Das Rheingold Selected Scenes by San Francisco Opera

[papoocanada]

they're dressed for horseback riding .......what a mess, sucks

[OperaBracelets]

I prefer a traditional Ring but there is something about the settings-costumes-time periods from this Ring that absolutely intrigue me!

[acbulgin2]

@OperaBracelets Oh yeah, the original staging, spelled out by Wagner himself, is enchanting and of course a glorious self-parody of a kind. But to me, the staging and costumes are less important than how the singers and orchestra do their stuff. The music of course lies at the heart of it, and if that fails, nothing else matters much in my view.

[kamion53]

looks more like "Nixon in China" with the wrong text then Rheingold.

[Capt777harris]

Goddamit! This isn't the 1990 SF Opera version. Sonofabitch! I've seen the Ring Cycle a few times, and 1990 was the epitome of artistic brilliance. Superior to every other iteration I've ever seen.

No post-modern or contemporary interpretations. Just straight up Wanger and fantasy.

Dammit, is the 1990 version available anywhere?

[Loismustdie26]

@Capt777harris I couldn't hear exactly what you said through all that whining about not having 70 copy pasted ring cycles out there. but if you want a traditional set, just go but the Schenk production.

[Capt777harris]

@Loismustdie26 Guess I was feeling pretty po'd about this vid. I saw the 1990 production first hand, and this ain't it. Truth be told I was just kidding =] Still, I wish I could find that Ring Cycle on video.

[acbulgin2]

@Capt777harris It is available on video, or at least it used to be. I have the DVD set of the Metropolitan Opera's production of the cycle I believe recorded in the late 80's, 1989 I think. It is pretty good; of course the sound from these clips here is much better because they have gotten progressively better at recording live stuff what with tube preamps for mics and so on. It did cost me a lot, I think $100 or thereabouts. I bought it in 2002 or 2003 I think.

[Capt777harris]

@acbulgin2 Very cool. Thank you.

[acbulgin2]

@Capt777harris You're welcome. There seems to be at least one other done by Pierre Boulez on DVD. I think I got mine from Amazon.com. The one I have with the Met was produced by Deutsche Grammophon. Only world-class Wagner opera I have seen live was Parsifal in DC circa 2000. You know the Met is simulcasting live performances of their operas to local theaters in HD these days. Where do you live? I saw die Walküre recently in NC. They will be doing Siegfried & Götterdämmerung this fall.

[dchiapello]

@Capt777harris Search for the 1985 Ring. That was the original production, which they revived in '90 and, I think, '95. There are lots of clips from Gotterdammerung, but I didn't find any from Rheingold, unfortunately. That was a gorgeous production design, with its Palladian-styled Valhalla. And the thrill of watching it collapse at the end of Gotterdammerung! By the way, the cast in '85 was amazing: Gwyneth Jones, James Morris, Eva Marton, Rene Kollo, Walter Berry...

[Capt777harris]

@dchiapello Thanks. I actually saw a documentary last year on the 1990 SF production called "Sing Faster".  I was there. I saw that production, and still think the 1985 and 1990 productions are the best.

[Sieglinde84]

Will there be a dvd? It looks promosing...

[Blokewood3]

I saw this performed at the Washinigton opera. It was an attempt to have an "American" ring, but it was all theory with no substance.

[Jaydoggy531]

Am I watching Nordic Legends or some bizarre "random scene" contest. I was most confused with the giants since they proudly proclaim their work is done - yet there they sit on a construction beam with no castle behind them.

[rexeterna]

good lord jenny larmore what have you done to yourself. disgusting.

[rexeterna]

haha silvestrelli is hilarious

[donmelvin5000]

More on the video "art." A total embarrassment to the SF Opera's long tradition of the highest quality. I can only hope they have the courage to either drop the video artist, make her revise it so it doesn't look like a 1992 video game demo, or bring someone in to massage it so it doesn't look so amateur before they stage Walkure this summer. There are plenty of thoughtful, technically skilled video artists out there. Hire them!

[donmelvin5000]

@donmelvin5000 sorry to see they've retained the same hack to do the video projections for Walkure. As my wife commented, "i felt like a was in the Blair Witch Project, and not in a good way." SF Opera, you have a year before the whole Ring next year, PLEASE bring in some one competent to do the video!!

[donmelvin5000]

Am I the only one who was laughing at the video projections? I read in the program that the video "artist" found most of her material online, royalty free. It shows. Most of it was low-res and visibly pixelated (the waterfall in the first scene is only one example. The "NASA" tour of the solar system during the prelude was a total joke, really embarrassing.). The rest of the projections were naive, amateurish and/or sloppy.

[thedridis]

@donmelvin5000 I LOVED the "NASA" in the prelude! It was one of the most blissful moments of my entire life! I agree Die Walkurie forest scenes were odd, but Das Rheingold was spot on.

[neklaus2]

This is so much better looking than the Los Angeles production of the "Ring".

[RVP57]

At the end of the day, it's the singing that counts, and this certainly does not disappoint. Bravi to all involved, and especially to SF Opera and Francesca Zambello for having the courage to do something different

[MargraveofTad]

There are lots of very imaginative productions of the Ring which attempt to give us a different view of that wonderful story but this one is an oddity as it is highly relevent and well thought out to put Rheingold at such a stage in history whereas in other modern adaptations, the adjustments seem very forced-'innovation' for innovation's sake.

Great stuff!

[rok30]

Richard fink is awesome great voice and performer..loved it

[hillevifan]

Who is hoping they release this on dvd? Its AMAZING!!!

[pweny]

I am!!!

[jr1844]

Absolutely!

[pgfoti]

Mark Delavan, amazing baritone

[rainer1980]

I loved going to see this! Although, I kind of would of prefered them to wear the traditional Wagnerian costumes. Lamore's portrayal of Frica was awesome! Loge was kind of sardonic and funny.

[GregOpera]

It seems to be popular today to take a composer's creation and twist it into something totally unrecognizable from the original libretto.

[jr1844]

I saw this production three times. First rate departure from boring tradition. And Larmore stole the show with her fresh, believable, beautifully sung Fricka!

[GregOpera]

Be warned: This is the first step to kill opera. Just watch, what happened in Europe. Regietheater rules and the theatres are losing audiences. Hope, someday they will return to tradition but I do not trust.

[jr1844]

Oh Greg, whaddaya want back? Fat Singers? Fat Chance!

[pweny]

oh Greg, I agree with you, but I don't think this production would warrant that kind of statement.

[GregOpera]

Dear pweny, I understand. But things started that way at german theatres. Very slowly - sometimes one was amused or even grateful. But now it is popular to take a composer's creation and twist it into something totally unrecognizable from the original libretto.

[pweny]

and I guess we have the opera houses to blame. It will change.

[altodivo]

JENNIFER LARMORE IS SO AMAZING!!!