Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This Robert Lepage Ring IS a controversial production. I saw all four operas live at the Met and also in the simulcasts, which make up the DVD/Blu-ray sets. It's true that some aspects of the 'Machine' work better than others. It's also true that many are visually extraordinary---the Rhine Maidens, the descent into Nibelheim, the forest scene in Siegfried with the virtual bird, the immolation scene. The advantage of these discs is that none of the problems are included---the falls, delays or groans of the set as it changed position. The disadvantage is that aspects improved upon after the simulcasts can't be included such as the changes in visual projections and staging. That being said, Opera really is all about the singing, and for its new Ring, the Met assembled a world-class cast of singers who are also good actors, essential for simulcasts. Bryn Terfel is a commanding Wotan in Das Rheingold, a young but troubled god whose world is beginning to spin out of control through his own machinations. He is well-matched by Stephanie Blythe as Fricka and Eric Owen in a real star-turn as Alberich. Much time passes before Die Walkure takes place, a long but intimate opera. The Valkyries, Fricka and Hunding appear in crucial but brief scenes, but it is left to those singing the roles of Wotan, Brunnhilde, Siegmund and Sieglinde to carry the opera. This is an opera about love, the unraveling marriage of Wotan and Fricka, the incestuous love of Sieglinde and Siegmund and the deep and problematic love of Wotan for his mortal son and immortal daughter. Jonas Kaufmann and Eva-Maria Westbroek not only sing with great passion as the twins, they actually look like young lovers, something not always the case in opera. Bryn Terfel is once again an excellent Wotan, older angrier, sometimes remorseful, but with much more to work with in this opera. The scene where Siegmund dies in his arms is poignant, and the interaction between him and Deborah Voigt's young, willful Brunnhilde is both moving and well-sung, especially Wotan's long 'Farewell' as he places her in the Ring of Fire to await the coming hero. Siegfried, often the least popular of the four operas, is important here for two reasons. It has by far the best utilization of the 'Machine.' It also has Jay Hunter Morris, the 'cover' who was called on during the dress rehearsal to sing the title role. And he's good, successfully portraying the hero as a teenager as he moves from forging his own sword to (hours of singing later) passing through the Ring of Fire and falling in love with Brunnhilde. Morris and Voigt continue their roles in Gotterdammerung, which features other superb singers most notably Waltrude Meier as Waltraute, Iain Paterson as Gunther and Hans-Peter Konig as Hagen who wins the 'baddie' award in this Ring as he also sings the roles of Fafnir and Hunding. There are many Older Ring Cycles out there for sale, but Older does not always mean Better. Yes the dragon here looks like a pool toy and yes, the gold covering Freia doesn't even come close to being enough and looks exactly like my son's old plastic toy armor. But these are very small matters and easily fixed. This production places the operas exactly where they belong, in the mythic time and place that Wagner, according to his notes, wanted. The Lepage Ring proves that the words Opera and Computer-generated can co-exist favorably in the same sentence. As I sat through the four operas I heard audience members' reaction to the 'Machine' go from skepticism to acceptance to enthusiasm. I saw it in myself. But I also heard enormous praise for the singers, the orchestra and James Levine who began as the conductor and Fabio Luisi who completed the task. This new Ring is worth the price and more so. Stick with it. You won't be disappointed.