The one-act prologue to Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen is the shortest of the four operas in the famed opera cycle inspired by Norse mythology, but in this 2002 performance of Das Rheingold from the Stuttgart Staatsoper it seems almost as long as the six-hour finale, G(tterd(mmerung. The leadoff to a new production of the Ring presented by different directors, this is a visually minimalist mounting, with all the scenes played on a single set--what appears to be an empty lobby with a central fountain--featuring characters clothed in vaguely 1930s Weimar Republic dress. Simple expedients are found for the opera's grandiose effects--a wall mirror stands in for the Tarnhelm, Donner's hammer is of toolbox size, and Alberich's transformation into a dragon is distinctly unimpressive. Though the staging often makes hash of the text, however, such a barebones approach might have worked had the vocalizing been exceptional, which is not the case here. Most of the singers are of little better than provincial standard, with Wolfgang Probst a dull, wobbly Wotan and Esa Ruuttunen a dry, pinched Alberich. Ultimately, the best thing about the performance is conductor Lothar Zagrosek's brisk, nimble pacing, which plumbs no depths but coaxes solid playing from the orchestra. Technically, the camerawork on this extra-less DVD is good and the sound excellent (including DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1, and PCM stereo), excepting a tendency for voices to be masked when the singers are stage left. Still, this is a mediocre production, overall. Not recommended. [Note: the three other operas in the Stuttgart version of the Ring cycle are also newly available: Die Walküre, Siegfried, and G(tterd(mmerung.] Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
Das Rheingold
(2002) 152 min. In German w/English subtitles. DVD: $29.99. TDK (dist. by Naxos of America). Color cover. Volume 19, Issue 4
Das Rheingold
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