Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

Opera is ReallyAll About the Singing!
This Robert Lepage Ring IS a controversial production. I saw all four operas live at the Met and also in the simulcasts, which make up the DVD/Blu-ray sets. It's true that some aspects of the 'Machine' work better than others. It's also true that many are visually extraordinary---the Rhine Maidens, the descent into Nibelheim, the forest scene in Siegfried with the virtual bird, the immolation scene. The advantage of these discs is that none of the problems are included---the falls, delays or groans of the set as it changed position. The disadvantage is that aspects improved upon after the simulcasts can't be included such as the changes in visual projections and staging.

That being said, Opera really is all about the singing, and for its new Ring, the Met assembled a world-class cast of singers who are also good actors, essential for simulcasts. Bryn Terfel is a commanding Wotan in Das Rheingold, a young but troubled god whose world is beginning to spin out of control...

Incredible sound, visuals, singing, music, drama - a Blu-Ray MUST!
Loved the theater simulcasts in HD this year, and saw the PBS airing of "Wagner's Dream" last night. Fantastic music combined with stunning visual experience. Wagner seems to sucessfully adapt to minimalist or interpretive staging better than any other composer's work. I usually detest productions that mess with opera (Santa Fe's staging of Magic Flute in business suits, for instance), but this really works, really! Get the Blu-Ray. If you don't have Blu-Ray, get the player and order the Blu-Ray version of this set!

DO NOT ALSO ORDER THE SEPARATE DISK "Wagner's Dream"Wagner's Dream [Blu-ray] I have just been informed that it is included in the Ring set (the fifth disk). Amazon forgets to tell you this -- however this is a great disk, but you don't have to buy it separately. The interviews with Hunter, just up from Paris, Texas, are charming...and when he opens his mouth to sing, this man from just...

A Bold step into the future of opera
This cycle was not perfect. I would like to preface my review saying that, yes, this Ring cycle has flaws. Yet, it is a bold step into the future. The Met's new Ring Cycle has been incredibly controversial and there is some reasoning behind that. Many do not like the use of the "Machine" and feel that the set and blocking detract from rather than add to Wagner's epic. I disagree with these statements. For the vast majority of the Cycle, the machine is stationary. It transforms mostly (though not entirely) in the scene changes, where the orchestra does a nice job of hiding some of the mechanical noises. These scene changes often help to develop the story. I will point to the first scene change in Das Rheingold as an example. While the Otto Schenk production (the previous Met version) uses a veil of smoke to make the transition from the Rhein to Valhalla, the Lepage cycle is able to change and develop with the music and eventually comes to the Valhalla formation. I loved the boldness of...

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