Wagner: Siegfried Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		5.0

Wagner: Siegfried Blu-ray Movie Review

Is Siegfried raging against or for "the machine" in this astounding new production of Wagner's masterpiece?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 12, 2010

If you’ve ever experienced a Ring Cycle live, you probably know that it’s usually toward the second hour or so of Siegfried that you either begin to question your sanity in ever getting yourself into this quagmire, or you simply resign yourself to your fate and realize that in a mere six or seven more hours (including of course Siegfried’s follow-up, Götterdämmerung), you’ll have wended your way through one of the most complex works of operatic art ever written. Commiting oneself to the Ring is not to be taken lightly, either in terms of the time needed, or in fact the intellectual fortitude required to ferret out exactly what it is Wagner is trying to elucidate in this most gargantuan of music theater spectacles. As I’ve been exclaiming as I’ve reviewed the first two segments of this incredible new re-visioning of the Ring by the Catalan acrobatic-theatrical troupe La Fura Dels Baus (the Ring’s “preamble” Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, the first evening of the Ring proper), sometimes even Wagner’s most opaque philosophical leanings become incredibly engaging, if admittedly still a bit murky at times, when they’re played out in the high tech world of Valencia’s Palau de los Arts Reina Sofia. Under the inspired stage direction of Carlus Padrissa and the fiery and expressive music direction of Zubin Mehta, this is a new Ring for the ages, and one of the most visionary theatrical experiences yet released on Blu-ray.

Mime's laboratory.

Siegfried, the second evening of the Ring’s triptych proper finally begins to pay off the long plot threads assembled by Wagner throughout Das Rheingold and Die Walküre. Is Siegfried the “new man,” an Übermensch sent to save Mankind and, perhaps, the Gods themselves? These themes are highlighted by an astounding array of projections throughout this production, beginning with rings in the form of blood platelets flying behind Mime as he laments his ability to forge a sword that will satisfy his charge. Later the platelets evolve (literally) into eggs, in which we see an almost Matrix-like array of fetuses, clearly a symbol for the dawning of a new age of God-men. For all the bombast of Wagner, both musically and philosophically, seeing these glyphs play out in the background is both amazingly insightful and somehow very “right,” almost as if Padrissa and La Fura dels Baus are using technology itself to analyze the “high tech” world of a new breed of being. In fact technology is a recurring theme throughout this Siegfried, with incredibly complex projects of gears and cogs within wheels offering a visual counterpoint to the attempts of Mime and, later Siegfried himself to craft Siegfried’s blade, the only weapon which can defeat Fafner and allow access to the Nibelung treasure. Some Star Trek fans who watch this production may be forgiven if they think they've stumbled into a little known episode featuring the Borg, so completely inundated with technology are some of these characters.

The fact is all of the whiz-bang stagecraft in the world wouldn’t be enough to recommend any Ring on its own. But the fact that Padrissa and Mehta resolutely refuse to sacrifice any artistry even as they push the production design and musical envelopes here is what truly elevates this Ring to among the finest I’ve ever had the pleasure to watch. Mehta brings a certain unbridled determination to his reading of the score, which nonetheless does not sacrifice Wagner’s more lyrical side. The singing here is also uniformly excellent, with a superbly athletic performance by Lance Ryan as Siegfried. Gerhard Siegel’s Mime is suitably petulant and bombastic, and Juha Uusitalo continues to mine unexpected depths, even as he’s ostensibly “disguised” this time around as The Wanderer.

But ultimately it probably is the amazing physical production which will most viscerally affect both first time viewers and those accustomed to more stately presentation of the Ring cycle. One amazing vision after another awaits the viewer in this Siegfried, from Mime’s almost Frankenstein-esque laboratory, to blazing molten projections, to flights of fluorescent green birds floating across the backdrops, to La Fura del Baus themselves becoming a sort of living golden mobile at one point. The strength of this visual ingenuity is that it is always in support of Wagner’s story and character development. It may be unusual, to be sure, but it is never out of place, and as one who has had to slog through way too many reimaginings of classic works, most of which are testament to nothing else than the director’s hubris (as I’ve complained about regularly here in my reviews), it’s not just refreshing, but actually thrilling in a way to finally see a production that so radically reinvents its source material while at the same time staying completely true to it.

The Ring looms over 19th century opera like the gigantic shadow of Fafner himself. An edifice so weighty and formidable that many simply don’t want to even try to experience it, let alone begin to understand it, the Ring often has seemed like the archaic vestige of an era (and, later, a despicable quasi-philosophical political movement) that is, frankly, better left in the dust of history. What this Ring in general, and this Siegfried in particular, does is reinvigorate the mythic elements of Wagner’s multi-evening masterpiece. Some may think that the infusion of such vast amounts of technology may undercut the mythic element of the Ring, but as strange as it may seem, it turns out to be quite the opposite in this thrilling production. Somehow the craven elements of both men and Gods play out much more viscerally in this astounding “brave new world” which Padrissa and La Fura del Baus have constructed.

Siegfried is often pointed to as a Christ-like icon of sacrifice and heroism. What this Siegfried makes abundantly clear is that that time honored iconic tradition is not something relegated to eras gone and largely forgotten. This is a thrillingly alive and resurrected Siegfried, one of the most exciting productions of this often overwhelming piece I’ve ever experienced.

Wagner: Siegfried Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This is yet another top notch effort from C Major and Unitel Classics on Blu-ray, with a superb 1080i AVC encoded transfer in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. This is in some ways the darkest of the three Ring episodes thus far reviewed, but the Blu-ray offers well delineated contrast and exceptional black levels. Colors are amazing in this outing, especially in the manifold projections, which offer an almost hallucinogenic array of visions, often with unbelievably beautifully saturated colors. Reds, golds, oranges and blues almost pop off the screen with a virtual three dimensional quality at times. The stage lighting is a bit anemic on occasion, leading to some unfortunate shadows cast across some of the players' faces, but otherwise this is a solid and exceptionally well defined live offering. Detail on many of the costumes is amazing, so that you can almost count the individual hairs of fur on Siegfried's costume. Occasionally that superior resolution can make the heavily painted on makeup on one or two of the characters seem patently fake, but that's a very minor qualm.

Wagner: Siegfried Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with the two precursors to Siegfried, this DTS HD-MA 7.1 recording offers glories in abundance, highlighted by Mehta's very assured conducting of the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana. While the orchestra is probably never going to compete with, say, the Berlin Philharmonic or the Bayreuth Festival, there is a beautifully golden quality to this recording, especially in the brass, which plays such an important part in this score especially. Mehta coaxes an amazing amount of nuance out of the players, and the dynamic range here is especially impressive. Surround channels are smartly utilized for both ambient hall effect and some really great directionality with the individual singers, giving a very "real" feeling that you're right there witnessing a live stage performance. Balance is very good, and the singers all come through with exceptional clarity. I didn't spend too much time with the LPCM 2.0 fold down, but it offered abundant clarity, if an obviously narrower soundfield, in the sections I did listen to.

Wagner: Siegfried Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As with the other two installments, we get a Making of featurette which runs about 27 minutes. It offers Mehta and other backstage personnel talking about the production, as well as some very interesting footage of the rehearsal process.

Wagner: Siegfried Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Siegfried continues the amazing journey this new Ring production has offered to viewers over the last couple of months. Those of you who regularly read my opera reviews know I do not suffer artistic license taken to extremes very gladly. Luckily, this production proves a vaunted work of art can be given a completely radical makeover while never sacrificing the elements which made it great to begin with. This is one Siegfried where, despite its four hour-plus running time, you won't be regularly checking your watch (or your sanity).