James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Morris, Christa Ludwig - Wagner: Das Rheingold (2002/1990)
James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Morris, Christa Ludwig - Wagner: Das Rheingold (2002/1990)
NTSC 4:3 (720x480) VBR | Deutsch (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | (DTS, 5 ch) | (Dolby AC3, 6 ch) | 7.82 Gb (DVD9) | 163 min
Classical | Deutsche Grammophon | Sub: Deutsch, English, Francais, Espanol, Italiano, Chinese
NTSC 4:3 (720x480) VBR | Deutsch (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | (DTS, 5 ch) | (Dolby AC3, 6 ch) | 7.82 Gb (DVD9) | 163 min
Classical | Deutsche Grammophon | Sub: Deutsch, English, Francais, Espanol, Italiano, Chinese
It takes a certain amount of forethought if Das Rheingold is to be more than a series of special effects scenes, though moments like the appearance of the giants through the mist or Alberich's transformations need to be as thrilling as they are here. As always in his Wagner, and perhaps especially in this very traditional 1990 Metropolitan Opera production of the Ring cycle, James Levine keeps to the forefront the underlying humanity of Wagner's gods and monsters. In the first scene, for example, he brings out the thoughtless, callous frivolity of the Rhine maidens as they precipitate the events of the four operas by taunting the gnome Alberich: it helps that they swirl around, green and gold, in a convincing representation of the bottom of the Rhine, but the emotions are the point. Ekkehaard Wlaschiha is a convincingly menacing Alberich partly because Levine brings out his vulnerability as well as his evil temper. James Morris is splendid as the younger less care-worn Wotan and Siegfried Jerusalem as Loge enjoys the sarcasm of his cynical commentary on Wotan's aspirations. The smaller parts have luxury casting: Matti Salminen as Fafner and Christa Ludwig as Fricka, for example.(Roz Kaveney)
Cast:
Wotan - James Morris
Donner - Alan Held
Froh - Mark Baker
Loge - Siegfried Jerusalem
Alberich - Ekkehard Wlaschiha
Mime - Heinz Zednik
Fasolt - Jan-Hendrik Rootering
Fafner - Matti Salminen
Fricka - Christa Ludwig
Freia - Mari Anne Häggander
Erda - Birgitta Svendén
Rheintöchter:
Woglinde - Kaaren Erickson
Wellgunde - Diane Kesling
Flosshilde - Meredith Parsons
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Conductor - James Levine
James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Morris, Christa Ludwig - Wagner: Das Rheingold (2002/1990)
James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Morris, Christa Ludwig - Wagner: Das Rheingold (2002/1990)
James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Morris, Christa Ludwig - Wagner: Das Rheingold (2002/1990)
James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Morris, Christa Ludwig - Wagner: Das Rheingold (2002/1990)
