Wagner: Die Walkure Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Wagner: Die Walkure Blu-ray Movie Review

The Towering Inferno Dynasty.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 1, 2011

Was Richard Wagner the kind of combo Aaron Spelling-Irwin Allen of his day? Allen of course became the “disaster king” of the movies starting with The Poseidon Adventure, after a run of mostly successful science fiction tinged television of the 1960’s. And Aaron Spelling was probably the most successful progenitor of prime time soap operas, including such long running fare as Dynasty. Wagner had his own Dynasty of sorts, a messy internecine struggle filled with such soap operatic elements as incest, murder, betrayal, blackmail and some very desperate housewives. And in his own way, Wagner also brought a certain disaster movie ethos to at least some elements of his monumental Der Ring des Nibelungen, elements that have continued to challenge directors and scenic designers who have had to forge some sort of middle ground between mind blowing special effects and what is physically possible within the confines of live theater. Of course, I jest in part with these probably fanciful comparisons, but as I watched this 2010 mounting of the first part of Wagner’s grand triptych (putting aside for a moment The Ring’s prelude, Das Rheingold, these questions sprang repeatedly to mind. When Wagner built Bayreuth, his temple to himself, he became one of the few artists in history successful enough to actually be able to construct a theater dedicated to performances of his own pieces. And the Festspielhaus where this newish Ring played out to polite if not rapturous response is an iconic structure which has housed scores (no pun intended) of significant Rings through the decades. And while The Ring is certainly one of the epochal achievements of German intellectualism at its most arcane and labyrinthine, it suddenly became apparent to me as I watched this Die Walküre how much of an almost “pop culture” aspect the opera offers at times. Long lost siblings, twins even, who meet in adulthood, fall in love, consummate their illicit romance, and then suffer the karmic consequences seem like plot points out of any 1970’s Spelling opus. Add in distraught parents, a spectacular fire tinged finale, and the shadow of Irwin Allen lurks menacingly upstage. Silly, perhaps, but not entirely misplaced analogies.

Director Tankred Dorst’s Ring first premiered at Bayreuth in 2006 and virtually all of that production’s principal cast has returned for this 2010 remounting. As Albert Dohman (Wotan) discusses in the excellent featurette accompanying the mammoth opera on this Blu-ray, that long association between cast and crew makes for an elevated level of trust, allowing the singers to stretch, with the orchestra and conductor Christian Thielemann matching them every step of the way. Dorst takes a rather interesting middle ground in his staging here, opting for a lot of traditional elements mixed with some frankly more modern, revisionist approaches that aren’t as horrifying as some Eurotrash offerings, but still may push the envelope a bit much for those who want their Wagner replete with breastplates and horned helmets.

Yggdrasil, the Ash Tree where Siegmund finds his sword, is therefore a downed power pole in this production, its wires dangling in a sort of wiry chaos that hints of the as yet unrealized energy Siegmund is about to unleash. And Brünnhilde and the Valkyries are clad in bright red spandex “space” outfits that could have come right out of an old Flash Gordon serial. But otherwise this production hews to a fairly traditionalist bent, with rather minimal sets (with the exception of Act 3, when all bets are off) and a straightforward approach in overall design and manner that will probably recommend it to those tired of tarted up reimaginings.

Dorst also want us to realize that the “Gods are with us,” to paraphrase the essay included in the insert booklet. Wotan and Fricka’s universe exists within, or at least, beside that of the hapless mortals involved in their celestial shenanigans, and that interplay is depicted quite ingeniously through his staging.

And while the principal cast is superb, including Johan Botha as Siegmund, Kwangchui Youn as Hudning, Albert Dohman as Wotan, Edith Haller as Sieglinde, Linda Watson as Brünnhilde and Mihoko Fujimara as Fricka, the major kudos of this production probably belong inarguably to conductor Christian Thielemann. Thielemann once again proves himself a really picayune analyzer of individual scores, bringing incredible nuance to the tiniest details of phrasing and the interplay of the instruments. Even those who have heard Die Walküre manifold times will be amazed at the little touches Thielemann brings throughout the evening, a slight pause here, an incredible attention to crescendos and decrescendos there. It’s a really bracing and totally involving performance, and one which elevates this Walküre to a stratospheric level it might not otherwise have accomplished.

The term soap opera has become so ingrained in the public consciousness that few even think about it anymore, or realize what an apt and even ingenious coining it was. Of course the original sponsors of daytime serials were largely soap companies like Proctor and Gamble, and so that part is immediately understandable. The “opera” part is at least a little more recondite, as not too many serials featured episodes being through sung. Of course the reference is one to tone and content, huge dramatic arcs played hyperbolically, as is traditional opera’s wont. And there’s probably no greater exemplar of that tradition than Wagner, and just as certainly The Ring stands at the pinnacle of his achievements on a (much) larger than life canvas. It’s to this Walküre’s credit that both the Godly as well as the human elements are handled with aplomb. The modern touches are introduced gracefully and the traditional features are not overly stale and staid. The real God here, though, is unquestionable Thielemann, who has found his own sword of power in the baton with which he leads an impeccable reading of this thoroughly challenging score.

Wagner: Die Walkure Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Die Walküre is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Opus Arte, with an AVC encoded 1080i image in 1.78:1. For the most part, this is a very nice looking transfer that is only hobbled somewhat by the overly dark stage lighting which was obviously an intentional choice for the first two acts of the piece. That casts these acts in a sort of gray-blue light that makes flesh tones especially look highly artificial. On the other hand, fine detail is well above average, especially with regard to the opulent costumes. Brünnhilde's bright red-orange get up is a showstopper, and once the Valkyries join her, there's a riot of color on the stage. The Act III opener is by far the brightest lit sequence of the show, and it also benefits from a bright white set, and whole new levels of fine detail appear. The fire circle finale is once again awash in orange-red, which casts a slightly soft, hazy appearance on the proceedings.

Wagner: Die Walkure Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Die Walküre is presented with two excellent lossless soundtracks, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix and an LPCM 2.0 stereo fold down. The DTS track very beautifully recreates the acoustics at Bayreuth, especially with regard to the lovely floating orchestral ambience, but there are still very occasional balance issues where the orchestral forces just slightly outweigh the vocalists. On the whole, though, this is an incredibly fulsome recording that is especially impressive in terms of the brass and wind sounds. Thielemann's conducting is top notch and the performance from both orchestra and singers is largely superb. Fidelity is excellent, and dynamic range is actually stupendous at times, as Thielemann really culls an amazing amount of difference out of the players, from softest pianissimo to loudest triple forte.

Wagner: Die Walkure Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Die ich mir zur Wal erkor" The Making of Die Walküre (1080i; 23:05) is a really excellent featurette which gives us some great shots of Bayreuth and the Festival, as well as some background on the Festspielhaus (take a look at that super-nifty tiered orchestra pit). The piece also features copious interviews with cast and crew discussing the work generally and this particular production.
• Cast Gallery (1080i; 00:54)

Wagner: Die Walkure Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

We've had a number of Walküres on Blu-ray, from questionable (Staatskapelle Weimar) to outlandish but incredible (Mehta and La Fura del Baus). This Die Walküre certainly never stoops to the lamentable levels of the first, but it similarly rarely rises to the giddy heights of the second. Both resolutely traditional and aiming for something a bit more post-modern in flavor, this Walküre should be easily enjoyed by traditionalists while not being too readily decried by Eurotrash aficionados (and you know who you are). Anchored by a superb principal cast, and the amazingly fine work of conductor Christian Thielemann, this may not be the most innovative Walküre ever produced, but it is certainly one of the most musically astute. Recommended.