Die Walküre (DVD/The Stuttgart Ring): Lothar Zagrosek, Robert Gambill, Angela Denoke, Jan-Hendrik Rootering, Renate Behle
Stage director Christoph Nel
Conductor Lothar Zagrosek
Siegmund Robert Gambill
Sieglinde Angela Denoke
Wotan Jan-Hendrik Rootering
Brünnhilde Renate Behle
Hunding Attila Jun
Fricka Tichina Vaughn
Gerhilde Eva-Maria Westbroek
Ortlinde Wiebke Göetjes
Waltraute Stella Kleindienst
Schwertleite Helene Ranada
Helmwige Magdalena Schäfer
Siegrune Nidia Palacios
Grimgerde Maria Theresa Ullrich
Rossweisse Margit Diefenthal
Staatsorchester Stuttgart
Region: 0
The Urban Stuttgart Walküre on DVD - mostly for collectors
Vocally weak and poor dramaturgy characterize this Regietheater production of Die Walküre from the so-called Stuttgart Ring. The director is Christoph Nel.
This is a Walküre that provokes by being unsentimental and very unromantic. Big Wagnerian emotions are absent (both in the singing and acting), and I am sorry to say that there's not much here to substitute them. Well, there are some minor interesting details in the production, for example Wotan watching Brünnhilde falling asleep on television. This is an interesting idea that could have been even more interesting if the production was trying to comment on how the media world is affecting us (or something like that).
The Valkyries are even sillier than in the Copenhagen Ring where they celebrate drinking champagne and act if they all were 14-year-old girls. Here they compete on who can make the most silly walk entrance.
Stuttgart Silly Walk Walküre (here represented by the wonderful Eva-Maria Westbroek) didn't give me a new perspective of one of my favourite operas.
"War es so schmählich, was ich verbrach?" Wotan (a very disappointing Jan-Hendrik Rootering) reading a paper during Brünnhilde's plea for mercy. Wotan's indifference is creating a big contrast to the wonderfully vulnerable and intense music when Brünnhilde steps forward and tries to defend herself, saying she only did what Wotan wanted her to do. Later Wotan watches on a big screen TV his daughter falling asleep on a kitchen table (!), also an interesting touch.
The Stuttgart Walküre is a big disappointment following the interesting Rheingold (directed by another). In Rheingold especially the movements on stage and the interaction between the characters created a wonderful atmosphere and a very unconventional successful drama.
The light sword on Sieglinde's body was fascinating, but the exaggerated stage direction bordering on Regietheater parody and poor singing from Angela Denoke and Robert Gambill ruined Act 1.
The Stuttgart audience didn't seem to agree with me about the Walküre production, cheering enthusiastically. Manuel Brug calls the production "convincing" in his book Opernregisseure heute. I am afraid I can't agree. Maybe I would have thought otherwise of the production if the singers really believed in what they were doing and were first rate.
I would like to mention Tichina Vaughn, who did a good Fricka. But what the director mean by having her literally putting her finger up Wotan's ass during their quarrel in Act 2?
Siegmund looking for ein Quell, ein Quell. Explicit sexuality, often including nudity, is a part of many "liberated" and "modern" directors (Katharina Wagner included) - but it seldom adds anything else than embarrassment to the singer actors and audience. Angela Denoke as Sieglinde and Robert Gambill as Siegmund.
Now I sound like one of those anti Regietheater guys, but I am not. Not at all.
The competitor to this Walküre is Kasper Bech Holten's Copenhagen Ring (only available as a complete set). The Danish Ring is better in everything.
Nila Parly comments on Regietheater productions in her review of the Kasper Bech Holten Ring.
The Ring on DVD
Chéreau/Boulez Ring -
Kupfer/Barenboim Ring -
The Copenhagen Ring -
Schenk/Levine Ring -
Stuttgart Ring -
Kupfer/de Billy Ring -
Amsterdam Ring
Interviews with: Anne Evans, Graham Clark, Iréne Theorin, Stephen Gould
Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Bayreuth Festival - The Ring on CD -