Wagner: Die Walkure Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		5.0

Wagner: Die Walkure Blu-ray Movie Review

Wow. That's about all you really need to know about this incredible new 'Ring' cycle.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 19, 2010

Admit it: you’ve probably seen the Ring cycle at least once, possibly even several times. And you’ve been impressed, overwhelmed, even a little awestruck. But have you ever been really excited? Perhaps you’ve had that little quickening of your pulse as you’ve settled into your seat for Das Rheingold, but somewhere into the second or third (or fourth hour) of the first “proper” opera of the triptych itself, Die Walküre, whatever “excitement” you may have had, if you’re anything like I am, has faded into something akin to horror as you ask yourself, “What have I gotten myself into?,” knowing full well there’s another ten hours or so of drama and music yet to come. Well, there may be hope for us curmudgeons yet. I’ve been pleased to receive so many emails from you opera fans who read my reviews who share my sentiments about these often ridiculous “modernizing” attempts of classic pieces. I try to be fair to these productions, I really do, but when you’re inundated with one dunderheaded attempt after another (I typically review ten to twenty productions a month), your tolerance level quickly diminishes to nil. That’s why I looked on with trepidation when I received the first press releases about this new Ring staged by the Catalan acrobatic troupe La Fura dels Baus. For once, my fears were unfounded, and as I confessed in my recent review of the Ring’s “prelude,” Das Rheingold, I found the production bracingly original and easily the most visually audacious thing I’ve seen in the operatic world in some time, perhaps forever. I’m happy to report that as we settle into the Ring proper with Die Walküre the results are, if anything, superior to Rheingold, at least in terms of some of the visuals being projected behind the singers. There are a few very minor quibbles I have with this production, but this really does seem to be a Ring about which those of who are, shall we say, prone to complain about “innovations” can really and truly be excited. And that is a good thing.

Yggdrasil (or Ygdrasil as Wagner spelled it), the "world ash," the tree of creation.

Though the acrobatic troupe La Fura dels Baus itself has not been exploited to the degree I expected (or, frankly, feared) in either of these first two segments of Wagner’s gargantuan masterpiece, the level of stagecraft and visionary technique seems bound part and parcel to the group’s artistic aims and ambitions. Therefore we’re presented with huge projections and 3D computer generated graphics which immerse the viewer in a panoply of incredible visuals. These can include everything from the ever changing giant ash under which Siegmund (Peter Seiffert) falls at the beginning of the opera to the fiery backdrop (replete with actual fire laden torches) which surround Sieglinde (Petra Maria Schnitzer) at the opera’s end, some four hours later. The ash, a sort of visual precursor to Götterdämmerung’s Yggdrasil is an especially good example of the wonderment this production provides. The tree seems to seep metallic sap, becoming an ever changing variety of hues based on the emotions being portrayed as the long lost twins begin their incestuous affair. Later, as Siegmund begins to understand the implications of what’s going on, shortly before he is able to pull the magic sword Nothung from its perch in the tree, the interior of the trunk becomes a double helix, as if to foreshadow the “new” DNA which will result in something approaching the übermensch, Siegfried. Later that trope becomes even more explict when letters comprising the name Siegmund float around the tree like lost remnants of a hidden genetic code. It’s alarmingly visceral stuff, bringing symbology to the audience in a heretofore unparalleled way, and I found it completely remarkable. Even better, it works for both the production and, more importantly, for the source material. For once a director’s “vision” is there to support the opera, rather than the other way around. This production is full of such visual virtuosity and it can be quite subtle at times, as in the opening gambit of a superimposed wolf running through a ghostly green forest, an obvious allusion to Wotan’s “human” offspring, the Wälsungs (wolf people).

As I mentioned in my review of Das Rheingold, the costuming is a bit more problematical, and that issue is probably more apparent in Die Walküre, especially when we get into Valkyrie territory. Brünnhilde (Jennifer Wilson) and her siblings are all clad in leathery breastplates which seem to hearken back to the worst elements of 19th century Ring cycles. Thankfully, they don’t wear horned helmets. The cranes that the gods fly on are an interesting visual idea, but I’m not ultimately sure how useful they are, especially when members of La Fura are hoisted by rigging a couple of times in the opera. My hunch is that “Peter Pan” approach would simply have been too dangerous and technically difficult for the singers.

This is an inordinately well sung and surprisingly well played Walküre. Seiffert’s effortlessly commanding tenor simply rules this production, and his Siegmund is a joy to behold. In the sometimes zaftig world of Wagnerian sopranos, Petra Maria Schnitzer (Seiffert’s real life wife) is, dare I say, an outright sexy Sieglinde, albeit one with a killer voice. Juha Uusitalo and Anna Larsson are back as conflicted parents Wotan and Fricka, and Wilson does an admirable job as Brünnhilde both dramatically and musically. You know you’re in for a rollicking good time when Zubin Mehta gets the proceedings off to an incredibly fiery start with the opera’s prelude. I did find his Ride of the Valkyries strangely laconic, though that slower tempo actually made the massed female singing easier to hear.

If you’re loathe to check out any of the influx of new Blu-ray opera releases because they tend to be what I’ve termed, co-opting a favorite soubriquet of some of my friends, “Eurotrash,” I can’t say I really blame you. Too often those of us who love this music and the classical tradition are left to scratch our heads and simply wonder why as we’re watching some wretched excuse of “artistic license.” Take my word for it, though: this Ring is exceptional. Yes, it’s unusual. But the innovative elements support Wagner’s music drama, taking the idiom into the 21st century and making it more alive and more visceral than it’s been in a long, long time. I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m excited.

Wagner: Die Walkure Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This Walküre exploits visuals as no other Ring in recent memory, and I'm happy to report that this Unitel Classics C Major release, encoded via AVC with a 1080i 1.78:1 image, supports that visual acuity pretty much perfectly. There are so many incredible moments throughout the four hours of this opera that it seems unfair to single any out, but rest assured that this piece has a full and robust palette, at least in terms of the projections. These can range from a sort of fluorescent green to a brilliantly fiery red. Stage lighting often follows the hue cues of the projections, and so you will see faces bathed in deep ruddy tones or cooler blues and purples. All of this is rendered beautifully on the Blu-ray. Black levels are absolutely solid, and contrast is strong throughout. There are some minor stage lighting issues, when faces are momentarily obscured, but that's not the fault of anything on the Blu-ray. This is a top flight image and a real delight to watch.

Wagner: Die Walkure Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Zubin Mehta mentored this production starting several years ago, and as he confesses in the Making of documentary included with Das Rheingold, he's been preparing to conduct the Ring cycle since the early 1950's, and that dedication pays off stunningly in this gorgeous performance, one which has some surprising tempi (as noted above), but which is strong, muscular and both aggressive and lyrical in equal measure. Luckily this Blu-ray's DTS HD-MA 7.1 mix picks it all up with really astonishing clarity. There were all sorts of little details that jumped out in this recording, from the exquisite figures of the celli to the bombastic brass calls that act as precursors to Siegfried's horn call in later episodes. Balance is for the most part exceptional, with all voices being clearly heard. Surround channels are utilized effectively to impart a near perfect hall ambience. The bulk of the solo singing is front and center, but group choral work spills into the side channels, and surrounds are used quite effectively for offstage moments such as the Valkyrie call and responses. I rarely give 5 star ratings to sound, probably due to some ideal I'm imagining, but I've given this offering 5 stars and I feel it firmly deserves them.

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

A Making of featurette (HD, 27:16) provides some great interviews with Mehta and the cast and crew. As someone who has performed this role countless times in my musical career, I must extend extra props for the rehearsal pianist being so prominently featured throughout the documentary. There's also an image gallery and a trailer included on the Blu-ray, as well as an essay and synopsis in the insert booklet.

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

Too often the Ring has been seen as something to be endured. It's back as a forceful work of art here, updated for new audiences but with a classical approach that should not offend Wagner purists at all. Wow indeed.