Wagner's Ring on DVD
Excellent presentations. Excellent purchase process. Delivery was within 2 or 3 days of transaction.

Epic performance
This is an epic performance of the most epic of operas. The Met brings all of its awesome technical capabilities to bear in creating a splendid, if traditional, visual presentation, very nearly matched by sumptuous and passionate vocal and theatrical performances. James Morris is one of the best Wotans of the past generation. Siegfried Jerusalem is a thrilling Siegfried (and a surprisingly good Loge). Hildegarde Behrens does not fit the usual physical type for a Walkure and is not Birgit Nilssen, but still sings and acts a vital and exciting Brunnhilde. Christa Ludwig and Jessye Norman both are perhaps a little past their primes, but do very well in filling their rolls as Fricka and Sieglinde. Etc., etc. all the way through the impressive and large cast. Levine's conducting is never boring and often electrifying. I was very pleased with this DVD set, especially after being very disappointed in the Met's static and boring Tristan.

Overall, the best "Ring" out there
As a veteran of 25+ live "Ring" cycles, this Met production remains my favorite. Reviewers giving this production 3 stars have evidently not suffered through such "Ring" abominations as those recently done in Vienna and Stuttgart, or the godawful Kirov "Ring" at the Met this summer.
Siegfried Jerusalem is a fantastic Siegfried, warm, likeable(which is difficult), nuanced, I could go on and on. It is hard to describe how many trainwreck "Siegfried"s I have seen, this one is pretty near perfect.
Any live production of "The Ring" is never going to be exactly what you have in mind. Actually, James Levine's conducting and innate understanding of "The Ring" IS what I have in mind...this is the best DVD of "The Ring" available.

Good enough, I'd say
This Ring Cycle does *not* deserve three-and-a-half stars, so I'm trying to up the average--I'd prefer to give it four-and-a-half, but there we go.

There are minor quibbles which have been mentioned: no horses, the fact that the twins aren't very, well, twin-like--they're all true, but not enough to take a star off, that's for sure. All the problems with it are so minor I hardly noticed.

James Morris' Wotan is truly amazing, and Hildegard Behrens, though not perfect, is a decent enough Brunnhilde. But Siegfried Jerusalem as Siegfried troubled me (I think I've been spoiled by Alberto Remedios--listen to the ENO Ring Cycle recording of "Siegfried" after this and you'll get my point). Matti Salminen is a wonderful Hagen/Fafner, and the music is of course excellent. The voices range from fair to awe-inspiring. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves opera, or legends, or (like me) both.

Cinematic Wagner
Wagner's Ring is perhaps the greatest work of art ever, certainly the most brilliant accomplishment in the field of musical drama. I found this Met broadcast to be an entirely satisfying interpretation. I understand that some "Ringies" are disappointed with the straightforward approach, the lack of symbolism, but there is already enough symbolism in the story, the characters and the music for a month of Sundays. Don't get me wrong, I like abstract interpretations of the Ring(see my review of the Barcelona production), but sometimes you just want to sit back and enjoy the Ring on its own terms, without any frills, just be immersed in the mythological images and, most of all, the glorious music, and this Met production is perfect for that type of Ring experience. Otto Schenk's vision is appropriately cinematic, literally capturing Wagner's mythological world as the composer probably envisioned it, uncluttered by any modernist touches. And the results are often stunning. The gods' introduction to Valhalla at the end of Das Rheingold is one example, Wotan and company standing in the foreground, with a gorgeous rainbow spanning the gorge between them and their new home, a castle as grim and foreboding as it is beautiful. The conclusion of Gotterdammerung is equally impressive, with Schenck taking the term twilight of the gods quite literally as the whole stage crumbles to ruin against the backdrop of the Rhinemaidens retrieving their lost gold just before humanity arrives on the scene to look on in awe at the dethroned immortals. Only a few scenes are visually disappointing, including a pedestrian Ride of the Valkyries(sans horses) and uminspiring special effects to back up Wagner's very inspiring Magic Fire Music.



Musically, this is a grand performance. There are too many singers involved in the Ring to mention everyone, so I'll focus on the majors. James Morris is Wotan, and his experience in the role is invaluable to this performance. His deep and haunting voice conveys both introspection and compassion, and anger when necessary, although the viewer gets the feeling that with this Wotan, anger is seldom more than an affectation, he is more of a noble and thoughtful character than a god of fury. His scene with Brunnhilde at the end of Die Walkure is earthshattering. The appropriately named Siegfried Jerusalem is an ideal Siegfriend, dashing, energetic, brash, immature and passionate, with a voice capable of being both stentorian and lyrical. Hildegard Behrens' Brunnhilde didn't overwhelm me initially, but by the Immolation Scene in Gotterdammerung I was completely sold. Though she sings beautifully, and with a lot of passion, she isn't the most strong-voiced Brunnhilde you will ever hear, and if this were merely a sound recording it might have bothered me. But she is as much a physical actress as a vocal one, and you aren't likely to see anyone get into the character of Wotan's valiant lovechild as deeply as she does. Finally, Matti Salminen is Matti Salminen. Among contemporary basses, he owns the character of the half-Nibelung half-human Hagen, possibly my favorite character in the whole cycle, a fascinating study of a personality bred toward evil. No one else's voice, or face, is so perfect for projecting Hagen's unique form of tortured menace. It makes we want to see him as King Phillip in Don Carlo, so someone please get around to releasing one of those productions on DVD!



Finally, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra under James Levine is outstanding. I sometimes find Levine's conducting of Wagner(as well as Puccini) to be too slow, but here there are very few moments where I felt he was dwelling on the profundity of the music at the expense of the drama, he achieves a nearly perfect balance of these two qualities. All the motifs are explored to the fullest extent, and the result is a soundworld unlike any other.



Buying a complete Ring Cycle is a big investment, so it really depends on what you're looking for. I'm a huge fan of these Met releases, so I may be a bit prejudiced, but I would recommend this one over others(bearing in mind that the only other one I've seen is the Barcelong Ring which is also quite good, though totally different). For me, this one is a perfect fusion of image and music. The Ring is a long listening and viewing experience, sometimes even in the best hands this can lead to some awkward and, let's face it, tiresome stretches, but especially if the music and visuals aren't on track. Here, though, Levine and Schenk and company have achieved something magical, appropriately enough, more than that they have created a Ring that FLOWS, logically, dramatically, from beginning to end. My praise couldn't be any higher.