Wagner - Der Augen leuchtendes Paar. V. Kowaljow; Barenboim, Scala December 2010

[pega17pl]

one of worst singing of this great song of farewell

[NazTb0y]

Is it just me, or is Nina Stemme smirking at points? Nina Stemme is such a hot Brunnhilde--much better than that fat-ass Voigt--but I heard this production got bad reviews. Please tell me I'm wrong--I want so much to love this production!!!

[UlfenDaddy]

@NazTb0y She's SO utterly in-tune, as they say, "She *IS* Brunnhilde," I cant believe it's a smirk. Cannot believe that... this music is just too powerful for anyone to learn Brunnhilde out of Contempt, and learn to sing it on a whim? At this level of sheer beauty? Glory? Power? No, offer any other explanation you care to hold for yourself why her countenance is inscrutible, it's irrelevant. I don't need to know what Nina Stemme thought and felt, she shows me what BRUNNHILDE is feeling.

[NazTb0y]

@UlfenDaddy Your argument's flawed. How can Nina be "in tune" here, if she's not even singing? It's possible to get the notes right and get the acting wrong. What do you think about Wotan here, for instance? I think he's sub-par. In fact, Id go so far to say he's ruined it. I'll give Nina the benefit of the doubt b/c she's hot, but Kowaljow won't get off so easy.

[UlfenDaddy]

@NazTb0y You truly do not understand the expression "in tune" as a metaphor? It's used quite often. I'd watched rather closely; there are some peculiar moments but I regarded it more as smiling through the stress-- people do it. K's intonation I think is astounding. I'd never cared for B as a conductor (AT ALL,) but there are moment in this Walkure that are tremendous. By all means La Scala should be held to "perfectionist" standards; but Perfectionism is self-defeating. There is no "perfect."

[NazTb0y]

@UlfenDaddy K seems lifeless to me. The way he intonates ew'gen completely lacks the passionate intensity of Morrison in the Levine version (which I admit isn't the overall best) and Tomlinson in the Barenboim Bayreuth version... He sings so neutrally here, like he has no idea what he's saying... And I know that's harsh, but comparing him with Morrison and Tomlinson is hardly a comparison at all...

[NazTb0y]

@UlfenDaddy maybe I should have just said "smile" rather than "smirk." The point isn't that she's doing this out of contempt or on a whim, but that she slipped out of character, maybe contemplating how lucky she is to be singing Wagner for La Scala. Look at her around 0:50 where she parts her lips and shows her teeth. It looks like she's cracking a grin? Why would B do that at this juncture? & why shouldn't I hold up La Scala's Ring to perfectionist standards?

[UlfenDaddy]

@NazTb0y And if you find there are flaws, moments that truly spoil the event and character for you, there are such in any production for almost everyone. I really liked this production, which in itself surprised me... Musically it's far better than I might've expected; interpretively... well that's really personal and subjective isn't it? I don't think your observations are "wrong," but the same details do not strike me in the same way. (A "Ring" I utterly despised was the Met with LEVINE, ugh.)

[NazTb0y]

@UlfenDaddy The Met they're doing now or the one with Hildegarde Behrens and James Morrison?

[NazTb0y]

@UlfenDaddy look at 0:47, that's when it's at its wost--could she be smirking at Kowaljow's awful acting?

[Musicalandmore]

She's going to be so tanned when she wakes up...

[3parsifal]

Thank you very much. Have you also the "Todverkündigung" from the second act (scene four)? And the third scene of that act (Wotan's story to Brünnhilde)? If yes, please place them here....

[garfreed]

One of the most moving scenes in all of Wagner!

[TheEveryDave]

This is an amazing performance - now I'm super excited to see the Ring cycle at the San Francisco Opera next year!