Das Rheingold -- Fafner fights Fasolt, Donner summons bolt

[adamSALH]

A traditional production is so refreshing to see. So many of the other clips from that sound great and the singers ate really talented but I always find my self wishing for the classic setting.

[PessyminbluE]

Che tenerezza Fasolt a 0:45 ...

[LeRinkRat]

this 1990 PBS broadcast, which was later translated to both tape and DVD, is what hooked me on Wagner 30 three decades ago. James Morris OWNS the roll of Wotan. there are very few opera singers that one can recognize just from their voice. Luciano Pavarotti is unique among tenors and James Morris along with Ekkehard Wlaschiha, who sings Alberich in this ring, are unique among bass-baritones and baritones.

thank you for posting, TheGreatPerformers.

[nothosaur]

@LeRinkRat How can I buy the 1990 PBS broadcast of the Wagner Ring Cycle that you are referring to? Is it on Amazon?

[LeRinkRat]

@nothosaur both the Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen - Complete Ring Cycle (Levine, Metropolitan Opera) (1990) complete DVD set AND the studio recording CD box set of all four Operas are available @ Amazon.com. they also have download available for the studio recordings.

[glenfagelfors]

This production sucks. fine, do it like Wagner's own stage instructions, but please let the singers interact, there is no visible direction keeping this together. And, Wagner himself did not speak very highly of his own settings, he although thought of it as a reflection of the human nature, which the Met (Schenk/Levine) production fails to do. The modern productions have more successful ways of doing that. Regietheater FTW!

[Jaydoggy531]

@glenfagelfors

This was the first time I listened to the Ring Cycle, and I was (and am still) quite new to opera. I liked this production a lot. I find myself confused by the directors who say they're trying to bring in a new audience. I AM a new audience, am only 24, and really I find myself pushed away by them more often.

[David50s]

What a great "heda heda hedo" by Alan Held!! I will be hearing him as Wozzek at the Met in a couple of weeks. I can't wait!

[windstorm1000]

IMMORTAL GODS, *THIS* IS HOW YOU STAGE THE RING--AND OUR WONDERFUL MET DID IT FOR US--they had the help of the wonderful Otto Schenk! You won't hear me bitch about the infamous Chereau here. The magesty, magic, archetypes & yes the heart of the Gods is all here...You BELIEVE--not the factory/vict.mansion/slut madness of Chereau's infamous 1976 production. People, its OK to show the magic & the detailed Wagner ancientness--its how he intended it. Don't need our weird 20th century angst

[viking1960]

@windstorm1000 AMEN! No one does it like the Met!

[jlaurson]

@windstorm1000

The ancientness is that of Wagnerians, not of Wagner.

[windstorm1000]

WAGNER FORGED MANY SAGAS TO CREATE THIS INCREDIBLE STORY OF HEROISM AND GREED. I LOVE NORDIC GODS AND GODDESSES--THEY CAN BE JUST AS GREEDY AS THE GREEK ONES!!

ALL HAIL RICHARD WAGNER--WORLD'S GREATEST COMPOSER--ALL HAIL!!

[Neoboethius]

All I can say is, James Morris blows Bryn Terfel completely away as Wotan! Indeed, this whole production blows away the 2010 Met production (except the 2010 Alberich, who was fabulous)

[vidiegoquam]

Thanks both for the clip and the rich information! Is there any chance you could re-upload "Abendlich strahlt..."? Wenn nicht, verstehe ich. Vielen Dank nochmals.

[TommyHaegin]

Wao!! A really great production! I didn't know that this was available! Thanks for sharing.

[Gargantupimp]

does everything got t be so fackin dramatic in this?

[sas147741]

James Morris is great.

[lavm1991]

Is this the Bayreuth Festival performance directed by Pierre Boulez? Is somebody knows please let me know. Thanks!

Es esta la presentacion en el Bayreuth Festival dirigida por Pierre Boulez? Si alguien sabe por favor digame. Gracias!

[58wotan]

@lavm1991, si clicas en la presentación, donde el cuadrado con flecha hacia abajo, lo verás, es el MET, yo tengo ese anillo

[Jaydoggy531]

@lavm1991

This is the Performance conducted by Levine in 1991 at the Metropolitan Opera House. It's available on DVD.

[MonaMonera]

@lavm1991

No, la de Boulez es la que publica Trisolde.

[MonaMonera]

@lavm1991

No, la de Boulez es la que publica Trisolde (No sé por qué no puedo poner el enlace acá)

[2251813]

Finalmente una messa in scena credibile!

[nnnunitr]

Die Inzenierung von Otto Schenk ist das non plus ultra für denjenigen der konservative Inzeneirungen liebt. Endlich ein Regisseur,v der den Ring als Fatsasiemythenkessel darstellt.

[michellesaxon79]

seriously, porn advertisment?

[Jaydoggy531]

@michellesaxon79

Hey maybe it's a good sign that opera's getting more popular?

[RVP57]

'Wotan knows the curse is working'...Anna Russell

[rumpwrestler]

There's NO Wagner in the music of Philip Glass. What are you thinking?

[triton2008]

somebody should upload whole opera here.

[LeRinkRat]

@triton2008 YouTube poster "luanurbec" did

[Stoloft]

Poor Fasolt, at 0:46, he has lost Freia...

[isabelle070209]

C'est la perfection. on se demande vraiment à quoi bon "moderniser".

Surtout qu'une bonne mise en scène motive les chanteurs qui se surpassent.

Levine est un des plus grand chefs.

[gotterhaus]

What is the translation of Donner's part "Heda! Hedo!..." ?

[Jaydoggy531]

"Heda! Hedo!" is simply his chant. There's no translation, much like the Valkyries' war chant, "Hyoto" or however it's spelled.

[ceraph888]

I can hear this work in Phillip Glass music.

[handofnergal]

Beautiful!

Donner is the man!

I mean, Donner ist der mann ^^

[IchiTheRipper]

Oh my God! Simply brilliant! Rheingold is my favourite part, so I'm pretty choosy, but this has everything. Great great great visuals, superb costume and stage, wonderful playing, excellent singing and awesome direction! Yeah, maybe a little slow, but I feel you can bask in this bit if you like. This is probably as good as Boulez'!

[896423658]

Wagner copied LISZT style that's why he is nothing compared to him.

LISZT the Only New Romantic German Composer.

[hectorfprez]

I am so close to you... but.... what about Brahms...???

[wjsado]

i dont care about copying, if this is so similar to Liszt then why is liszt's work pale in comparison to wagner

[saxmasterh]

liszt is hungarian

[ramayana1234]

That is so unbelievably slow. the Boulez version was slowed to bring out tonal texture and quality, but this is ridiculous

[lilleeWAfot]

Levine is just too slow.Stunning visually though

[Jaydoggy531]

Wagner as a whole tends to be slow no matter who's conducting. The orchestra could be going a mile a minute but the singer could still be holding a single syllable.

[hectorfprez]

The technic of ancient music is that we supose litte or so slow,n what do you think about a slower interpretation of Wagner, taken in consideration this...????

[Gluberbloob]

FAFNER RULLES!! lol

[Shogunmiyu]

correction: Matti Salminen rules! ^_^

[Lanark8]

Loge.. tsk :). Hans hotter is my fav Wotan... it can be downloaded via the net i believe (under the conductor Bohm i believe). Christa Ludwig... a goddess of the stage... her leonore is magnificent. The is no doubt that Wagners Ring is one of the greatest artistic achievements in humanities history. 6:07 Wagner at his best my heart pounds. Great post kind regards,

[SchuleDesGrauens]

Kitsch! The "Ring" isn't a fairytale, staged by Walt Disney!

[Jaydoggy531]

Seems to be a near-literal staging actually pretty close to the libretto. It's from the Norse legends. Looks like a Norse legend to me, wouldn't you agree?

[GregOpera]

I love this production so much. Hope, they never change until that damned "Regietheater"-time is gone.

[heildirgunther]

What a shame! Hitler loved wagner... and, if Hitler loved chocolate ice cream it means the chocolae ice cream is evil? come on guys! because of people like headbanging69 or truefakeness the ignorance in the world grows

[windstorm1000]

@heildirgunther You got it!! The sound biters don't know the f--- what they are talking about.

[HEADBANGING69]

I love this music and opera. Too bad it was written by a pre-Nazi antisemitic jew hater! Wagner was a racist. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to know someone so full of hate could write this beautiful music. shame

[tazzdevil24]

Why can't you just appreciate the art for what it is? Who was the name of that composer (it might have been Solti), he led a performance of Wagner in Israel, and the audience started booing, so he stopped and gave them a lecture before continuing... anyone know the composer?

[aeru9]

It was Barenboim... But he isn`t a composer, he`s a director!

[bopri9]

Agreed. You can defend Wagner on many levels, but there is no doubt that he was antysemith. However it is woth to mension that he lived 200 years ago, in times when people perceived world in a very different way. Imagine what Vivaldi would think about Muslim's. We should get used to the fact that racism was a part of our history. Looking at our culture through modern values is completely irrelevant.

[deepfugue]

What you said feels right on until the last sentence: "Looking at our culture through modern values is completely irrelevant. " Had you just said: Judging the past through our modern values should be done so with perspective" I could agree. In fact, I think you meant to say as much: "past is prologue."

[deusirae76]

@bopri9 Wagner was antisemitic, but he had Jewish friends, like Hermann Levi and Joseph Rubinstein. He would have surely hated his daughter-in-law's "great friend" (Hitler). Wagner's hate was about the cultural influence of Jewish people in music for example (which wasn't a commendable reason), not a visceral hate against an entire ethnicity which led to the horrid WW2 crimes. At the end, Hermann Levi was one of the coffin's carriers during Wagner's funeral.

[JohnnyWishbone85]

@bopri9

What? Good sense and intelligent commentary on YouTube? Preposterous! You, sir, R TEH GAY FAGG0T!

[jackylen57]

J'ai vu SALOME de Richard Strauss hier soir et Alan Held interprétait le rôle de Iokanaan.

C'est pour moi une grang baryton basse

Merci

[interex956]

at :46 Fasolt looks all sad and cheated out....poor giant..

[Johnabraytis]

This Ring Cycle is the only one available on DVD that can be considered "as intended by Wagner." All the other productions on DVD have Wotan's ass showing from his sweatpants; or the Valkyries dressed as bar floozies; or Gunther, in a business suit, dragging Brunhilde in with a rope. This is outrageous! Come on, you slimy, communist, avant garde opera directors, it's time to go old school. Let's get back in the pocket. Give us some real Gibichungs!

[Taskat]

I think I once saw Das Rheingold set in Arkansas...

Talk about misinterpreting setting

[GregOpera]

You are right!!!! In Europe "Regietheater" murdered all the traditions. It is awful.

[truefakeness]

Why do you call the avant-garde communist? You do realize the Ring has a socialist message don't you? That's pretty hard to miss.

I hate the avant-garde butcherings of the RIng as much as anyone, but you don't have to be a McCarthyan reactionary to oppose them.

[Johnabraytis]

I'd rather have "Tail gunner" Joe Mccarthy direct the Ring than the Ring-hating directors currently infesting the scene like so many no-talent bed bugs. I got no problem with Joe McCarthy. As far as the Ring having a "socialist" message--maybe it does. The plot is so dumb, nothing would surprise me.

[truefakeness]

So let me get this straight, you are pissed off about people directing this who supposedly hate the Ring and then in the next sentence you yourself say it is dumb? Right.....

Wagner was writing a mythology, not a fucking novel. So criticizing the plot is just an admission of philistinism and ignorance basically.

So you got no problem with demagogic morons getting their hands on great works of art? I can only imagine how much you must admire the Nazis then for their "McCarthyan" use of Wagner.

[Johnabraytis]

Yes, the plot of the Ring is idiotic, but that doesn't mean the Ring is "bad." I consider the Ring the best B movie ever made. That's good. Are you saying the plot to the Ring is coherent in any way? Don't tell me you would let the three Rhinemaidens guard your valuables!

I'll bet the best Ring performances occurred under Nazi Germany, just as the best realizations of "Swan Lake" would be found in Stalinist Russia. At least these bloodthirsty dictators respected these masterpieces.

[tazzdevil24]

People may be criticizing Wagner for his viewpoints, or the various individuals who have admired Wagner in the past, but why would you be spending so much time posting about him on Youtube of all places? He was a master of marketing, nobody can deny that.

[andreaandrewmilne]

Dear truefakeness,

You're right. The Ring is a work of revolutionary democratic politics, and of the psychoanalysis of love, trust, the erotic and self-defeating illusions. When Boulez and Chéreau created the Centenary Production, they went straight for the RheinGold [so to speak ;-) ], by deciphering a mythological plot into what Wagner intended his 19th Century audience to see as its meaning - a hymn to love, and a criticism of its distortion by capitalist economic relations.

♥ andrea

[ABookwormAndProud]

@Johnabraytis They're re-interpreting a stage show? Oh, the horror, the horror! Nope. Every production must be *exactly* the same, *exactly* how a long-dead man must've had it, 19th century art for 19th century audiences expressing 19th century emotions. Since theater's not about change at all, nope. It's all about imitation, not creativity at all. Most certainly.

[OldWorldAmerican]

@ABookwormAndProud

Different stagings of operas are fine. Contemporary stagings of The Ring are a little different. No other opera, or music-drama for that matter, was written as such a holistic blending of both music, libretto, and staging. That was the whole point of its composition- to bring all under the direction of the prime artist. So, with everything intact, you have the ring cycle. With the staging completely replaced you have something else. Is it so horrible that people want Wagner?

[OldWorldAmerican]

@ABookwormAndProud

Besides this, the fact that contemporary stagings take place shows that there is an effort to abolish any label of "19th century emotions". The emotions and intellectual boggles that Wanger's audience grappled with are the same that we or any audience of the future would. So long as humanity values freedom and recognizes the struggles of love and power, then the story of the ring will be relevant, in any staging. Contemporary staging is a double-edged sword, or is it a rifle

[rumpwrestler]

@ABookwormAndProud  This MET Ring is just a Disney production and not very good.

[rumpwrestler]

@Johnabraytis Intended by Wagner?? Are you his spokeman? The MET Ring was an atrocious Disney production and so happy to see it thrown out. Should have been years and years ago......

[ezev8logos]

@Johnabraytis that's true, this is the most faithful production to Wagner's conception. maybe because it was conceived by James Levine

[windstorm1000]

@Johnabraytis You took the words right out of my mouth! I felt like a prophet in the wilderness here for a while--and now I see I am joined by a fellow traditionalist. Chereau is to blame for opening up all these outrageous productions--they are spawn from hell. Bayreuth is the worst place to see Wagner--ironic! Lets you and I get some ancient mead and discuss this further! Then we'll drink a toast to Herr Wagner's memory and he'll be happy.

[bayougrande]

Otto Schenk's production is coming to an end at the Met :(

[54spiritedwill54]

Great clip from a superb production

[slothropgr]

AAAAAAAARRRGGGHHH! Where's the rest of it?? Is the housing market that bad in Valhalla as well? PLEASE post the finale!

[Terje1957]

Great!

[Richardtheincredible]

Lord of the Rings ripped off this story.

[Grimgerde]

Tolkien definitely "borrowed" some plot elements from Wagner's "Ring," although he would have thrown a hissy fit if he heard anyone say that.

[Richardtheincredible]

He did throw a hissy fit. He claimed that it the stories were only similar because he and Wagner used the same mythology. In fact he said-

"Both rings are round, the simliarities stop there" or something like that.

He's obviously a rip-off artist though.

[Grimgerde]

That's what I was alluding to.

[Richardtheincredible]

word

[SonarcticAngel]

indeed. and we all know that wagner created this story in the first place right?

is wagner a ripoffartist as well then, having taken his ideas of the volsung?

whatever similarities you seem to detect..

[BrofUJu]

Actually the story is based off an old Germanic myth.

[Jaydoggy531]

It's a combination of Norse mythology and on the story of Siegfried, which was also an epic poem - Operas are very often based on pre-existing stories, epics, books, and plays.

[Agorante]

Once when I was singing Fasolt, the guy who was doing Fafner didn't show up for a performance. I sang both parts. We had the biggest of the stage hand we could find don the Fafner costume and mime the part.

It worked prtty well since Fasolt and Fafner never sing at the same time. But when we got to this scene our ersatz Fafner got carried away and nearly did kill me on stage.

[sedahedonja]

:-))))

[Taskat]

I love Opera mishaps

[Sieglinde84]

I had the luck to hear Rootering as Fasolt in Budapest. He is still awesome.

But why did you remove the second half? Please, put it back! :(

[windysky88888]

this video is so awesome and cool fafner is awesome to fasolt is cool and incredible!

[ingzar]

Matti Salminen es uno de los mejores cantantes actualmente, simplemente maravillosa interpretacion.

[littlemo130]

Alan Held looks and sounds so dominating!

[skinboy8]

The only disappointment is the funereal pace of the orchestra.

[ianw115]

The orchestra could definitely have moved quicker. The Donner aria from Solti's Rheingold is absolutely INCREDIBLE, highly recommended. Still, a nice performance here overall.

[Springeragh]

Barenboim's is the best, though.

[nibelungensohn]

Matti Salminen is simply awesome.

[skinboy8]

He tends to steal every scene that he's in, and makes the other bass-baritones seem a little... well... unpolished?

Having said that, James Morris is by far my favorite Wotan - the depth of feeling that he brings to the role is unequalled.

[Taskat]

Jerusalem's acting is far better than I expected.

[billyguns2]

Christa Ludwig is just amazing; she must be in her sixties here. What a glorious singer! In fact, everyone is wonderful here and the whole performance rings true and noble. Thanks for posting.

[advancedatheist]

Why do the Giants remind me of Klingons?

[Sieglinde84]

Lol, now that you are saying it, really! :DDD

Awesome performance. Poor Fasolt. :(

Salminen is like a beast, Ludwig is a Goddess and James Morris is totally HOT.

[18551119]

Beautiful setting. Cast and orchrestra are perfect. Thank you.

[pannicatack]

Wotan. Perhaps number one on my list of parts I want to play. It's perhaps the greatest Bass-Baritone role ever made. But I doubt I'll ever get in a production.

[rabengeraun]

Great clip from a superb production