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Wagner - Die Walkure / Secunde, Elming, Tomlinson, Evans, Holle, Finnie, Close, Johansson, Kupfer, Barenboim, Bayreuth Opera | 
| Actors: Daniel Barenboim, Poul Elming, Nadine Secunde, John Tomlinson, Matthias Holle
Studio: Warner Classics
Category: DVD
List Price: $34.98
Buy New: $31.49
as of 3/16/2010 06:11 CDT details
You Save: $3.49 (10%)
New (4) Used (4) from $23.89
Seller: Amazon.com
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 58926
Format: Classical, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), German (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Discs: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 237 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
UPC: 825646231928
EAN: 0082564623192
ASIN: B0009EMOPQ
Theatrical Release Date: 1993
Release Date: September 27, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks
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Description
This DVD recording of the first installment of the 1991/1992 Kupfer/Barenboim production of Wagner's Ring Cycle, previously available on VHS, was recorded at the famous Bayreuth opera house built by Richard Wagner himself.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
 You heard it on Apocalypse Now, now see it here! April 3, 2009
Zarathustra (Sacramento, CA USA)
Wagner - Die Walkure / Secunde, Elming, Tomlinson, Evans, Holle, Finnie, Close, Johansson, Kupfer, Barenboim, Bayreuth Opera Just put DVD 2 in your player and there it is: Ride of the Valkyries (sorry, no copter sounds). Watch it over and over again.
I must disagree with NC from Ohio, who finds the Walkyrie ramp tacky and the singers overly caffeinated. I find the energy and beautiful singing of the Valkyries on their ramp inspiring.
In fact, the entire production is beautifully done. The singers don't just stand there, they drink their coffee and act. The Bayreuth Festival Orchestra under Barenboim is outstanding, and the singers are uniformly excellent. Harry Kupfer's laser light show is spectacular. John Tomlinson as Wotan is a hoot. You can't go wrong with this version.
Die Walkure with unique staging and superb singing and acting January 11, 2009
Mr John Haueisen (WORTHINGTON, OHIO United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Paul Elming and Nadine Secunde are the best Siegfried/Sieglinde couple I have seen. They bring youth, vitality and joy to their discovery of love scene that Ring viewers have come to love. At the same time, Barenboim's exquisite control of the orchestra's intensity allows us to hear Wagner's leitmotifs--signature tunes--one after another, in a dazzling way that adds another dimension to the scene on stage.
Just when you think that the highlight of this Walkure will be Siegmund/Sieglinde, along come John Tomlinson and Anne Evans with a Wotan/Brunnhilde that is electrifying. Near the end of Die Walkure, along with the touching love between Wotan and his daughter, who disobeyed him in order to try to please him, we are treated to perhaps the best-ever introduction of the Siegfried/Redemption theme that we will hear later in Gotterdammerung.
The laser light show used by director Harry Kupfer seems especially effective, augmented by lots of clouds of smoke for the closing scene featuring the Magic Fire music.
You should find this a very memorable Die Walkure, both for the unique stage effects and the superb singing and acting.
 Frustrating "Walkure" September 16, 2008
P. Ho (Washington DC)
This is such a frustrating production. I only have Walkure and do not plan to purchase the rest. I wanted to give it away, but there are a few elements here strong enough to make me keep it in my collection.
The set for the first act begins as Siegmund enters from the deep end of the stage making his way to the center trying to avoid light beams flashing from the floor. Once he comes to a rest the floor slowly rises to become part of the ceiling and Siegmund jumps through a hole of that lifting floor into what becomes Hunding's living room. There he meets the comely Sieglinde and the rather petulant Hunding. They of course had a pretty shiny, twisty looking tree in their living room.
The second act pretty much takes place on an empty stage covered, with the floor opening up during Wotan's monologue, and where Brunnhilde ends up doing something by the end of the act. (Don't ask)
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The third act is quite entertaining with the staging of the Ride. Of course since we don't have hefty girls riding winged horses, we now have this platform that swithbacks (or zig zags) from the ceiling to the ground. It is here that the Valkyries run up and down crying out their Hojotohos. Meantime there are dozens of pods on the ground that are just being moving around or being wheeled around, I guess to represent mumified heroes? Don't know. Couldn't tell you.
Once the Valkyries leave the stage and the platform raises back up to the ceiling the we are back to the empty stage again where Brunnhilde and Wotan go through their dialogue. For her slumber Wotan places Brunnhilde in this hanging neon lighted cube in the middle of the stage with light beams flashing on and off to signify flames. That part I thought was quite neat; if I don't care for the rest of the production, this one section I do watch over and over.
Anyway you have a group of dedicated singing actors to convince even if their vocal means are rather modest. Both sopranos, Nadine Secunde (Sieglinde) and Anne Evan (Brunnhilde) are very good singers but rather short on top. Poul Elmung is an accpetable Siegmund, but unfortunately some close ups make him look a little psychotic. Secunde looks rather puffy in her close ups. Neither one is helped by the harsh lighting and act I falls rather flat, particularly in comparison with Boulez/Chereau "Walkure". The Hunding and Fricka are less interesting unfortunately.
The one outstanding element is John Tomlinson's Wotan. The man is a force of element. His Wotan is supremely self confident, highly expressive, and very passionate. Plus he is not bad vocally. And it doesn't hurt that he is probably the sexiest Wotan of all these Rings on DVD.
Daniel Berenboim's conducting is grand and exciting, and the orchestra plays extremely well for him. Supposedly his model is Furwangler, but at times he sounds closer to Karajan, which is just as good.
The videography is very well done. I havent' seen this production on HD but the sound is wonderful. The main reason I have not given up this DVD is because of the great sound even on my limited television sound. The other reason I keep this DVD is John Tomlinson's Wotan.
I have Beremboim's "Gotterdammerung" on CD of this same staging team. After viewing this "Walkure" I have no plans to get the rest of the cycle. One star for the music, one star for the sound, and one star for Mr. Tomlinson.
Finest Die Walkure on DVD September 4, 2007
Ryan Morris (Chicago, IL)
This is by far the most satisfying Die Walkure on DVD. Barenboim heads a stunning interpretation marked by a lack of idiosyncratic or arrogant intrusions. This has the beauty of Levine without the sluggish tempi, the intensity of Krauss, and a sense of the inevitable like Furtwangler. Now, I am not saying this is better than Krauss-but specifically regarding the DVD format-you cant do better. The staging is sparse and never intrusive. It will not offend traditionalists(which I am) yet will appeal to those seeking a new twist. The cast is remarkable-John Tomlinson may be the greatest Wotan of our time-post Hotter. While James Morris DVD account is extraordinary-Tomlinson may not entirely equal him in beauty, but he far surpasses him in the more intense moments in an interpretation that is remarkably similiar to the "father of Wotans" Hans Hotter.
This DIE Walkure is your best choice on DVD and is musically extraordinary(Anne Evans as Brunnhilde is stunning). Unfortunetaly, I Cannot recommend the other three DVD's on this cycle-they are ridiculous and the ending of Gotterdammerung is an insult to the talent and supreme muscianship of all those involved in this modern treasure. But I strongly recommend the entire cycle on CD as the best modern ring and this DVD of DIE WALKURE.
Wunderbar Walkure August 16, 2007
scarecrow (Chicago, Illinois United States)
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
The physicality alone of this music pitting the human voice against the darknesses within the orchestra, the vocal dialogues as the wrath of Wotan,against lower strings (cellos and contrabasses) initiating contracts he had, and the wars he fought in behalf of Der Walsung Race.All the roles here are very strong and convincing, even Hunding, with those quick paraphlegic nods of the head in his confrontation with the wanderer Siegmund are powerful signifiers of character. The arrogant Hunding doesn't quite have the muscle against Wotan, but the projection of a Hunding is admirable, an enterprising man, protected by wealth and tribal connections.
Wotan,the God; do not be mislead here has a double function, I guess no one has commented on the Rock (as in rock'n roll)association he has,a cultural demigod; He looks like Jerry Garcia, from the Grateful Dead for example,or Wolfman Jack and many times this image has a bit of the anarchic,spontaneous combustion which to some degree never is reliquished throughtout this production."Steal This Empire!" The fact also that Wotan becomes a Wanderer,like Jim Morrison, or Cane, destined to walk the earth is a good metaphor,here Wotan is self-indulgent spreading his seeds far over the universe,reneging on contracts (he refused to payoff the Giants)soliciting a fatricide;He loved to be in the presence of luscious seductive women, and created their race here of warrior women, But he loved Brunhilde the most,and there is the connection to his weakness, for you cannot be everything to everyone; even though she betrayed his discourse, his wrath.His domestication dialogues with Fricka in their Duet is full bodied with the "Ethel Merman-type" persona as Fricka utilized here.
Anne Evans as Brunhilde projects a vulnerability,she doesn't have a large voice to hide behind; tall yet with soft gentle features, stout angular face,quite(unlike the more man-like Birgit Nilsson)yet Ms. Evans is a woman with depth and committment,like Sieglinde, a woman with passion and conscious for justice; cut from the same stock:(the auburn hair of both helps identify this race from Wotan)Brunhilde has the strength though to do what needs to be done; to eradicate the tyranny of the mindless Gods when they choose to snuff out life, much like what we see today in the criminal dimensions of the Bush Administration.
The incredible ending where Wotan summons his "advisor" Loge(not just a Fire-God) to protect Brunhilde in an eternal stasis is incredible.(Well only a "True" Hero can rescue her, someone with powers beyond ordinary mortals; Here she is enclosed in a laser protected Red Transparent Cube, with additional laser-lines shooting in all directions utilized as barriers trip-wires, much like what Banks, Mints and museums use to protect wealth and precious treasures. The long duet prior is well paced,the eternal bliss of fatherly love, (where is her Mother?)Brunhilde's Mother should have known of her demise;
Barenboim's true musical genius is situated in Wagner through the tempi gradations following the powerful phrases. It all works best.His approach is always dramatically impassioned,yet with discipline which is why when he does conducts works more strickly instrumetal focus, as Brahms and Bruckner Symphonies,he fails to some degree,in this durational excess. Wagner's art was more open,allowing for the narrative to be re-thought through with each generation of artists. The orchestral playing is well balanced,forceful not sacrificing color in any respect.We seem to not miss the details of the Boulez reading,Barenboim is more full-tilt. If you have a good stereo system this balance is incredible, clear and there is no dilution of the dark lower strings timbres,contrasted with the more reed-like earthy timbres in the rediscovery duets between Siegmund and Sieglinde. It is commonplace now to have excellent acting ability in all the roles, and that is an integral part of this production. Even within the Walkure themselves, personas emerge from them with the scant lines they sing. They wish they could have done more to help Brunnhilde, but Die Walkure are under contract as well, to serve Wotan's wishes.
The large stage, dark and desolate also works quite well here, not encumbering the stage with distractions as we have found like in the Met's 1980s production with fake/plastic shrubbery and trees verging on kitsch. This production eliminates this simply changing a set when needed. The stage itself here has a double function,,as in the opening Act when we see Siegmund seeking shelter, climbing down,(like he is chinning himself)with a metal bar scaling into Hunding's elegant yet primitive dining room, then later when both brother and sister are banished both ascend upwards, the center part of the stage is lowered into an image of a large white cliff. Simple changes like this are quite extraordinary and effective without being a distraction. The continuous contrast between what is primitive civilization with more technological features, as lights,polished wood,modern dress and glass,gives this RING an added dimension of ambiguity, timeless. The Valykries for example descend a spacecraft;a slim-stainless steel long stairways,(Eiffel like webbing) from the top of the stage,down perpendicular.But this travel is supposedly on "Horses", Brunhilde would never forsake her Grane-Horse, that brought her into battles.They bring back fallen heroes, information on how to win battles, like Lacan Knowledge Agency subservient to the Master Signifier, (Wotan in this instance) in his "Four Discourses" All these details I think add-up to a wonderfully inspired RING.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
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