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  • Der Ring des Nibelungen, Highlights
  • Heather Strohschein
Richard Wagner. Der Ring des Nibelungen, Highlights. DVD. Zubin Mehta / Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana. Directed by Carlus Padrissa. Berlin: C Major, 2010, 2008. 704608. $10.99.

New interpretations of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen have been coming thick and fast in the first decade of the 21st century. From Kasper Bech Holten’s feminine Ring in which Brünnhilde lives, to Wieler and Morabito’s gun-wielding Wotan, this compelling story continues to challenge the imagination of musicians, audiences, and stage directors alike. Carlus Padrissa and La Fura dels Baus’ 2007 realization of the Ring combines innovative use of technology, lighting, and acrobatics. Performed at Valencia’s Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, these operas greatly emphasized the visual aspect of Wagner’s stage directions. Audiences were treated to video creator Franc Aleu’s gorgeous mountain vistas, breathtaking sea and air views, and a stage-engulfing fire projected onto eight separate surfaces. Going beyond the relatively natural world, Aleu also created a giant Rhiengold baby and numerous other masterful touches that enhance the sound and action. Humanity is not absent however; suspended high in the air and sometimes upside down, acrobats create a living Valhalla, golden hoard, and forge in which Siegfried creates his sword. Through creative details, such as the Rheinmaidens splashing in Plexiglass boxes of water and Loge riding on a Segway, Padrissa tells a fairly traditional version of the Ring with “the visual language of the Star Wars and Harry Potter films” (DVD liner notes).

The warm, lush sound of the Orquestre de la Comunitat Valenciana, under the baton of Zubin Mehta, provides a wonderful compliment to Franc Aleu’s spectacular visuals; Wagner’s music becomes a soundscape in which Aleu paints his world. Juha Uusitalo (Wotan), Christa Mayer (Erda), and Jennifer Wilson (Brünnhilde) give near flawless performances under quite demanding circumstances; the gods and Valkyries ride small cherry-pickers controlled by stage hands who lift and drop them, often in time with the music. Lance Ryan (Siegfried) struggles in his title opera, often straining to reach notes and dragging the tempo unnecessarily. He recovers nicely in Götterdämmerung however.

In 2008, Unitel Classica released Der Ring des Nibelungen, Highlights, a single DVD that features fairly short segments from Padrissa’s Ring. This DVD features 100 minutes of opera highlights and two bonus documentaries on Padrissa and Franc Aleu. While the quality of the sound and video is quite compelling, Highlights is definitely for veteran Ring viewers. Sandra Molyneaux, in her review of Padrissa’s Siegfried, posed an excellent question: “What new [thing] was he trying to say about Siegfried, about the Ring?” (“Siegfried Visits Beaubourg or Ver fremdungseffekt vs. Gesamtkunstwerk,” Wagner Bytes, http://wagnerbytes.blogspot.com/2010/03/2008-valencia-siegfried-high-def.html). While Padrissa’s vision may come through clearly in the entire performance, Highlights muddies the waters; segments were included for their visual splendor rather than continuity. Major plot points –such as Alberich’s curse, the foretelling of Siegfried’s birth, Wotan’s quarrel with Brünnhilde, Siegfried’s meeting of Brünnhilde, and most of Götterdämmerung – are absent. The documentaries leave the viewer wanting [End Page 156] more by focusing too heavily on the end of the project and not enough on the process. In this respect, Highlights may be appreciated by connoisseurs who relish the details but could be quite confusing for a first-time viewer.

Heather Strohschein
University of Hawaii at Manoa
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