After the apotheosis of Boulez-Chéreau's Ring, I have delved into the other great Ring on video filmed in Bayreuth, and for many the last great one: the one that Daniel Barenboim and Harry Kupfer created between 1988 and 1992 for the Bayreuth Festival. After the resounding flop of Sir Georg Solti's and Peter Hall's Ring in 1983 in Bayreuth, Wolfgang Wagner turned to one of the most fashionable stage directors of those years in Germany: Harry Kupfer, from East Germany. Kupfer had already successfully directed a Flying Dutchman at the Festspielhaus. There were high expectations, but as usual at the Festspielhaus, the first year it was received with huge boos, and many were dissapointed. Today, like Chéreau's, it is considered a classic, and even better acted.
Although it was filmed before the 1991 and 1992 Festivals, this Ring is a child of the 80s, as its premiere was in 1988. In those years, the pollution in many cities, the turbulent and imminent end of the Cold War, the poverty arising from the economic recession, and the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, were possible ideas for the making of this production, which sets the plot in a world destroyed by pollution and atomic war, in a post-apocalyptic era. The aesthetics of the characters, especially in Rheingold, feature a Loge very similar to David Bowie, robot-like Nibelungs, led by Mime now converted into an irritated goldsmith in a white coat, and some gods although dressed in suits, totally devoid of class. The Rhinemaidens, with their hairstyles and gymnastic costumes, seem to be taken from musicals like Cats, Fame or Dirty Dancing, although they also look like ragged people living in the polluted green river. This is a Ring that uses the technology of its time, with dazzling infrastructures, such as the Nibelheim or the forest-factory, and laser lighting, and the first one in Bayreuth to completely break with a classical aesthetic.
The entire cycle takes place on the same stage platform, which has been called the "Highway of Life", on which all the action takes place. Before the opera begins, there is a brief prologue: a group of people, in absolute silence, look at a dead body, in what appears to be the aftermath of a catastrophic event, represented by a cloud of smoke in the center of the stage. Frederic Spotts suggests that it may be the conclusion of a terrible drama that preceded this one. Others say that they represent mankind contemplating the end of the world, something that we will see again at the end of the cycle. They could even be the same ones who, at the end of Chéreau's Ring, looked at the stage, and now, as they get older, they pass the baton to the next generation.
Immediately afterwards, Das Rheingold begins. Green geometric laser lights begin to invade the stage while the prelude takes place, suggesting the Rhine as a river contaminated by toxic waste. In it we see the Rhine daughters playing, and these lights also make them disappear when they are submerged in the water, a magical effect. And in the same way, when dawn rises and the gold shines, a brilliant yellow light emerges from the ground. The second scene shows the stage almost bare, except for a huge platform that descends in the middle of the stage, which is the Walhalla, and which at the end of the play will be illuminated with the colors of the rainbow. The gods all enter together, with their (transparent) suitcases, to settle there. The giants are the tallest ever seen at the festival, similar to those of Chéreau. The Nibelheim is a huge green infrastructure in which the Nibelungs, characterized as robots, according to Spotts, extract the Gold and Mime gives it shape. One does not descend to this Nibelheim, but rather ascends. Erda emerges from the ground and only half of her body is seen, although her aesthetic is reminiscent of the 1920s or 1930s, as if she were a descendant of the Chéreau's Ring, as if she were warning the gods from these dangers. At the end, the gods enter Walhalla and ascend, greeting the audience.
In Die Walküre, Act One is presided over by a huge trunk, and thunder breaks out to the sound of the music. Siegmund appears fleeing from the darkness, and the stage rises to reveal a modern, minimalist house. Sieglinde dresses in black and covers her hair with a veil, a sign of the rigidity of her unhappy marriage. Hunding appears in all his brutal essence, although impeccably dressed. The house disappears when the lovers sing their famous duet, leaving them alone with their passion. The second act is devoid of any decoration, with the stage bare, presided over only by the highway of life, as lighting and acting are the main sets. Kupfer shows Wotan's pain over Siegfried's death, but without abandoning authority and violence. If Chéreau's Wotan is an intelligent and elegant cynic, Kupfer's hides a tormented and tender heart beneath his fearsome and violent appearance, capable of showing his feelings to those he trusts most. The third act is the most powerful, in an hour and a quarter of visual, dramatic and musical intensity, leaving a feeling of impact and at the same time of empathy for the story of the characters. The ride of the Valkyries begins with carts carrying all the corpses of the heroes that the Valkyries collect, while they descend a catwalk. The Wotan and Brunnhilde final duet is the peak of this act, as we witness the reconciliation of a father and his daughter before saying goodbye forever, in which Wotan goes from fury to baring his soul and forgiving his daughter. The way both characters look at the stage, embrace, and fall to the ground in the orchestral climax before Wotan's final farewell softens even the hardest heart. The end is a display of lights (there's a reason they call this Ring the neon "Laser Ring"), and some red lights form a square, the magical fire, around the sleeping Brunnhilde, here still with helmet and shield. A wonderful version , with the best third act ever filmed.
Watching Siegfried, one wonders if this version was the first one to set this opera in certain places that are recurrent today when it is staged. And the first act sets the action in a ruined van, and the second one in a ruined factory, as if there had been an atomic explosion (a clear allusion to the Chernobyl disaster), with Fafner now converted into a metal-tentacled machine. The first act, as mentioned, takes place in a ruined van, in which Mime and Siegfried live. Mime is a neurotic, glasses-wearing freak who also runs and jumps all over the stage. Siegfried appears dressed in an industrial blue jumpsuit. In the first act, despite its ugliness, there is fidelity to the libretto, as Siegfried forges his sword and breaks the anvil. The second act is something very different. There is no forest, it is a factory in total ruin, which invites to wonder if it is an industrial warehouse that has suffered an explosion. Alberich emerges from the ground, while Wotan watches from above. In the Forest Murmurs, Wotan takes the little bird out of his pocket and flies to Siegfried. Also while he plays the horn, Wotan responds, but at no time does his grandson notice his presence. Fafner first manifests himself as green lights, but in the fight with Siegfried, metal tentacles and a play of lights appear, in what is possibly the most impressive recreation of this scene, although he later recovers his original appearance when he dies. The third act shows the stage bare, again setting the action on the highway of life. Wotan's arrival is accompanied by a storm. The confrontation between Wotan and Siegfried is accompanied by blue laser lights, until it turns red, depicting the Magic Fire. Despite this darkness, which could give the impression that it is gloomy and sad, however the passion, the tenderness with which the Siegfried and Brünnhilde communicate in the final duet, in an excellent theatrical work not only fills the absence of sets but also adds It gives great beauty to the scene.
Götterdämmerung could be said to be the most spectacular of the stagings of this Ring, in which Kupfer ends, in a grand style, the great fall of the world created by the gods. The omnipresent highway of life comes to an end, with a huge cross in the background of the scene, surrounded by enormous panels. Kupfer deals in this staging with the devastating effects of nuclear contamination. Urban themes permeate the sets: in the prologue, the Norns weave and tighten the thread of destiny in the middle of a set of television antennas. Meanwhile, images of forest trees are projected on the panels. The journey through the Rhine is made by the hero dragging a huge Grane with wheels, along the familiar river of green laser rays. The Gibichung's scenes take place in an empty stage, but hundreds of small lights are projected on the panels, giving the impression that they are surrounded by skyscrapers of the citywhich they rule. In the second act, a huge staircase dominates the scene, and the chorus is dressed in blue factory uniforms. In the first scene of the third act, a kind of ship, a dam appears, through which the daughters of the Rhine slip. During the funeral march, a pit opens in the middle of the stage, and a heartbroken Wotan appears to throw his broken spear into it. Brunnhilde then appears, and together they watch over the dead hero. In the orchestral conclusion, Kupfer achieves an animated and exciting scene: Brünnhilde throws herself into the pit where the body of her lover is, everything fills with smoke and the orange lights suggest the fire of Walhalla and the Gibichung palace, while everyone runs frightened. Then the green Rhine appears, in which the Rhinemaidens drown Hagen, all this seen by an impotent Alberich. Then the people appear, installing televisions on the stage, from which they see the destruction of the world, somewhere between frivolous pleasure and apathy. Suddenly, a boy and a girl, join together and walk forward, while the curtain falls, hiding Gunther's corpse from the town (all placed in the same position as at the beginning of the Rheingold), to leave Alberich totally alone. It is time for a new cycle that will lead a new generation, which very likely will repeat the story.
Daniel Barenboim was the greatest orchestral conductor in Bayreuth in the 80s and 90s, along with Giuseppe Sinopoli. His interpretation, unlike Boulez's, is more epic, more spectacular, and closer to the great tradition, although without losing itself in majesty. In Rheingold, the prelude is of enormous beauty and spectacularity, and throughout the work it maintains this impressive line, shining on its own more than adapting to the montage, which also. In Walküre, he continues with his excellent conducting, the strings sounding dynamic in the first act, tender in the great final scene, and the imposing brass in acts two and three. The third act is truly spectacular, with the orchestra conducting in a majestic and at the same time profound, solemn way. In Siegfried, he surpasses himself and achieves the most spectacular conducting in the whole cycle. The brass has many shining moments. Barenboim conducts the longest but at the same time the most overwhelming interpretation of the somber prelude to the second act, maintaining this level in the rest of it. The third act is the zenith: it begins with a striking prelude, and then continues in that vein, both when Siegfried crosses the fire and throughout the great final scene. In Götterdämmerung, he conducts the orchestra very well, but without reaching the same excellent level as in Siegfried. His conducting is more dramatic, darker than epic, more restrained than exultant, although he achieves excellent moments such as Siegfried's Journey through the Rhine, or the sinister prelude to the second act. More beautiful and melancholic is the prelude to the third act, with slower tempi, recreating the nymphs' nostalgia for the stolen gold. The Funeral March is equally sublime, but in the finale, shortly before Hagen's final words, the orchestra moves too quickly, but manages to finish the cycle solemnly. The Festival Choir is at an excellent level, and the male voices provide an excellent response to Hagen in the second act.
Siegfried Jerusalem and Anne Evans in Siegfried
The cast includes several important names from the Wagnerian scene of the time, but most of them are, more than opera stars, accomplished singing-actors, who respond successfully to the demanding staging, which makes them to move like athletes, and to convey expressions as in a film.
John Tomlinson, a bass singing a baritone-bass role, is a Wotan whose sound is imposing, firm, but not very pleasant, even less than Donald McIntyre with Boulez, but he knows how to sing and act the character, turning him into an impulsive youthful god , violent and primitive in Rheingold. In Walküre, his experience as a performer gives a convincing portrait of the most human and also most fearsome side of the god, singing his two long monologues with beauty, without the usual brusqueness of his voice, and on an acting level showing a side of the character never seen before, depicting him fragile and able of arousing empathy. The Wanderer fits to his voice better than Wotan, his bass voice reflecting the irony and old age of the character. And it is in the third act where his voice reaches its maximum splendor, showing a more thoughtful and profound interpretation of God, specially in the aria "Dir unweisen ruh'ich ins ohr".
Dame Anne Evans may not be the best Brunnhilde of them all. And of course his voice is neither the most overwhelming, nor the most dramatic. In fact, it sounds light for what the role requires. And yet her performance shows that not everything is pyrotechnics: she uses that youthful tone to show us a valkyrie who is a young woman who seems fragile but who fights and has a strong will, but at the same time a sensitive woman. Thus, when she appears to Siegmund she is not grave, but solemn and understanding. In the third act, courageous in the first half, and moving in the second. In Siegfried, she shows on stage the fragility, the fear that the character goes through, more maternal than passionate, but also scared after returning to life. In the "Ewig war ich" she surprises with a sublime singing. In Götterdämmerung, she takes the show, with her excellent acting performance as Brunhilda, and with a remarkable vocal performance, interpreting the final monologue with a unique sensitivity. The most human portrait ever filmed of this role, is achieved by this British soprano.
Siegfried Jerusalem plays the hero. When this was filmed, he was 50 years old, and at the peak of his career. His voice, even with its peculiar tone, fits well with the character, giving him his impetus and energy, at the same time that in other scenes he conveys his innocence. In the duet with Brünnhilde the voice reaches its full heroic dimension, with the passionate "Sei mein! Sei mein!" (be mine) as a reply to her. In Götterdämmerung he maintains his level, but does not give the "Hoihe" high notes in the third act, but it does little to tarnish his devoted performance.
Günter von Kannen is a remarkable Alberich, with a dark bass tone, and his performance makes Alberich brute and scary, but also impulsive. However, his best performance is achieved in Siegfried, where he seems more comfortable with the tessitura and sounds more deep, and his acting reveals his role's deep evil and rancour.
Poul Elming as Siegmund and Nadine Secunde as Sieglinde have a chemistry on stage as unmatched and enormous as that of Hofmann and Altmeyer in the Boulez's Ring. If the latter overflowed with eroticism and passion, Elming and Secunde have a more dramatic chemistry. This is a tragic and passionate love, but not so much sensuality. And above all, they are better singers. Elming has an acceptable heroic and youthful voice, firm and not bad sounding, which at that time was quite enough. Secunde, on the other hand, is a dramatic soprano with the capital S, with a dark and dramatic voice, which suggests that she should have been cast as Brünnhilde. Maybe a little matron-like in tone, but in the third act her voice is just amazing.
Graham Clark is one of the stars of the cast, with his excellent and youthful Loge, in Rheingol, and his umpleasant Mime in Siegfried, where he also shows his physical agility. Helmut Pampuch repeats his excellent Mime, with a firm and powerful voice. Linda Finnie is a Fricka with a sweet but discreet singing. Birgitta Svendén is an Erda with a beautiful and seductive tone, but lacking authority, although she fits the mysterious attraction that Kupfer intends to incite in Wotan, she later repeats as Valkyrie and First Norn, with the same results. Matthias Hölle is an excellent Hunding, both vocally and as an actor, a deep bass voice with an imposing physique, apable of recreating this role's bruteness. He is also accomplished as Fasolt in Rheingold. Philip Kang sings Fafner and Hagen. While as the giant he achieves an excellent musical performance in Siegfried, as Hagen he is insufficient, and more vocal strength is missed, although he fulfills his role as an actor. Kurt Schreibmeyer and a young Eva Johannson are correct as the gods Donner and Freia.
Waltraud Meier, at the peak of her career and her beauty, dazzles in her brief intervention as Waltraute, with her voice in place and the excellent high notes she gave then. A pleasant surprise is Gutrune, sung by the soprano Eva-Maria Bundschuh, from East Germany, with a beautiful dark tone, more dramatic than Evans' one. In fact, she was a prominent performer of Isolde on the German scene of those years. Bodo Brinkmann is quite discreet, and goes unnoticed as Gunther, fitting better into Donner. Among the Rhinemaidens, of good singing level, we must mention the delicious and childish voice of the Woglinde sung by the late Hilde Leidland, who is also excellent as Woodbird in Siegfried. The Valkyries are sung by excellent sopranos and mezzo-sopranos, featuring members of the main cast, such as Linda Finnie, Eva Johannson and Brigitta Svendén. The Norns have good voices, but they are not loud enough.
This Ring has been said by some, to be the last great one in Bayreuth. It is quite possible given the status of a Wagnerian myth Barenboim has, despite the fact that in further editions, James Levine, Christian Thielemann and Kirill Petrenko would make the Festspielhaus orchestra pit to vibrate with this work. However, compared to other entirely filmed productions, Kupfer's production has not been surpassed.At the same time, the Met's classic and traditional Otto Schenk's Ring was being filmed, whose non-existent direction of actors makes it to pale in comparison to this one: just compare the final duet of Siegfried, with Evans and Jerusalem overflowing with passion and tenderness with the bare stage, while in the Met one, Jerusalem himself and Hildegard Behrens, rarely touch each other, limiting themselves more to smiling and gesturing, surrounded, yes, by a beautiful set. Comparing with the other two complete productions in Bayreuth, Castorf's one in 2016, provides visual spectacularity, but does not reach the same dramatic intensity. And Schwarz's current stage arouses nothing but boredom and no understanding. And the intense acting and expressions from the members of this cast not been surpassed either. Like the Boulez-Chéreau one, this Bayreuth Ring is one the last referential versions due to its legendary batons and its excellent settings, which do not age and remain current despite the time passing.
My reviews are not professional and express only my opinions. As a non English native speaker I apologise for any mistake.
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