Search - Richard Wagner :: Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen [Box Set]

"Suses Vergehen . . . seliges Grauen . . . Brunnhild bietet

Eric S. Kim | Southern California | 05/28/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, so we numerous recordings for Wagner's epic Ring Cycle: Krauss, Solti, Karajan, Sawallisch, Goodall, etc. And all of these leave me to one conclusion: the many differences lead me to believe that all of these ring sets have their own authenticities and setbacks. And here we have Bernard Haitink and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus.



This might be seen as a disappointment to some people. If you want great conducting, then this is for you: Haitink understands the score more than Levine does. If you want a persuasive array of singers, look somewhere else: Levine has a better sounding cast than Haitink's. Overall, Haitink's conducting saves this work from being a total flop. There is nothing quite like his Rheingold & Gotterdammerung ("Siegfried's Rhine Journey" is a bit forced, but magnificent nonetheless).



This may very well be like Metropolitan, because it sounds just as poignant. The only difference that this orchestra has more austerity. While the woodwinds are not as good, the strings sound better and the percussion sound clearer. The leitmotivs are almost never screwed up. First scene of Rheingold will take one's breath away.



Let's now focus on the singers. James Morris is a notch below Hotter, Adam, and Bailey, but he overpowers Fischer-Dieskau and McIntyre pretty much throughout Haitink's Ring. His multi-dimensional performances are compelling in Walkure. "Nicht send ich dich mehr aus Walhall" should not be missed.



Hmph. I was hoping that Eva Marton would do well here. I was seriously let down by her strained singing. She does okay in "Annunciation of Death", but she is at her worst in "Immolation".



Reiner Goldberg appears as Siegmund, while Cheryl Studer performs as Sieglinde. I must say that Goldberg sounds much better as Siegmund than Siegfried (a major flaw in the Levine Ring). His gruff and unsteady voice suits this Walsung, and his performance here is worth a listen. Cherly Studer does what she does best as a Wagnerian soprano. I've heard her sing as Senta in the Sinopoli recording of "Der Fliegende Hollander" and I was stuck with emotion over her recording. Here, she's not as great, but she still doesn't disappoint.



Have you ever seen Siegfried Jerusalem on the Levine/Metropolitan DVD? Well, here he is again, and this time, he sings with more valor and enthusiasm in both "Siegifried" and "Gotterdammerung." Bravo!



No offense, but Theo Adam, a Wotan for the Bohm Ring, singing as Alberich? Come on . . .



Peter Haage sounds like he's entertaining young kids. His version of Mime is a bit childish, and the dark humor that the dwarf brings out sounds-over-the-top here. Nonetheless, he is still entertaining to listen to ("Wer halfe mir?" has never sounded better).



I can summon Heinz Zednik's performance in just three words: Brilliant Beyond Belief! Scene Two is when he's at his finest.



The rest of the cast do very fine. The Valkries here sound a bit disappointing; they don't have the sheer power that's found in the Karajan and Solti rings. Studer returns in "Gotterdammerung" as Gutrune, and she makes it an extraordinary performance. Waltraud Meier and Marjana Lipovsek make excellent Frickas. Matti Salminen makes a great Hunding, though I do prefer Kurt Moll.



So in short, the Haitink Ring should not be your first, but shouldn't be your last, either. Buy it for the orchestra and conductor, but not for Brunnhilde or Alberich."

The Most Well-Balanced and Perhaps the Finest Ring of the Di

The Cultural Observer | 01/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The difficulty of producing recordings of Wagner's Ring Cycle lies in the massive scope of the master's vision. What it necessitates is about fifteen hours of dedication and focus not only from the musicians and conductors, but also from the engineering team, producers, and other technicians whose task it is to aid in immortalizing this music in a medium that will preserve Wagner's art for posterity. Those fifteen hours also come in addition to all the other times spent on rigorous rehearsal, tape playbacks and cuts, editing, balancing, and so forth. Recording a Ring is an enterprise of Herculean dimensions. Such was the task of John Culshaw and Georg Solti fifty years ago, and as such does it remain for future generations of visionaries and wunderkinds who wish to associate their names with this monolithic milestone. There have only been five official studio recordings produced in the last century--Solti's premier Vienna Cycle, Karajan's Berlin cycle, Janowski's Dresden Cycle, Levine's New York Ring, and this recording with Bernard Haitink leading the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Most other Rings were issued from recorded live performances taken from the Bayreuth Festival and other venues where productions of this tetralogy have been recorded (indeed, it has been proven to be a far more facile and undemanding assignment to document a Ring from an opera house). To their credit, all five studio Rings have been recorded with the world's greatest orchestras, providing an ideal tapestry from which the vision of Wagner's magnificent score can be pristinely realized. The only caveat: they lack the thrill and the pulse of a staged performance. Another caveat (I lied): you lack the consistency in casting that is more easily had in a live cycle.



Wagner's Ring is one of those artistic monuments that academics and musicians tend to debate about for its musical and philosophical ideas. Are the very basis of the music and the plot derived from the theories of Freud or Jung? Is it a socialist drama in the line of Marxist philosophy? Or are the central themes closer to the subjects of Rousseau? The list can go on, and such academic jargon need not be discussed here. The musical arguments put forth, however, should be. Conducting Wagner has always been an issue that each generation of Ringmasters tries to pose as a challenge for its listeners. Should the tempi be pondering, slow, and mammoth-like as Knappertsbusch and Goodall had theirs? Or, is it a brisk, dramatic, and chaotic world in motion in the line of Furtwangler, Bohm, Krauss, and Keilberth? Or is it a lyrical chamber drama in the mould of Janowski, Karajan and Levine's Rings? There are several ways to conduct the Ring, and the problem is, aside from the composer's recorded references and anecdotes, no one has really set any distinct and definitive rules to how his music should be presented to an audience. Of all the Rings that I have heard, there are three which I believe to be absolutely bewitching. The first is Barenboim's Bayreuth Ring on Warner Classics. No other documentation of this music has been so convincing that it coalesces the ideas of the aforementioned Ring Masters histrionically and musically. Barenboim, in fact surpasses all of these conductors in the sense that he has achieved a global and philosophical view of the Ring that favors above all others the ideal balance of dramatic vision and musical immediacy and traditional Germanic Romanticism. His orchestra provides transparency, lyricism, and beauty without compromising the essentially massive scope of the score: leitmotifs, gargantuan chords, and all. The second conductor whose Ring I find definitive is Clemens Krauss. In spite of the less than ideal recorded sound, the balance of speed, elegance, tonal verisimilitude, and that ideal Wagnerian pulse (a gene that belongs only to the greatest of conductors) makes his conceptualization of this tetralogy an absolute necessity. The last of this triptych is Sir Georg Solti, but another strong contender tying with him is the Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink, a musician particularly known for his exemplary work in the symphonies of Gustav Mahler, Shostakovich, Beethoven, and Brahms.



Bernard Haitink is a conductor of poise and elegance. What he does best is to present without bias and a minimal intervention of personality the skeleton of the music with all its anatomy attached in the most symmetrically beautiful manner. Absent are the distortion that other artists apply with their inflated egotism and inadvertently personal ideas about how the score should conducted. Haitink's approach is different. He deconstructs the music from its core and creates a sound world that defines the canvass of the music in such a way that you can hear every single orchestral color and voice clearly without removing from the panoramic view of the complete picture. What he so successfully brings to his acclaimed performances of Mahler's symphonies he carries over to Wagner's four operas. Contrary to Oscar Wilde's stipulation that the artist's personality is an essential component of the art, Haitink proves that his intellectual and emotionally involved yet elegant vision of the score works for Wagner. I wouldn't call him the greatest Wagner conductor who ever lived (that title would go to Barenboim, Furtwangler, and Krauss), but he certainly is one of the most judicious and balanced musicians to arrange this most difficult of scores. Listen to his Rheingold opening at how simply natural and beautifully played those opening bars are. There is simply no other orchestra that brings so much riches to the score while at the same time portraying the ebb and flow of the River Rhine so gracefully. Listen to the gods' march to Valhalla and how grandiose and regal that burnished tone is. Listen to the opening of Walkure and the romantic, dolorous, and rapturous sequence of events in the first Act. Or the heartbreaking Todesverkundigung and Wotan's Farewell. Listen to the schizophrenically ominous, fun, epic, and mysterious environment created by the bars of Siegfried. Listen to Gotterdammerung and the various scenes that depict the tragic fall of the gods. Where else and who else has done such a magnificent job in setting every single musical value in place? I can name only a few conductors who have done so, and Haitink is one of them. It (the interpretation) can never be accused of being too lyrical despite its orchestral beauty, and it can never be labeled as bland as evidenced by the more dramatically injected sections of this Ring. If any recording were to be chosen as one that could be easily followed with a score, this would be it. Haitink's venture is aided too by the glorious Bavarian Radio Symphony, an orchestra that placed their definitive stamp on what is perhaps the finest Mahler Cycle on records (with Rafael Kubelik). Contrary to popular belief, it is one of Europe's and even the world's greatest orchestras. If you don't believe me, check the last edition of Gramophone. It has voted this orchestra as the sixth best in the world, with top marks going to the Concertgebouw, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Vienna Philharmonic. In the company of such legendary ensembles, this orchestra has proven itself to be one of the finest mediums of expression for any composer. Its gossamer tone and its technical flexibility and refinement are outstanding and make it an ideal vehicle for Wagner's operas.



Haitink can also be lauded for assembling one of the finest casts to sing the parts of the Ring since Solti's great cycle in the 50's. The tiniest parts such as the Rhine maidens, Norns, and Valkyries to the leads who play Wotan, Siegfried, and Brunnhilde are all accounted for in such a way that they not only deliver the requisite vocal goods but also produce a humanly immediate conception of the character. The Walsung twins in this recording are taken by Reiner Goldberg and Cheryl Studer. Ms. Studer is outstanding as Sieglinde, singing one of the most mellifluously vocalized and heartfelt interpretations of the character since Leonie Rysanek. That she is vocally secure is an added bonus to this already sympathetic and perfect interpretation. Goldberg, who sang a sometimes uninspired Siegfried for Levine, proves to be better in the part of Siegfried's father, Siegmund. While James King will never be effaced in this role, Goldberg is fine enough of a singer to not detract from the overall quality of the performance. James Morris is absolutely ravishing as Wotan. From the proud and negotiating god in Rheingold to the weary Wanderer in Siegfried, there is simply no vocal trick that escapes his glorious bass baritone (perhaps the greatest to assume this part since Hans Hotter). While his characterization for Levine is more delineated and thought out, this Wotan is still compelling and in a way much more vocally fresh and immediate. Setting Hotter aside, Morris is peerless in his assumption of the role. His farewell to Brunnhilde in the third act of Walkure is more than enough to bring tears to one's eyes.



Siegfried Jerusalem is a discovery in the part of his namesake. While his voice has not the heroic dimensions of Lauritz Melchior, he has everything else that Siegfried needs (the poetry, some heroism, sensitivity, a secure voice), not to mention the refulgent tone that Windgassen never had. For once, Siegfried sounds like a callow youth who has no care for the world without ever looking like an amphora. His Brunnhilde, Eva Marton is just as amazing. Many years before this recording was made, Marton released a recital of Wagnerian gems in which her Immolation Scene sounded like it could eclipse the milestones that Nilsson and Varnay have likewise immortalized on tape. She is found here in this Ring a few years later in slightly less than optimal vocal resources. Some listeners have found this to be a problem, but I find her to be absolutely compelling in the part of everyone's favorite Valkyrie. She generates the kind of chemistry with the other character's that often eludes Nilsson and other great Brunnhildes, and she is committed to the text and what she sings. Especially in Gotterdammerung, Marton shows that she knows the character and her plights and is unwilling to part without offering a take on the character that can bring one to tears. I remember seeing her as Fidelio and she like no one else (not even Ludwig or Gwyneth Jones) brought a tear to my eye as she sang Komm Hoffnung. Setting her vocal inconsistencies aside, we would be much poorer without her awesome Brunnhilde. Besides, she is the only person who has recently sung the character with the necessary vocal size.



Theo Adam assumes the part of Alberich, Wotan's counterpart and the touted villain of the cycle. While other singers have much firmer and secure voices, Adam is an intelligent singer who makes the most out of the character and in a way portrays an anti-Wotan, not the dumb dwarf that most people would much more easily portray him to be. Neidlinger, Wlaschicha, and von Kannen still reign supreme among the echelon of vocally rich Alberichs, but Adam is in a class of his own. This is not your cartoon villain, but rather a mastermind whose gears ticked and tocked in rhythm with his rivals. Peter Haage sings his brother Mime without the exaggerated and acidic effects of Gerhard Stolze. While he has neither the distinction and the control of Heinz Zednik's Mime, he makes a fine enough dwarf in these operas. Heinz Zednik, speaking of the devil, is peerless as Loge. Period. The trio of gods in Rheingold are the best on records--Peter Seiffert as Froh, Andreas Schmidt as Donner, and Eva Johansson as Freia. Fricka is eloquently sung by Marjana Lipovsek in Rheingold and devastatingly and impressively portrayed by the magnificent Waltraud Meier in Walkure. Meier makes what is in my opinion the most complete portrait of Fricka on records. Brava to her. Jadwige Rappe understands intimately what little that Erda has to sing, even if her voice is not nearly has enormous and earthen as let's say Ewa Podles is. Salminen is frightening as Hunding, and Kurt Rydl makes a dominating and frightful Fafner (his brother Fasolt is unfortunately sung by a clueless no-name). In Gotterdammerung, Thomas Hampson sings the finest Gunther since Fischer-Dieskau and Lipovsek is brilliant if less impressive than Meier (in Barenboim's Ring) as Waltraute. But perhaps the most impressive secondary character of them all is John Tomlinson's indispensable and malevolent Hagen. He is rightly sinister and intelligent, two traits that don't always make up a whole in other singers' characterizations of this villain. Along with Salminen, these two basses are without peer in the assumption of this character. The rest of the cast--te Kanawa's Forest Bird), a starry bunch of Norns, lovely Rhinemaidens, and a well-tuned octet of Valkyries--are all taken by singers of sound technique and round up the most balanced and well-recorded studio Ring along with Solti's and Levine's. It wouldn't be a first choice for many people, but I find this Ring absolutely convincing on a musical and dramatic scope. I would recommend that you get this after Solti, Barenboim, and Krauss' cycles.





"

Haitink's finest 14 hours

E. J. Van Sten | 01/21/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Haitink has become jusly famous for his Bruckner and Mahler, but with his affinity for large scale musical works, he has been an outstanding conductor of opera as well. Evidence is provided by many recordings, of which I would give highest marks to Verdi's Don Carlo, Mozart's Don Giovanni and the Ring cycle.



When Haitink started recording the cycle with Die Walküre, his Ring experience was limited but you'd never know if from listening to these discs. The Siegfried and Götterdämmerung followed a run in Covent Garden and although Haitink sounds more secure in these later works, the overall impression of transparency and structure remains. With the Bayerischen Rundfunk playing like gods for him, the results are hugely exciting.



His singers are excellent, as well. James Morris is the standout, providing a Wotan that is not only memorable, but very well and beautifully sung. He recorded the same role at the same time for Levine, and here he is just as good if not better. The other principals range from good (Adam, Tomlinson) to great (Marton, Jerusalem, Goldberg, Studer, Hampson).



Recorded sound provides a realistic but slightly recessed sound stage common to many EMI recordings, in which the singers are well integrated. All in all, this is essential listening."