The first opera in Wagner's monumental Ring Cycle, Das Rheingold is the shortest and fairly accessible of the four operas in the cycle but its music is every bit magnificent as the other three after it and once we are introduced to Alberich has just as compelling a story. While not quite as good as the two Met productions(1990 and 2010) and two Bayreuth ones(1980 and 1992), this La Scala production is towards the top end of the DVD competition of which only the Stuttgart and Weimar productions are less than mediocre. While it does start off a touch static, the dancers are not always necessary, the Rhine doesn't look like a river and more like a puddle and Timo Riihonen's voice is a little small for Fafner and he could have been a little more sinister than he turned out to be the good in the production far outweighs the bad(and even the above weren't that disastrous, just personal taste).
It is a very striking-looking production the props and set are minimal, but that's not a problem because the colourful and quite luminous lighting and abstract projection images signifying the rocks, water and gold have a mesmerising mythological quality to them. The costumes are good too, particularly the shadowy water spirit-like ones for the Rhinemaidens. The dancers while not always needed dance and shape in a way that you can't take your eyes off them and the choreography is seamless. They are particularly put to great use in the Tarnhelm scene, a scene that I have seen done not very well at all more than once but it was quite clever, there was tension and there were no cheap stage effects either. Another clever decision in terms of staging was the use of shadows, simple but effective, the giants Fasolt and Fafner in some productions have looked ridiculous before but with the use of shadows this production solves that potential problem. Dramatically, the highlight was definitely the Third scene, very intense with wonderful interaction between Mime and Alberich and the scene where the music and drama really does gel. But what is great generally about this production is how it maintains the mythical quality of the story and drama and makes it thematically relevant now, and more importantly it's clear and cohesive with nothing really distracting.
Musically, it's here where the production really does give the big brownie points. The orchestra is always precise and have such rich- beautiful tone, the prelude, the descent into Nibelheim and the final scene being most impressive. Daniel Barenboim's conducting is exemplary, under him the ascending string scales over the E flat drone really comes through, the final scene is marvellous and the deliberately ponderous tempo for the entrance of Fasolt and Fafner was in perfect keeping with the drama going on stage and the characters. Only in the first Rhinegold scene does it show signs of ever so slightly lagging. Barenboim comes across as a very thoughtful and sympathetic conductor while always keeping the drama alive. The Rhinemaidens blend beautifully and Froh and Donner are very solidly played and sung. Anna Smuil as Freia looks fresh and sounds beautiful, Kwanchal Youn sings sonorously and commandingly as Fasolt(if a tad stentorian, but it fits with the role actually) and Anna Larsson adds class and pathos to Erda. Doris Soffel has been in much better voice before but does possess some fine high notes once she warms up, her acting is very good.
Of the uniformly excellent cast(apart from my reservations about the Fafner), the standout is Johannes Maria Kränzle's superb Alberich, a knowing and extremely creepy interpretation, and he has a resonant and expressive voice that has the right sinister edge when needed. Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke is wonderfully oily as Mime, as said already his interaction with Kränzle is one of the production's biggest pleasures. Stephan Rügamer is in ringing voice and plays Loge with a sprightliness and sharp irony, and Rene Pape is an authoritative Wotan and effortlessly warm of voice, particularly in his Abendlich Strahlt Der Sonne Auge. On DVD the production looks and sounds just as wonderful, the sound is of such clarity and the video directing has some clever touches like the rapid shots in Alberich's first scene with the Rhinemaidens, signifying his disorientation.
All in all, a very impressive start to La Scala's Ring Cycle. Can't wait for Die Walküre, which I've heard is even better. 8/10 Bethany Cox
It is a very striking-looking production the props and set are minimal, but that's not a problem because the colourful and quite luminous lighting and abstract projection images signifying the rocks, water and gold have a mesmerising mythological quality to them. The costumes are good too, particularly the shadowy water spirit-like ones for the Rhinemaidens. The dancers while not always needed dance and shape in a way that you can't take your eyes off them and the choreography is seamless. They are particularly put to great use in the Tarnhelm scene, a scene that I have seen done not very well at all more than once but it was quite clever, there was tension and there were no cheap stage effects either. Another clever decision in terms of staging was the use of shadows, simple but effective, the giants Fasolt and Fafner in some productions have looked ridiculous before but with the use of shadows this production solves that potential problem. Dramatically, the highlight was definitely the Third scene, very intense with wonderful interaction between Mime and Alberich and the scene where the music and drama really does gel. But what is great generally about this production is how it maintains the mythical quality of the story and drama and makes it thematically relevant now, and more importantly it's clear and cohesive with nothing really distracting.
Musically, it's here where the production really does give the big brownie points. The orchestra is always precise and have such rich- beautiful tone, the prelude, the descent into Nibelheim and the final scene being most impressive. Daniel Barenboim's conducting is exemplary, under him the ascending string scales over the E flat drone really comes through, the final scene is marvellous and the deliberately ponderous tempo for the entrance of Fasolt and Fafner was in perfect keeping with the drama going on stage and the characters. Only in the first Rhinegold scene does it show signs of ever so slightly lagging. Barenboim comes across as a very thoughtful and sympathetic conductor while always keeping the drama alive. The Rhinemaidens blend beautifully and Froh and Donner are very solidly played and sung. Anna Smuil as Freia looks fresh and sounds beautiful, Kwanchal Youn sings sonorously and commandingly as Fasolt(if a tad stentorian, but it fits with the role actually) and Anna Larsson adds class and pathos to Erda. Doris Soffel has been in much better voice before but does possess some fine high notes once she warms up, her acting is very good.
Of the uniformly excellent cast(apart from my reservations about the Fafner), the standout is Johannes Maria Kränzle's superb Alberich, a knowing and extremely creepy interpretation, and he has a resonant and expressive voice that has the right sinister edge when needed. Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke is wonderfully oily as Mime, as said already his interaction with Kränzle is one of the production's biggest pleasures. Stephan Rügamer is in ringing voice and plays Loge with a sprightliness and sharp irony, and Rene Pape is an authoritative Wotan and effortlessly warm of voice, particularly in his Abendlich Strahlt Der Sonne Auge. On DVD the production looks and sounds just as wonderful, the sound is of such clarity and the video directing has some clever touches like the rapid shots in Alberich's first scene with the Rhinemaidens, signifying his disorientation.
All in all, a very impressive start to La Scala's Ring Cycle. Can't wait for Die Walküre, which I've heard is even better. 8/10 Bethany Cox
