das Rheingold got an update and looked a lot better. Bryn's singing *and* acting were absolutely first rate, stuff for the legends. I feel privileged to have watched this. 

Hans-Peter König was very good as well. His little cruelties against Sieglinde were a nice touch.

The girls: Eva-Marie was phenomenal. Beautiful, expressive, and she sang very well. The Valkyries were lovely; good-looking, excellent singing, very mobile on stage, good acting, and the riding of the Machine like horses was nice. An excellent Ride scene.
Deborah Voigt like I said sang slightly less well than everybody else but did fine, and her acting was excellent. Her chemistry with Wotan with her playful first scene was fantastic, and she continued to be very expressive, and made me shed some tears in the third act.

The Machine worked! It wasn't intrusive, it didn't crowd the stage like in Das Rheingold. The forest was beautiful, Hunting's home was interesting, the mountain was nice, the fire was impressive.

This time, the special effects (minus the Eye) were tasteful and relatively discreet. The production did feel like a traditional Ring with period staging, but with striking visuals - like it's been said already, a good balance between the old and the new.

El Guapo and Eva-Marie did look alike and made a very convicing brother-sister pair.

Wigs, make-up, costumes, all very good.

It was a fine Die Walküre, folks. It puts the Met new Ring cycle back on track, and now I'm again looking forward to the next two installments.

When the Met does the complete cycles and hopefully releases this as DVD (or even better, blu-ray), I think that they should redo Das Rheingold, make a few changes, and tape it again. If they do this, and the next two are as good as the second installment, we may very well have a reference Ring.

Two theater-specific negatives: we lost the satellite signal for ten minutes and missed the scene when Brünnhilde is talking to Siegmund and tempting him with the promise of Valhalla. And my seat neighbor to the right was the seat neighbor from Hell. It's impressive how much noise he was capable of making, and the diversity of his noises. He coughed, cleared his throat, blew his nose, laughed out loud in inappropriate moments (it's not a comedy, doofus!), talked to his wife during the performance, kept unscrewing and screwing back the cap of his water bottle that made a rattling sound, and kept opening bags of chips and eating them noisily. In-cre-di-ble!! And like I said, the sound wasn't loud enough. Theater-wise, it was the worst experience I've ever had of all Met in HD broadcasts I've attended.

But on screen the show was so good that the balance was more than positive, even though I strongly considered killing my seat neighbor.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Almaviva said:


> But on screen the show was so good that the balance was more than positive, even though I strongly considered killing my seat neighbor.


Maybe we should take your HD seat neighbour and my Xerxes seat neighbour (remember - iphone, vodka, nectarines) and put them on a desert island and make them listen to Katherine Jenkins and Sarah Brightman 24/7. Wait... They'd probably enjoy it.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> Maybe we should take your HD seat neighbour and my Xerxes seat neighbour (remember - iphone, vodka, nectarines) and put them on a desert island and make them listen to Katherine Jenkins and Sarah Brightman 24/7. Wait... They'd probably enjoy it.


+ my farting German


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## AmericanGesamtkunstwerk (May 9, 2011)

Almaviva said:


> Oh, OK, I just remembered a couple more. The video director allowed a blunder - when Siegmund is being killed, the camera changes angle and shows that the blade is between his arm and his body. I mean, we know that El Guapo wasn't being killed, LOL, but it's just silly to show the fakery insted of just showing the scene from the other side so that it is not obvious.


ugh i hate that. anecdote from my Rheingold experience last fall: I was perfectly in the uncanny valley during the rainbow bridge, talk about suspension of disbelief. I was transported and convinced and ultimate-theatric-experience'd the whole everything. and they did a completely useless cut to an angle where it exposed the functionality of the machine. 
The vibe I get from such cuts is this: _"oh man if we go out of our way to punctuate how much technology and craft goes into this, the audience will be reminded that there is a high budget for these things, and they will be more likely to donate."_

I'm not saying I would rationalize the swordplay example you sighted, but it reminded me. It also reminded me that there was a substantially less amount of cuts that had that feel. There was one instance right in the beginning of Act II where they cut at a really telling part of the blocking/physical acting. the part that in the sneak-peek sample from a few weeks ago was exceptionally spot on, they cut in the middle of it. But that was forgivable. I like the job they did a lot.



> When the Met does the complete cycles and hopefully releases this as DVD (or even better, blu-ray), I think that they should redo Das Rheingold, make a few changes, and film it again. If they do this, and the next two are as good as the second installment, we may very well have a reference Ring.


Would it be too early to start speculating about when this will be available? will its arrival lower the price of the Schenk box set? (well, probably.)
would one recommend it as a Classic Standard (as you said, Reference) Ring over the Schenk? Would the taping for the dvd be an improvement of the taping for the broadcast? May this cycle prove as much as a staple as the Schenk cycle in years to come? at what point do these speculations belong in the "opera on dvd/bluray" board?

One last thing I wanted to mention, THE SUBTITLES. not all translations are equal, and I thought the ones I was reading today were better than any other version of the english libretto i've ever seen. Does anybody follow closely different translations, that's an aspect I'm really interested in that I don't hear about as much. A good translation of Wagner is up there with Shakespeare, yet a bad one might read like rossini.


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

Well I agree it was an improvement on Das Rheingold. I think that Jonas Kaufmann was superb. Eva Maria Westboek was great as Sieglinde. One of the best perfomances of the first act I have ever heard. Hans-Peter Konig was a very convincing Hagen. Terfel was majesterial as Wotan as was Stephanie Blythe as Fricka.

Deborah Voight as Brunnhilde was also very good but I did think she was just minutely behind the rest in terms of quality. 

I thought Levine's conducting was pretty good. If there was one slight criticism it would be that towards the end of Act Three some of dramatic purpose was swept away by the beauty of the playing. Other than that, I thought it was a much better account than the pedistrian reading he gave in the Schenk DVD.

I thought the production was ok. Not inoffensive, but not thought provoking. However I think I got caught up in the intesnity of the music making to worry about it.

I think that if reports are correct, Covent Garden has really missed a trick not casting Kaufmann as Siegmund. As much as I like Simon O'Neill, I think that Kaufmann is probably the Siegmund of our age and possibly the best in the role since Vickers.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

AmericanGesamtkunstwerk said:


> Would one recommend it as a Classic Standard (as you said, Reference) Ring over the Schenk? Would the taping for the dvd be an improvement of the taping for the broadcast? May this cycle prove as much as a staple as the Schenk cycle in years to come? at what point do these speculations belong in the "opera on dvd/bluray" board?


Have to say I would not recommend the Schenk as a classic standard anyway. Too many things wrong with it - the stodgy sets (although I liked Rheingold), Jerusalem at his most smarmy and infuriating, Levine's uninspired conducting, and Hildegard Behrens who made it almost intolerable for me to listen to it.

Our TC classic standard is the Barenboim DVD, although /Levine WAS runner up.


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

Earlier this year, I posted this bit of very wishful thinking- (at least, it seemed pretty wishful at the time):


Chi_townPhilly said:


> In my dilettante opinion, I don't believe there has been a recording of Die Walküre that has separated itself from the pack in the same way that (for instance) Solti's Götterdämmerung has. I hope this doesn't sound too curmudgeonly, or too critical of the available efforts. Many of them are very good. I appreciate the artistry of several. I still find myself longing for that (possibly unattainable) reference recording of Die Walküre.
> 
> Which brings to to the fact that the MET will be putting on Die Walküre this season. So- I think to myself- why not them? Why not now? Of course, reference performances of a great masterwork might be a once-in-a-generation thing. The odds are it probably won't happen. However, if one looks carefully, one finds it hard to make the case that it absolutely can't happen. Lets look at each component-
> 
> ...


Maybe it wasn't such an unrealistic wish after all!


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

*In my capacity as Talk Classical's unofficial archivist:*



AmericanGesamtkunstwerk said:


> One last thing I wanted to mention, THE SUBTITLES. not all translations are equal, and I thought the ones I was reading today were better than any other version of the english libretto i've ever seen. Does anybody follow closely different translations, that's an aspect I'm really interested in that I don't hear about as much.


We made a start at discussing this topic here- On Ring Libretti.:tiphat:


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

Chi_townPhilly said:


> Earlier this year, I posted this bit of very wishful thinking- (at least, it seemed pretty wishful at the time):Maybe it wasn't such an unrealistic wish after all!


Musically it was for me the best account of the video age since the Barenboim production and in many ways was probably better. The production though may not be considered by some to be a classic. I agree that you don't need a Melchior to be a stand out Siegmund, but I think Kaufmann nailed the role as best as he could and of course you have to consider that it was his role debut.

Having seen Terfel do Wotan live at Covent Garden I think that he has got deeper into the role and his interpretation is getting better and better. He has always been a good physical actor and I thought in the Met Rheingold he wasn't helped by poor direction. I think his voice is now getting towards its peak.

I am trying to plot a way of seeing Siegfried but have to devise an elaborate plan to avoid childcare duties as it scheduled for Guy Fawkes night. My wife is as cunning as Fricka!!!


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

jflatter said:


> but have to devise an elaborate plan to avoid childcare duties as it scheduled for Guy Fawkes night. My wife is as cunning as Fricka!!!


Ouch! I hope she doesn't read this! LOL
Do they have nannies for hire in the UK like we do here with our thousands of teenagers who are willing to babysit for a few bucks?


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## Agatha (Nov 3, 2009)

mamascarlatti said:


> Great idea, next time my 15-year-old misbehaves I know exactly what I'm going to to. Now, need fire, rock.....


I have an 18- year old "hero" to save her ...


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Agatha said:


> I have an 18- year old "hero" to save her ...


Hum, thinks again. Siegfried as a son-in-law, what a horrible thought.


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

The problem I have is that Fricka will intervene and say I put Wagner before my children and then to lament how cursed I am...


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

jflatter said:


> The problem I have is that Fricka will intervene and say I put Wagner before my children and then to lament how cursed I am...


But Fricka just nags and nags anyways.


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## Ettu (May 20, 2011)

I loved the performance. Kaufmann as Siegmund was the highlight for me especially Act 2.

Did Westboek scream when Siegmund was mortally wounded? I wish she had if she didn't.

Two things bothered me: (1) I felt Voigt as Brunnhilde wasn't dignified enough at the end of Act 3. (2) the computer images projected onto the machine in Act 3 were really amateurish. The "cloud" pattern was barely discernible in the Valkyrie ride. And the dark crimson red magic fire did not look at all magical; it should have been more vibrant and the images should have been more creative. Wonderful fires have been generated by many movies for at least a decade so I can't imagine it being something unknown.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Welcome to the forum, Ettu.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

Ettu said:


> I loved the performance. Kaufmann as Siegmund was the highlight for me especially Act 2.
> 
> Did Westboek scream when Siegmund was mortally wounded? I wish she had if she didn't.


I had to be satisfied with listening to the radio broadcast, but don't recall Westbroek letting out any screams when Hunding wounded Siegmund -- or, for that matter, during the first act when Siegmund pulled the sword from the tree (as some sopranos have).


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

Moved to wagner thread


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

For those who didn't see this braodcast, someone has managed to put clips on Youtube of the broadcast. I have added the act one clips on here.


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)




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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

jflatter said:


>


jflatter, thanks for sharing. I was only able to listen to the radio broadcast, so I've really enjoyed seeing the YouTube clips.


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

MAuer said:


> I was only able to listen to the radio broadcast, so I've really enjoyed seeing the YouTube clips.


Same here. You da man.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Yes, it's been nice re-watching some of these at a louder volume than in the theatre. 
Stephanie Blythe is amazing!


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Finally made it, as usual weeks after everyone else.

Loved the singing. Terfel made me cry, like a bucket, several times. Kaufmann was wonderful.

Hate the machine. It's a gargatuan waste of space and resources. We got the terrible giggles at the valkyries on their giant slides. As the daughter commented- "Hey Rosshilde, my plank's talking to your plank".


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## FragendeFrau (May 30, 2011)

It's so weird for me to watch these clips now, as when I went in the cinema on May 14th I had absolutely NO idea who Jonas Kaufmann was: my love of Die Walkuere was strictly based on Wotan. Ten minutes in, I was all "who IS this guy? a tenor I can actually enjoy?" (I was a baritone fan if anything)

And now of course I've probably spent....well a lot of $$ if you consider that I bought tickets to two other operas besides Faust in order to get tickets early to see him in that in December. I've bought 4 DVDs, 4 CDs, about to buy an expensive book, and have an expensive CD double set on order. If it's true that the artists don't receive any royalties for the Met broadcasts*, then management only has to point to me as an example of the power of those broadcasts to earn money for the artists.

*from an article I read some time ago when the broadcasts were first starting. I am sure they receive the standard royalties if the broadcast is released as a DVD.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

FragendeFrau said:


> It's so weird for me to watch these clips now, as when I went in the cinema on May 14th I had absolutely NO idea who Jonas Kaufmann was: my love of Die Walkuere was strictly based on Wotan. Ten minutes in, I was all "who IS this guy? a tenor I can actually enjoy?" (I was a baritone fan if anything)
> 
> And now of course I've probably spent....well a lot of $$ if you consider that I bought tickets to two other operas besides Faust in order to get tickets early to see him in that in December. I've bought 4 DVDs, 4 CDs, about to buy an expensive book, and have an expensive CD double set on order. If it's true that the artists don't receive any royalties for the Met broadcasts*, then management only has to point to me as an example of the power of those broadcasts to earn money for the artists.
> 
> *from an article I read some time ago when the broadcasts were first starting. I am sure they receive the standard royalties if the broadcast is released as a DVD.


As a matter of fact and to my deep surprise, it looks like they don't even get the royalties for DVDs, just CDs.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

mamascarlatti said:


> Hate the machine. It's a gargatuan waste of space and resources.


I dunno. For all the production's faults, I like the basic design idea Lepage is going for: a single unit set, at once huge and monolothic (like the mythology of the Ring itself) yet infinitely malleable into different forms (like a Wagnerian leitmotif). Sure, you could reduplicate the design out of popsicle sticks--it's nothing more than twenty-four planks set side by side on a single axis. But that's still twice as many as the notes composers have to work with, and look what wonders *they* achieve.

So I'm not out of sympathy with the project. When the Machine is used effectively (which is perhaps not often enough), it can be pretty impressive. And I think that if Lepage had done a better job directing the actors in between those big visual moments, we wouldn't hear nearly as many complaints about the set.


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## FragendeFrau (May 30, 2011)

I was wonderfully impressed with the machine at the beginning. It was only as I realized (on a second viewing) how little direction the singers apparently got, and how small the space in front of the machine was for them to work with, that I had second thoughts. I liked the machine in Rheingold but hated that they had to use doubles--and was most disappointed at the end of Walkuere as well. So it's half and half for me. I have to be honest, I don't like the way it dominates the stage...although I like with your idea of it being huge and monolithic like the mythology of the Ring!


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

amfortas said:


> I dunno. For all the production's faults, I like the basic design idea Lepage is going for: a single unit set, at once huge and monolothic (like the mythology of the Ring itself) yet infinitely malleable into different forms (like a Wagnerian leitmotif). Sure, you could reduplicate the design out of popsicle sticks--it's nothing more than twenty-four planks set side by side on a single axis. But that's still twice as many as the notes composers have to work with, and look what wonders *they* achieve.
> 
> So I'm not out of sympathy with the project. When the Machine is used effectively (which is perhaps not often enough), it can be pretty impressive. *And I think that if Lepage had done a better job directing the actors in between those big visual moments, we wouldn't hear nearly as many complaints about the set*.


Therein lies the rub. So in love with his hydraulics that he forgets the people. So let's all get engineers in to direct complex psychological dramas. All Lepage can think of is to get people to fiddle with their hairdos at crucial moments.

One problem I have is the way that whenever singers are on the machine they have to concentrate parts of their brain on gingerly picking their way around in the dark so they don't trip. Meanwhile act and sing fiendish music.

While I sympathise with your description of the idea, I think it is too monolithic to be effective very often - I think the only effect I liked was the flight scene at the beginning, with the "trees". I got the giggles when they had the Sauron-style eye during Wotan's big monologue in act II. Frankly, Terfel didn't need that kind of "help", he was doing fine by himself.

The kind of set design I admire is the one in the Herheim Onegin, a revolving mirrored box which helps the action flow rather than impedes it.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

I haven't spared The Machine a good dose of criticism. It is cumbersome and has accomplished the rather difficult feat of making of the huge Met stage a crowded and narrow space. The "eye" was a quite ridiculous special effect. Hey, Mr. Lepage, different Ring. Please, leave this kind of silly stuff to the _Lord of the Rings_ franchise!

But truth must be told, The Machine was a lot more successful in _Die Walküre_ than in _Das Rheingold_, so, let's hope that its use gets more refined in the next two installments.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

mamascarlatti said:


> Therein lies the rub. So in love with his hydraulics that he forgets the people. So let's all get engineers in to direct complex psychological dramas. All Lepage can think of is to get people to fiddle with their hairdos at crucial moments.
> 
> One problem I have is the way that whenever singers are on the machine they have to concentrate parts of their brain on gingerly picking their way around in the dark so they don't trip. Meanwhile act and sing fiendish music.
> 
> ...


I see the validity of everything you've said, which is why I couldn't push my points in favor of the Met's production all that hard. The set has not always been used wisely or subtly, has posed significant technical problems and safety issues, and has become an unfortunate distraction both onstage and in most discussions of Lepage's Ring cycle. All that said, I think it has had its effective moments so far and still has the potential to be more skillfully integrated into the final two installments. I'll be interested to see if Lepage listens to all the criticism and adapts as he goes on.

I think Herheim has an intriguing basic idea with his time-straddling Eugene Onegin, but as you and others have pointed out, he can't stop himself from trying to do too much. I do very much like the set; it serves well as both prison and prism for the characters, caught in romantic fantasies that intersect with a nostalgic, stereotyped view of Russia's past.


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## GoneBaroque (Jun 16, 2011)

mamascarlatti said:


> The kind of set design I admire is the one in the Herheim Onegin, a revolving mirrored box which helps the action flow rather than impedes it.


Natalie

I agree, that set is both elegant and beautiful

Rob


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

I know it's an old thread by now, but I've had a new experience to ponder. Let me explain.

I didn't see the live broadcast in May (though I listened to it online). Instead, I took my eighteen-year-old son to see the rebroadcast a couple of weeks later (his first opera encounter). All went well, until near the end of the third act. I had read a good deal about the staging of the conclusion and seen some of the production stills, so I was looking forward to watching it play out before me. 

But just as Wotan was leading the sleeping Brunnhilde offstage, the signal gave out. After several anxious minutes, the theater manager announced that they were unable to continue. The frustrated audience got free movie passes, and my son thought the opera was cool anyway. But I was still left unsatisfied, never having seen this production's magic fire or its final moments.

Until yesterday. Only then did I realize that the person who somehow got ahold of the video clips posted earlier in this thread (see posts #62 through #66) has in fact put the entire broadcast on YouTube. So last night, for the first time, I finally got to see those missing minutes. 

I was impressed. Critics have complained that having Wotan and Brunnhilde exit the stage (the latter to be replaced by a stunt double) detracts from a crucial moment when we really want to see and connect with the characters. While I see the point of this argument, I think Lepage's approach worked well on its own turns--the transformation of the set providing a striking point of contemplation until the effective reappearance of Wotan and Brunnhilde a few moments later. Then the further use of lighting and the intricately shifting set gave a stylized but powerful evocation of the Valkyrie rock surrounded by flames.

All in all, I have to say that finally seeing the ending only confirms my basic premise from earlier postings. From an artistic standpoint, I don't think the Machine itself is the problem with this production (whether it's worth *that* much money, effort, and injury is another question, of course). The difficulty lies in the undeveloped and sometimes downright amateurish direction of the actors. 

Of course, you could say that the Machine contributes to that problem by taking up most of the stage space. But I think a more adroit director would easily surmount that obstacle. Or you could blame the Machine for distracting Lepage's energies away from his actors. This may well be true, but I would say that in that case the fault lies with the director, not the set.

In a way, I almost wish there had been *two* directors. Then Lepage could have crafted his powerful stage imagery to his heart's content, while someone more gifted with personregie--a Chereau, say, or a McVicar--could work with the performers and develop their interactions. Perhaps then we might have had a Ring for the ages. And perhaps, just perhaps, those critics who have scoffed at the Machine would instead heap praise upon it--for doing exactly what it does now.


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## FragendeFrau (May 30, 2011)

amfortas said:


> In a way, I almost wish there had been *two* directors. Then Lepage could have crafted his powerful stage imagery to his heart's content, while someone more gifted with personregie--a Chereau, say, or a McVicar--could work with the actors and develop their interactions. Perhaps then we might have had a Ring for the ages. And perhaps, just perhaps, those critics who have scoffed at the Machine would instead heap praise upon it--for doing exactly what it does now.


This, +1000
:tiphat:

Glad you finally got to see the whole thing! Now that I have the proper cables to connect my macbook to my tv/sound system I look forward to watching at home, until the DVD comes out...


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

Thanks, Frau!

Having said all of that in defense of the Machine, I nonetheless can't resist . . .

They say that the Machine is very elaborate and complicated:










Actually, it's quite simple. What's *really* complicated is the giant paper shredder they had to build first!


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