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Amazon.co.uk Review
On the DVD: Der Ring des Nibelungen has all four operas, which are also available individually, contained in a single box. All the DVDs come with a photo gallery of the Metropolitan Opera productions and with menus and subtitles in German, French, English, Spanish and Chinese. It's a little disappointing, though, that they are presented in American NTSC format, not European PAL, and the picture ratio is standard TV 4:3. On the plus side, they all have an excellent clear acoustic in the three audio options: PCM stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. --Roz Kaveney
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84 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wagners "Ring",
By
This review is from: Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen -- Metropolitan/Levine [DVD] [NTSC] (DVD)
This DVD boxed set is a delight to own. 7 discs in 4 cases, each with a booklet detailing performance and production cast, chapter details, and a synopsis of each scene. Also included is an extra booklet giving an overview of Richard Wagner and this awesome cycle of 4 operas. The discs themselves provide subtitles in a variety of languages, sound in PCM stereo, 5.1 dolby and 5.1 Dts, photo galleries of the production, and details of other operas available in the Deutsche Grammophon series. It would have been helpful to have details of the lietmotifs - the musical phrases linked to persons, events, emotions etc - that run like threads throughout the work. A proper understanding - and enjoyment - of this music is impossible without some awareness of these building blocks, so some homework is advisable. Sonically the discs are breathtaking. The Dts soundtrack weaves a transparent magic around the speakers, only don't expect too much from the rear channels - this isn't "Star Wars". The eyes are a little less well served, as the NTSC encoded picture loses some detail at 525 lines (not PAL 625). Nor are we treated to widescreen. But with visual effects as gorgeous as the "rainbow bridge to Valhalla", in the closing moments of Das Rheingold, such technical shortcomings are soon forgotton. An assessment of the performances, either solo or orchestral, must be largely subjective but the word "definitive" comes to mind. It's unfortunate that the standard of the subtitles doesn't quite match up - like me, you may after a while find yourself automatically paraphrasing the rather clumsy translation. But any blemishes pale into insignificance against the music. This is to die for. Why not take a long weekend and enjoy the cycle as Wagner intended. At an average of nearly four hours of music on each of 3 days and a preliminary evening, this is an experience for the heart and mind that will be remembered (and repeated many times) for a lifetime.
55 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
New York Met At Its Best!!,
By E. A. Redfearn "eredfearn2" (Middlesbrough) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen -- Metropolitan/Levine [DVD] [NTSC] (DVD)
Channel Four first showed this version of Wagner's Tetralogy some years ago, and now it makes a very welcome addition to the growing DVD Opera Catalogue. First things first, its superb! Picture and sound are simply awesome on DVD, which isnt surprising. Moreover, the production values are first class. There have been numerous versions of Wagner's Ring over the years, and to be honest, one should not compare since all productions are different owing to the conducter's intepretation; singers; and staging. This version almost, but not quite, achieves what perhaps Wagner himself was looking for in the staging. Perhaps he knew that in his time, it was not really possible to achieve the standard that he was wanting. Now, with the wonders of technology and modern stage designs, Wagner's dream has come true. Of course, Sir Georg Solti's version recorded by Decca during the 1960s does remain the definitive version taking into account Birgit Nilson's wonderful intepretation of Brunnhilde. This version however, is for our time. Wonderfully staged and sung by a cast which is difficult to beat. Hildegard Behrens is wonderful as Brunnhilde. She may lack the "extra" finesse of Gwyneth Jones and Birgit Nilson, but it doesnt really matter. Siegfried Jerusalem is a fine Siegfried, strong and youthful, able to deliver with style and panache. A wonderful cast all round really. And finally, James Levine's stylish intepretation makes the music flow from first bar to the last, culminating in Valhalla's destruction and the dawning of a new age for mankind. My only criticism is however, that this version is NTSC coded; so unless you have a multi region DVD, you may have to decide whether to buy this version now just for the soundtrack which still plays superbly, or wait until you upgrade your DVD player. The choice is yours really. Any die hard Wagner fan cannot afford to be without this version though. Can be bought for a good price too, cheaper than the music CDs version.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of The best Ring cycles on DVD,
By
This review is from: Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen -- Metropolitan/Levine [DVD] [NTSC] (DVD)
Rheingold is my favourite of the 4 parts and it's the one I watch most often, because it's the best in terms of accessibility of the story, utterly mesmerising music and the stage direction is excellent. It's also the part of the Opera where a lot of Wagner's Leitmotifs are introduced in their basic forms, only to be heard again in the following three parts, each time becoming more complex and woven seamlessly into the score. I would thoroughly recommend you buy or rent them all together and watch them in sequence and this set cannot be rivalled at the moment (in my opinion anyway). Perhaps, watch Rheingold in one sitting then watch the rest one act at a time (that's what I did). This is a good way of taking it all in without getting distracted. Each act in the "quadrilogy" is like a self-contained episode with a bit of a cliff-hanger at the end of it. The stage direction and scenery together with Levine's very clear interpretation bring this closest to what Wagner intended, in my view, and before you see any of the "weird" or alternative stagings, you should see this "Ring" as it sets the benchmark. This is based on my experience of having seen them on stage a couple of times (welsh National in the 1980s and Scottish National 4 years ago), where they had simplified and to some extent attempted to modernise the setting. In the end you were left with a feeling that the music was good but somehow it didn't connect with what was going on on stage. So after those performances I didn't really go back to the Ring cycle because I was put off by the sparse stagings! Then I came across the Levine Rheingold and I was hooked and bought the rest. Once you see the Levine set, it all makes much more sense, at least the philosophy behind Wagner's creative process for this work and his attempts to reflect nature and humankind in what is basically a mythological story. If you don't see any other Wagner works, watch this set at least once and have the subtitles on! You won't be disappointed.
If you want the cycle on CD, on the other hand, my favourites are the Solti 1950s recordings, skillfully remastered to sound fresh and exciting as they day they were made probably. There are lots of others also commendable, check on Penguin Guide, but there is also the English Language version conducted by Goodall (at English National Opera) on complete CD box set, which I also like. Enthusiastically recommended to all fans of the Ring cycle
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