DVD Walküre from The Thielemann Ring

Walküre. DVD. Bayreuth Festival 2010. Production: Tankred Dorst. Conductor: Christian Thielemann. Cast: Johan Botha (Siegmund), Edith Haller (Sieglinde), Linda Watson (Brünnhilde), Albert Döhmen (Wotan), Mihoko Fujimura (Fricka), Kwangchoul Yun (Hunding)

I have no doubt that this Bayreuth-Ring 2006-11, directed by Tankred Dorst will be known as The Thielemann Ring.

From the beginning, this Ring was planned for CD release only and released as a 14-CD boxset in 2009 with the doubful honour of being one of the strongest in terms of the conductor, as well as probably the weakest in terms of singers.
However, with the recent explosion of the DVD-operatic market it probably makes sense for the Bayreuth Festival to try and distribute it.

Tankred Dorst was universically criticized for lack of ideas and static concept upon the premiere in 2006.  However, I saw the Ring in Bayreuth in 2007 and have to agree: The only highligt was Christian Thielemann. Who, on the other hand was stunning.

Dorst´s main idea that The Gods live amongst us,but we cannot see them and that man destroy nature are neither novel nor exciting. Admittedly, his preparations were not optimal, having had to take over after the cancellation from Lars von Trier. But nevertheless, a Bayreuth Ring is a Bayreuth Ring and this Ring was disappointing. I have previously written a comprehensive review of the entire Dorst-Thielemann Ring including a detailed description of the staging.

Edith Haller took over Sieglinde´s part from the previous years Eva-Maria Westbroek and Adrianne Pieczonka, and though somewhat weak in expression she has a truly beautiful voice with a wonderful bloom and seems to raise easily over the orchestra.
Johan Botha has a large, effortless voice, but for the rest I completely agree with the message he got from  the Intendant of the Vienna State Opera. Both Albert Döhmen and Linda Watson performs in accordance with Tankred Dorst´s staging: Neither spectacular nor disastrous. While Mihoko Fujimura does not have a large, dramatic voice, it is very beautiful.

Christian Thielemann is the true revelation of this DVD and, indeed, hearing him conduct this Ring in Bayreuth was one of the major operatic experiences I have had. The glittering beauty, the broad tempi, the subtle changes in tempi. It becomes quite clear, however, how the acoustics of the Bayreuth Festival House with the covered pit actually works against the explosive and contrapunctual nature of the Ring and if you a a conductor don´t work against it, you risk to lose the momentum and make it sound like Parsifal. This, however, does not seem to bother Thielemann, who in fact conducts this Walküre much as he does Parsifal.
Nevertheless, together with Daniel Barenboim, no conductor today has a better understanding of Richard Wagner.

Trailer:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Johan Botha: 2
Albert Döhmen: 3
Edith Haller: 3-4
Linda Watson: 3
Mihoko Fujimura: 4

Christian Thielemann: 5
Tankred Dorst´s production: 2-3

Bayreuth 2007: Rheingold

Rheingold. Bayreuth Festival, 2007. Production: Tankred Dorst. Cast: Albert Döhmen (Wotan), Andrew Shore (Alberich), Michelle Breedt (Fricka), Gerhard Siegel (Mime), Mihoko Fujimura (Erda), Edith Haller (Freia). Conductor: Christian Thielemann.

Tankred Dorst, 81, is everything, except an opera director: Reknowned in Germany as both poet, playwright and filmmaker, he stepped in at short notice to direct this Nibelungen Ring, which opened at the Bayreuth Festival 2006, after the cancellation of Lars von Trier. "My advantage is that I don't have to continue a career as an opera director", as Dorst pointed out.

Indeed, or rather unfortunately, his lack of experience with the operatic medium, as this was in fact the first oper he staged, proved a major liability in the entire cycle.

The binding idea seems valid enough on paper: The world of the Gods exists parallel to, and unseen by, the modern-day world. However, Tankred Dorst entirely failed to bring this concept alive: There was no hint at individual characterizations or dramatic interaction between any of the characters. We were presented with stand-up-and-deliver acting reminiscent of the 1960´s, without conveying the essential inner drama of the work.

Initially, the pink Rhinemaidens appear between giant blue boulders imitating the bottom of the Rhine with the Rhinegold glittering behind them. The Gods live in a concrete wasteland with graffiti-splashed bare grey walls. From there we descend into a power plant where Alberich rules. In many scenes modern-day people are seen in everyday activities oblivious to the presence of Gods and Giants, such as the power plant worker checking a gauge during Wotan and Alberich´s confrontation in Nibelheim. Furthermore, all mythological figures are curiously dressed in clothes looking like a mixture between Star Trek and japanese couture.

Albert Döhmen´s Wotan was slightly under-characterized, but his voice seems adequate for the part, without being exceptional. Michelle Breedt disappointed as a shrill-sounding Fricka. So did Andrew Shore as Alberich. Gerhard Siegel´s Mime was both well characterized and acted, and also Edith Haller stood out as Freia with a clear soprano and convincing acting. Mihoko Fujimura´s Erda has a very beautiful timbre, though entirely devoid of the primeval drama essential to Erda.

The real star of the evening, however, was Christian Thielemann, deservedly greeted with standing ovations. Starting out courageously slow, the music spread out like a fan, grandiose, with myriads of details such as the violins were imitating the waves of the Rhine, just like small bubbles. Thielemann is dramatic without being shallow. Emotional without being melodramatic. Obviously with the magnificent acoustics on his side, making the orchestral sound slide up underneath the singers and spread out into the audience. This is one of the major Wagnerian conductors of the Century.

I was told that uncommon for Bayreuth, no changes had been made by Tankred Dorst to this years production compared to the opening in 2006. Dorst himself simply says he told the singers to "fill their characters with something of themselves" – maybe a slightly more detailed stage direction would have been helpful.

Further reviews from the Cycle: Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung