Das Rheingold

Prior to watching Das Rheingold, my only exposure to Wagnerian opera came from 1) the "Ride of the Valkyries" helicopter sequence in Apocalypse Now and 2) Jon Else's fine documentary Sing Faster: The Stagehands Ring Cycle (VL-1/01), which features a mercifully brief time-lapse version of Hitler's favorite composer's acclaimed four-part Der Ring des Nibelungen (the 17-hour opus that inspired the popular catchphrase "it's not over until the fat lady sings," not to mention Tolkien's epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings). Technically, the "prologue" to the Ring cycle, Das Rheingold opens with the nasty elf Alberich (Günter von Kannen) playing verbal footsie with and being humiliated by a trio of Rhinemaidens, after which he renounces love, and steals the lasses' "river gold" and--more importantly--wins the ring of great power (which actually looks like a fake-jewel-encrusted knucklebuster; a visual cue for the cheap seats, presumably). Shift to Wotan's castle, where Wotan's (a pony-tailed Falk Struckmann) fellow gods are in a tizzy because he followed the crafty Loge's (Graham Clark) advice and promised to hand over the goddess Freia to a pair of giants in trade for their construction work on Valhalla, the new digs. Over the second half of the opera, the paths of Wotan, Loge, and the newly-powerful Alberich will cross as the struggle for the ring of power begins in earnest. Harry Kupfer's handsome (though often notably dark-looking) production, staged at Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu in 2004 under the baton of Bertrand de Billy, boasts a beautiful, dynamic set, which takes the viewer from deep within the bowels of the Earth where the Nibelungen elves live, to a giant ash on the banks of the Rhine river, to the mountain aerie of the gods. A half-traditional/half-modern mounting (check out von Kannen's Michael Jackson-esque crotch grab), Das Rheingold (spread across two discs) is presented in DTS and LCPM stereo, but features no extras beyond a cast photo gallery and an audio synopsis illustrated with stills from the production. Unlike, say, Carmen, which carries a veritable hit parade of musical numbers, Das Rheingold will have little appeal for non-opera fans (who will find it a turgid bore, for the most part), but aficionados are sure to appreciate this one. Highly recommended. [Note: the Kupfer stagings of Die Walküre and Siefried are also newly available, priced at $39.99 each.] Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)