Live in HD Broadcast Saturday 11th February 2012
Where did that six hours in cinema go!?!? Yes, it really was six hours! There are not many things I can think of that I would not resent giving up six hours of my life for but I can honestly say I was transported to such a magical place and fully immersed in the wonder and beauty of Wagner for the whole of that time, the incredible music and singing just took hold of me and the performing of that amazing cast left me open-mouthed, spellbound and at moments completely breathless - yes this really is Wagner's Ring Cycle we are talking about here and Gotterdammerung in particular! If anyone had told me just a year ago I would be totally rocking to this I would have laughed in disbelief.
Six hours of glorious opera - where does one start? - oh dear this is going to be so difficult to get any sort of joined up thoughts together as my head is simply buzzing with so many outstanding moments - am hoping this blog will not quite go to the epic proportions in length of this great opera ...... but it's tempting, with the number of highlights re-playing in my head and so many fabulous performances that need, yes neeeeeed highlighting.
Synopsis here in case anyone curious
http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=46
We start with the Norns, the three daughters of Erda, mother earth, who are weaving a rope - the rope of Destiny and as they weave they sing to update us on the story so far contained in the three previous episodes of the cycle - oh do keep up! To my mind Wagner should have just let it be at Siegfried, with Siegfried and Brunhilde blissfully ensconced in each others arms upon her rock, but alas this was not to be, with too many plots woven into the story with so many wrong-doings perpetrated with either good or evil intent this really was never going to be a happy ever after conclusion and as the Norns conclude their song the rope snaps and their powers are lost forever - this give us a sign that the world of the gods is about to unravel.
Moving on we find new characters in the form of Hagen (Hans Peter Konig), Gunther (Iain Paterson) and Gutrune (Wendy Bryn Harmer) - fabulous performances from all three. If there weren't already enough loaded against Siegfried and Brunhilde's happiness this little lot, along with the wicked Alberich (I can't think of Eric Owens as wicked, lol, when he has such a cute smile in his press photos), will seal the fate of the two lovers. I must give extra special mention here to Eric Owens for his all too brief but stunning performance as Alberich, which I found spell-binding, he took my breath away - seriously, he was fantastic.
Now, this is what we have all been waiting for haven't we, well OK I haaaaaaave - the chance to return to the passionate pair atop Brunhilde's rock as we find Brunhilde (Deborah Voigt) and lover Siegfried (Jay Hunter Morris) still all loved-up, but incredulous mystery of mysteries the dollard - yes, that's Siegfried -wants to go a-wandering, and after a great deal of singing of their love for each other-some more hot singing from the lovestruck pair then .... off he goes, yes, he leaves his beloved alone on her mountain top ....... mutter mutter mutter ...... men!!!! Oh well, he does leave her something nice and shiny - theeeeee Ring.....let us not forget, he still has the magical Tarnhelm. With Brunhilde's horse Graine, Siegfried has made his way to the land of the Gibichings, unaware of the plotting as he arrives in their welcoming midst to be given a potion that makes him forget Brunhilde and fall in love with Gutrune - eeeeek noooooo - swearing blood-brotherhood to Gunther (Iain Paterson) agrees, with the magic of the Tarnhelm, to disguise himself as Gunther and win Brunhilde as Gunther's bride.
Ah yes, the Ring, no sooner has Brunhilde got the ring on her finger - Sigfried departed and up turns her sister Waltrude (Waltrude Meier) who is after the ring to return to the Rhinemaidens in an effort to prevent the fall of the gods. Deborah Voigt and Waltrude Meier are divine singing here together, I just loved this bit, but for all Waltrude's beautiful singing and pleading Brunhilde will not part with Siegfried's ring, which she sees would be an act of betrayal of their love.
Waltrude departs and Siegfried arrives, with the help of the magical Tarnhelm, disguised as Gunther, steals back the ring and transports Brunhilde down the mountain, with no recollection of ever having known Brunhilde before, to the real Gunther who takes her back with him to the land of the Gibichings.
Jay Hunter Morris is a gorgeous Siegfried and so I now move the action on to the delightful scene by the Rhine with the three Rhinemaidens - Tamara Mumford, Jennifer Johnson Cano and Erin Morley - Siegfried encounters them as he is separated from the hunting party. This had to be one of my very favourite moments, the Rhinemaidens sang beautifully, really beautifully pleading for the return of their gold and Jay Hunter Morris, playful, shy, teasing seems to consider their request, but ends up refusing them - a glorious scene, but in the background the darkness is encroaching around him, the hunting party catches up with him and he meets his end at the hands of Hagen, who plunges a spear into his back having first given him a potion to restore his memory, as he dies he remembers his beloved Brunhilde - stop, wait, hold on, we have Siegfried lying dead here and now the orchestra is totally totally blowing me away with some of the most fantastic music I have heard in my life - the funeral march, fantastic!! WOW!!
It never was going to be a good ending as Brunhilde on her horse heads towards Siegfried's funeral pyre, Valhalla and the gods tumble, the Rhinemaidens manage to retrieve their gold from the ring as it flows back into the flooding Rhine, and claim the life of Hagen.
A mind-blowing and very enjoyable six hours in cinema, despite the numb rear, I loved Gotterdammerung - Wagner's Ring Cycle - oh yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees, I love this Met Ring Cycle, I adore that cantankerous machine with a passion, and the cast are truly awesome performers, each and every one, I shall fondly remember this Ring Cycle, seems so sad to say goodbye.
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