# Ring cycle broadcasts start 28 March



## Chi_townPhilly

For the next four weeks, the MET Opera broadcasts will be featuring *Wagner*'s _Ring Cycle_. Here in the Eastern portion of America, the broadcasts take place on Saturday afternoons. BBC 3 also carries the MET broadcasts. _Das Rheingold_ will start at the usual time (as it is a normal-length opera), but _Die Walküre, Siegfried, & Götterdämmerung_ figure to begin an hour earlier, and end later- (progressively so with each subsequent opera).

All in all, an interesting way to absorb the music of Wagner's _Ring_- at the cost of a working radio, and an investment in time.


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## Atabey

Who is conducting? Levine?


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## Chi_townPhilly

Atabey said:


> Who is conducting? Levine?


*James Levine* is scheduled to conduct all broadcasts. Casting information will be updated as relevant- but, (beginning with _Das Rheingold_) JAMES MORRIS is listed as Wotan. The next most famous name, JOHN TOMLINSON, figures to appear as Fafner. Richard Paul Fink- baritone- is slated for Alberich, and mezzo Yvonne Naef is in the program as Fricka.


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## JoeGreen

Great to know. I enjoy Levine's conducting, so it should be interesting.


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## World Violist

I shall try to catch this! However, I will be out looking at colleges (the time is coming for me to be unleashed upon the world...), so I may well not catch all of it.

Being the blatantly obvious operatic ignoramus... what is the "usual time"?


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## Chi_townPhilly

World Violist said:


> ... what is the "usual time"?


My apologies. The inspecificity was deliberate. MET's live broadcasts air in the Eastern Time zone of the US at 1pm, typically. Therefore, _Walküre, Siegfried & Götterämmerung_ will begin at noon.

If MET broadcasts are carried live by BBC 3 & other outlets, I guess it would serve our "external service" members to post the time in UTC, which would be 17:00 UTC for _Das Rheingold_, and 16:00 UTC for the other 3.


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## Chi_townPhilly

*Update-update-update*

_Ring_ broadcasts will be taking place _4 of the next 5_ weeks, not the next four weeks, as orignally posted. *Das Rheingold* will occur on 28 March, as reported, but the general flow will be (temporarily) interrupted by Donizetti's _L'Elisir D'Amore_ on 4 April.

After that, the remaining Music-Dramas in the *Ring Cycle* _will_ be performed on the next three consecutive Saturdays.

Your humble dilettante apologizes for any potential confusion.


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## World Violist

I'm sad to notice that Christine Brewer cannot play Brunnhilde... it doesn't affect Das Rheingold, sure, but she's apparently one of the better Brunnhildes around. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/theatre/story/2009/03/27/met-opera-villazon-brewer.html


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## Chi_townPhilly

*Das Rheingold: 2.5 hours- no intermission*

How did your bladder-control hold up? Mine endured, even though I made no special advance preparations for the event. I guess the Master of Bayreuth would have been pleased with the lack of a break... and I think most of the audience didn't mind, as long as they had some notice. The biggest challenge probably fell to the pit-musicians, who are frequently an underestimated lot in opera discussions that sometimes center on singer-cults.

I thought I'd write some reflections as soon as possible, before I sample the pool of other reviews. That way, my comments will be completely unaffected by the opinions of others.

Within a week of the performance, I received an e-mail from the MET stating that single-tickets were available for this matineé. I would have seriously contemplated attending if it wasn't so far out of my budget. Least expensive available on-line tickets were c. $200 (each!). I briefly entertained the idea of getting into the infamous day-of line for standing-room tickets (you know, so I could say I was "up-in-the-cheaps/down-with-the-peeps..." at least as much as one can be 'down-with-the-peeps' at an opera!) but chose not to make the $50+ dollar travel investment on a "maybe."

So, it was Saturday afternoon, with the stereo-FM radio and the Spencer translation/Wagner libretto (which also has good chronolgical summary comments on stage instructions). My feelings about the broadcast will follow...


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## Chi_townPhilly

The announcer tells us that "as befits the beginning of creation" the entire house, including (for once) Maestro Levine's podium desk light, is in darkness. Then, as darkness if lifted (and the desk-lamp is evidently the first thing to be illuminated) the famous E-flat chord comes forth. Only problem is... it's definitely _not_ a Bayreuth audience, and it seems that the Northeast isn't entirely in the clear re: cold-and-flu season, so apparent is the coughing and sneezing. Then I also hear _(what?!)_ a beeper or cell-phone?! 
With regard to the "health" issues, two points. 1) I've said elsewhere that when attending a performace, I keep unwrapped cough-drops at the ready, even when healthy, just in case. In those instances where cough-drops are not enough, I return my tickets and allow the opportunity for (hopefully) a healthy person to attend. I guess that's easier to do when you have 2nd balcony tickets for about a sawbuck for the Chicago SO. This afternoon, though, there are people who've spent literally hundreds of dollars to be there, so it's likely too big an ask to expect _them_ to forfeit their seats.
Then, the Rhine-daughters begin singing, and for me, it's working, their laughter isn't forced-sounding, either. Also working is the characterful-sounding Alberich of Richard Paul Fink... although he overdoes it a bit with the "out-of-breath" part, continuing to audibly stage-gasp beyong the point where Wagner instructs his Alberich to become "speechless with rage." [Was this Fink's decision, or the Director's?] I certainly don't want to 'oh-by-the-way' the orchestra, whose performance in the prelude, and everywhere else, was impressive.

Light on the Rheingold comes, and with it, a test for the ensemble-singing of the Rhine-daughters. [On the first Keilberth recording, they're a few coins off ideal with the intervals- one small knock on what in so many other ways is an excellent cycle.] They nail it, though, and the scene concludes with Alberich purloining the gold, with attendant "mocking laughter" which (for me) dies away too quickly. (Tough to get out of my mind Neidlinger, and his "*Ha* ha-ha_ha_' ha-ha-ha' ha-ha-ha ha-ha-haaaaa.") Solti _Ring_ fans know EXACTLY what I'm talking about! [Again, I wonder if this is the director's work.] I hasten to add that Fink's singing is very fine. 
Thus ends Scene I.


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## Chi_townPhilly

*More on the Rheingold broadcast*

I could be wrong- but is there anyone alive who's sung Wotan more frequently that James Morris? Now in his (early) 60s, it would have been interesting to observe his stage presence, his movement, his acting. On the radio, though, all we have is his singing. The voice isn't so much dry _a la_ early 80s Theo Adam, but it begins with a vibrato wide enough to make me wonder if "wobble" is too harsh a word. It doesn't persist to the degree that was present in his opening verses. Parodoxically enough, it's not the first time I've had occasion to reflect on Morris taking a while to "find his stride." [I'm told that a similar thing happened in his _Meistersinger_ a couple of years back.] I'm enjoying Yvonne Naef's urgent Fricka, as well.

Does it seem like John Tomlinson as Fafner is luxury casting? I'm not sure-- Franz-Josef Selig's Fasolt is great- but then again, I have to consider that he has the more attractive music to sing. The Loge of Kim Begley loads and fires his stanzas- and I'm once again thinking of what it could look like on the boards. Something about the Donner (Charles Taylor) doesn't exactly ring out like you'd wish from the Thunder God. Maestro Levine has dynamics well-in-hand. Where tempi are less conventional, they're on the slow side (Entry of the Giants springs immediately to mind). Towards the end of the scene, when the gods hit upon the idea of stealing the Ring in lieu of forfeiting Freia, the transition into Scene III takes place. [How many in the radio audience are, like me, hearing this music through without waiting for the CD change for the first time?] By this time, I must say that I'm a MET orchestra fan- and am too far gone in that direction to mount any criticism!

Rather than list Scene III contributions next post, I'd like to share some thoughts about the _Mime_ character... things I'd never really contemplated until this performance...


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## Chi_townPhilly

*Some thoughts on Mime*

Prior to last week's broadcast, the presenters stated that the _Ring_ was a work where one absorbed something new with each intent hearing-- and the thing that proved new for me was the presentation of the Mime character in _Das Rheingold_. Now, Mime's obvious dramaturgical role is that he's "official spokesman" for the enslaved plight of the Nibelungs... and in all performances I've seen or heard, he always fills this role no less than very well, and sometimes exceptionally.

I don't know if it was something about my focus with this listening, or something about Gerhard Siegel's Mime performance, and his interface with Richard Paul Fink's Alberich... (I suspect that it's the latter) but there was something about the way Alberich sang "you sought to hold back" the Tarnhelm for yourself, and the way Mime told Wotan & Loge his never-had-a-chance gambit of stealing the Ring from Alberich that made it as clear as I've ever recognized that Mime, rendered individualistically, is a schemer from jump. [And there sounded like there was something to Mime's tone to indicate that, had Mime somehow stolen the Ring there, he would not have stopped at enslaving Alberich.] This is certainly consistent with the Mime that we all know and don't particularly love in _Siegfried_.

Which brings up another point... it seems that no matter with whom Mime is dealing, he's _always_ one step behind. There are no exceptions. He's one step behind with Alberich, here. He's one step behind The Wanderer in the 'riddle scene' of _Siegfried_, and he's even one step behind Siegfried himself, the formerly "easy-enough-to-fool" boy who repeats Mime's murderous thoughts back to him. All the while, Mime never thinks to conclude "the kid's suspicions are up-- I'd better wait for another time."

While listening to Scene 3 of the broadcast, I made note of one little peal of involuntary laughter from the audience in the passage where Alberich converts to the Serpent. My first thought... 'unscheduled event??' Well, if I speak to someone who paid the price to be there, I guess I'll eventually find out (ahhh- another of the joys of live performance)----


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## nefigah

Interesting observation on Mime, and I think it's probably correct. I too have generally thought of him as the ill-fated fellow who just wants a chance at stopping his suffering... but certainly there's a lot of evidence in the later drama to suggest that's not the case, and it's unlikely that his nature changed inherently between Rheingold and Siegfried. 

As to the laughter... I imagine that things like the transformation into the serpent are incredibly difficult to pull off on stage, especially to audiences used to seeing modern special effects. 

Overall, are you enjoying this broadcast? Do you think in retrospect it would have been worth a couple hundred dollars to see? (Though I haven't "earned the stripes" to worry about this yet, some day before I die I hope to be able to see the Ring live...)


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## Chi_townPhilly

nefigah said:


> Overall, are you enjoying this broadcast? Do you think in retrospect it would have been worth a couple hundred dollars to see?


There have been a couple of developments since I last visited this discussion. First, I've seen the Levine/MET _Das Rheingold_ DVD. Second, I went to the MET to see _Die Walküre_. And speaking of _Die Walküre_, it will be broadcast on the afternoon of Holy Saturday.

While everybody's "motive/means/opportunity" may differ, I think it would have been worth a low 3-digit sum to see a _Ring_ Music-Drama performed live- in a version that has some measure of fidelity to Wagner's stage-instructions, and by a company that has the considerable resources of the Metropolitan Opera. It's just that I'm allowing myself one MET performance a year... and I chose _Walküre_ over _Rheingold_. They were the only two that were offered "out-of-cycle" and thus available for advance sale, without having to resort to buying a full package of four...


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## Chi_townPhilly

O.K.: did anyone else catch the broadcast of _Die Walküre_ last Saturday?? I missed most of it (I was 'volunteered' to help with some late-morning/early afternoon moving duties)... but I did listen to the third act complete.

I noticed that the person who by now has proven to be the MET's official designated _heldentenor_ pinch-hitter, Gary Lehman, came up from Staten Island to take to the stage as Siegmund- evidently singing Siegmund for the first time ever.

Naturally, the sense of having missed something was greatly lessened by the fact that I attended the _Die Walküre_ opening night performance on April 6. I saw somewhere that Maestro Levine had conducted _Walküre_ something like 60 times, already! I guess he's absolutely got a clear vision of what he's looking for in this work!

It had been my idea to use this thread to talk about the broadcast- and I'd still like to (anyone ready to chime in on Acts I & II??). However, I could alternatively talk about my return to the MET. Whaddaya think?!


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## World Violist

Chi_town/Philly said:


> O.K.: did anyone else catch the broadcast of _Die Walküre_ last Saturday?? I missed most of it (I was 'volunteered' to help with some late-morning/early afternoon moving duties)... but I did listen to the third act complete.
> 
> I noticed that the person who by now has proven to be the MET's official designated _heldentenor_ pinch-hitter, Gary Lehman, came up from Staten Island to take to the stage as Siegmund- evidently singing Siegmund for the first time ever.
> 
> Naturally, the sense of having missed something was greatly lessened by the fact that I attended the _Die Walküre_ opening night performance on April 6. I saw somewhere that Maestro Levine had conducted _Walküre_ something like 60 times, already! I guess he's absolutely got a clear vision of what he's looking for in this work!
> 
> It had been my idea to use this thread to talk about the broadcast- and I'd still like to (anyone ready to chime in on Acts I & II??). However, I could alternatively talk about my return to the MET. Whaddaya think?!


Well I caught the first act and a little of the second act. I don't know this opera very well at all; I have never listened to it all the way through before. The orchestra was utterly spectacular, as it was for Das Rheingold. The violas weren't quite so impactful on the whole, but that's just me talking...

The singers I thought were quite magnificent, but then again I've never heard this one all the way through, and am novice enough when it comes to opera to not really know what to listen for. I mean, it's always so bizarre for me to hear singers take such massive liberties with what is written in the score.

The Siegfried I thought sounded a little boxy, as did Hunding... and that's really about as far as I can go. It's been a while anyway, my memory's slipping. I was impressed with what I heard, though.

Oh, and I heard the opera quiz. It was quite hilarious. First opera quiz I've ever listened to in my life.


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## nefigah

Chi_town/Philly said:


> It had been my idea to use this thread to talk about the broadcast- and I'd still like to (anyone ready to chime in on Acts I & II??). However, I could alternatively talk about my return to the MET. Whaddaya think?!


oo oo do both


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## Chi_townPhilly

O.K.: while it's still fresh in my mind...

Monday April 6, season's first performance of _Die Walküre_ at the MET- and my second visit to the horseshoe. Hot_town/Philly (my wife) and I moved closer by a level from our previous _Tristan & Isolde_ performance- to the Grand Tier, rather than the Dress Circle. Owing to the seating upgrade, I went the "suit-and-tie" route, and discovered that I really needn't have bothered- lots of guys in our area simply had collared-shirt or collared-shirt & pullover, kind of what I call the "Woody Allen" look. [Although there were plenty enough who _were_ in suit & tie.] It's hot in here, we say. Off comes the suit-jacket. At least in isn't Bayreuth in summer, I quip to HTP (no air-conditioning there). Pleasant woman on the other side of me says "tell me about it... I was there the season all those people died in France." She says she came up from the Nation's Capital- says she loves the (Otto Schenk) production (well... we ALL love the Otto Schenk production), but hastens to add her disappointment that Christine Brewer won't be performing. To the left of _her_, a quartet of people are talking in a foreign language... Central/Eastern European... if I had to place a bet, I'd guess Russian- but it's too indistinct for me to be sure.

So, once again about to be drawn into the world of Wagner, as a fan! In addition to our appreciation for the visual elements of the production, I want to acknowledge the visual elements of the performers. This theme will come into play throughout the performance. The Siegmund is someone named Johan Botha, the Sieglinde is the world-famous Waltraud Meier. The most direct comparision, of course, is to the Schenk/MET DVD with Gary Lakes as Siegmund and Jessye Norman as Sieglinde. On the DVD, Kurt Moll is a great Hunding, and here on stage, John Tomlinson is excellent, too. And... well... how do I put this- when Tomlinson sings "how like each other they look," it's more credible than when Moll sings it- through no fault of Moll's! Speaking of Tomlinson, his expressions, glares, self-satisfied smirks, occasional moments when he draws his arm towards the center of his body as if he's getting ready to deliver a backhand... all this bespeaks of 'domestic-abuse' and reinforces the loveless Hunding-Sieglinde bond.

To digress a little- what an interesting case is presented by the role of Siegmund. It's not really an _über-heldentenor_ part like Siegfried, Tristan, Parsifal & Tannhäuser- but it poses more volume-challenge (if less necessity for endurance) than, say, Walter in _Meistersinger_. Yet, to essay it is to sing music familiar in opera-goers heads from recordings that date from the great Melchior himself to Vinay, Windgassen, James King, Jon Vickers... _Ein Schwert_ and _Wintersturme_ are famous Act I challenges, and they come really close to one another. Then, add to that that your duet partner is the world's most famous living Wagnerian soprano... that's an imposing journey for Mr. Botha. He got safely through... but in retrospect, I wonder if he was at 100% that night, since he didn't perform for the Saturday broadcast.

As I write this, I just thought... did Wagner ever write a better Act I?! My other favorite Wagner works include _Parsifal, Götterdämmerung, Tristan und Isolde_... and as much as I love them, I can't say their Act I is the equal of _Die Walküre_. _Meistersinger_ may rival it- that's it.


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## Herzeleide

I thought they played the opening of Act 3 of Die Walkuere like it was Mozart.


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## Chi_townPhilly

*James Morris speaks at intermission*

Yesterday's _Siegfried_ broadcast had a little mini-question-and-answer with James Morris (the Wotan of the cycle). One of the things that was said was that after the end of the run of _Siegfried_, that'll be the end of Morris's involvement with the Schenk-production _Ring_ cycle... and did he find that poignant(?)

He said it's beyond poignant, it's _sad_... and went on to say that of all _Ring_ productions circulating through the major houses of the world, the Schenk is "the only one that's not a 'concept piece.'" He further made note of all the overseas visitors who have made plans to go to New York to witness this one. He especially singled out wayfaring _Germans_, who make the trip to New York, and remark 'we wish we had something like this in Germany!'


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## World Violist

I didn't get to hear much of Siegfried at all yesterday... I came in right at the beginning of the start of Act 2, and then after the bird talks to Siegfried (after the dragon dies) I had to leave! It was quite terrible. I can only hope this won't happen for Gotterdammerung, but then again, a 5-6-hour-long opera is a little inflexible, don't you think???


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## Chi_townPhilly

World Violist said:


> I didn't get to hear much of Siegfried at all yesterday... I came in right at the beginning of the start of Act 2, and then after the bird talks to Siegfried (after the dragon dies) I had to leave! It was quite terrible. I can only hope this won't happen for Götterdämmerung, but then again, a 5-6-hour-long opera is a little inflexible, don't you think???


Two possibilities-

a) plan your day around the broadcast (my typical choice), or
b) home-tape (for one's own personal use, of course).


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## World Violist

Chi_town/Philly said:


> Two possibilities-
> 
> a) plan your day around the broadcast (my typical choice), or
> b) home-tape (for one's own personal use, of course).


Things happen... haha. I doubt anything is going to be interrupting Gotterdammerung. I'll start another one if anything does suddenly come up...


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## Chi_townPhilly

*O.K.: back to Act II of Die Walküre*

At the start of Act II of the opening performance of _Die Walküre_, my curiosity was most fixed on how the performance of Iréne Theorin (as Brünnhilde) would turn out. To return to the visual element (always an eggshell topic in Wagnerian sopranos) I have to say that, unlike my neighbor to the other side of me, I did NOT miss Christine Brewer singing Brünnhilde. Nothing against Brewer, really... but Iréne Theorin has a publicity photo in the playbill that looks like nothing quite so much as a young Glenn Close, and looks like someone you can believe will be eventually described as "das herrlichste der Welt" during the cycle. And... umm... oh, yeah, I think her singing is nice, too---

I think those who've seen the MET dvd Ring Cycle recognize that you also get something extra when you _see_ James Morris, as well as hear him. The phenomenon that I've mentioned during _Rheingold_ comes up again here in _Walküre_... and it happened again in the _Siegfried_ broadcast, too... so it can't be coincidence... Mr. Morris consistently has a vibrato that starts out wide, and gets crisper during the performance. That aside, there's this something called 'stage presence'-- and I might not live to see any more visually impressive Wotan. It's also striking to see both Morris & Theorin carry around spears of greater than body-height length with the apparent effortlessness of a Komperdell trekking pole. [They made it look easy... but I'm sure it was work!]

Let me add that no animals were harmed or even depicted in this production of _Walküre_. Their absence was no impediment to my enjoyment. I suspect that it won't be until that moment in _Götterdämmerung_ where Brünnhilde says "für den Ring nimm auch mein (invisible) Roß."


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## nefigah

A bit of silly curiosity: How was the scenery depicted in the Wotan/Brunnhilde/Fricka scene? The DVD I have shows a weird modern-style room with a 3-legged chair and a huge pendulum in the middle; not sure if that is how Wagner thought it should look... ?


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## EarlyCuyler

All 3 performances so far have been phenomenal. The orchestra is really on their game, especially the tuba and bass/contrabass trombone. Both dominated by Chris Hall, and Steve Norrell respectively. The whole orchestra is great, and the performers are fantastic. Its no Bayreuth performance, but nothing out side of there ever is. Can't wait for the world to end this afternoon!


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## Rasa

strange, I heard gotterämering today, wouldn't that make it the 4th?


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## Chi_townPhilly

nefigah said:


> A bit of silly curiosity: How was the scenery depicted in the Wotan/Brunnhilde/Fricka scene? The DVD I have shows a weird modern-style room with a 3-legged chair and a huge pendulum in the middle; not sure if that is how Wagner thought it should look... ?


Fortunately, Wagner does not stint us with his descriptions of how scenes should look. I believe that Wagner's detail on this topic proved to be an influence on Bernard Shaw (whose detailed staging descriptions sometimes make for more interesting reading than some of the play-dialog itself!).


> *A wild and rocky mountain landscape. At the back of the stage a gorge runs from below to a high ridge of rocks, from which the ground slopes down again towards the front of the stage.*





EarlyCuyler said:


> All 3 performances so far have been phenomenal





Rasa said:


> Strange, I heard Götterdämmerung today, wouldn't that make it the 4th?


Clearly, *Early* posted his note before the conclusion of yesterday's broadcast.

I enjoyed the preponderence of Saturday's _Götterdämmerung_ broadcast... but I actually have a couple of issues...

1) What happened to the tempi in the prologue/Act I?! The schedule had Act I ending 1:58... but it wound up being more like 2:10. So, doing my miniature 'Sarge' imitation and going to the stop-clocks, we have the following times for prologue/Act I:

Böhm: 113:14____Keilberth: 114:10____Levine as scheduled: c. 118
Solti: 120:13____Levine as performed: c. 130.

2) The April _Opera News_ had an article titled "Desperately Seeking Siegfried" and subtitled 'The _Ring_'s biggest casting challenge is always with us.' Well... umm... yeah. I thought Christian Franz was adequate the week before in _Siegfried_- but I think he had one of those performances you'd like to put behind you yesterday...


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## Chi_townPhilly

*Two random thoughts*

1) Don't know where else to put it, but I thought I'd mention... at the end of _Walküre_, when the bouquet was thrown to Iréne Theorin (Brünnhilde), she made an on-the-fly one-handed grab (and a beauty) directly snaring the stem-cluster!

2) On one of the broadcast intermissions, they gave the results of the "Dream Ring Cast" listeners poll. [Requirement- cannot be performing any longer.] The results were: 

Wotan: Friedrich Schorr
Brünnhilde: Birgit Nilsson (edging Kirsten Flagstad by 4 votes)
Siegfried: Lauritz Melchior (runaway winner in the 'd'uh' category)
Conductor: Wilhelm Furtwängler

To me, there's no doubt about Melchior... and I also agree about Schorr. I understand the support for Nilsson, but I'm not even sure I'd have her ahead of Varnay, let alone Flagstad. (Please do NOT take this as a knock on Nilsson!)

It's _Furtwängler_ that's the most puzzling to me. I like a lot of his standard repertory performances... but I'm not sure he'd crack my top 10 for Wagner interpretations...


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## nefigah

Chi_town/Philly said:


> 1) Don't know where else to put it, but I thought I'd mention... at the end of _Walküre_, when the bouquet was thrown to Iréne Theorin (Brünnhilde), she made an on-the-fly one-handed grab (and a beauty) directly snaring the stem-cluster!


Well duh, she's a valkyrie


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