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From Amazon.co.uk
James Levine makes Siegfried, sometimes the problem child among the four operas of Wagner's Ring cycle, attractive and interesting. He is aware of the darker side of some of the comic scenes--the seemingly benevolent dwarf Mime carries the weight of Wagner's many prejudices--but manages to keep them uneasy rather than positively sinister thanks to the finally judged performance of Heinz Zednik. Siegfried Jerusalem is admirable as Siegfried, full of boyish enthusiasm during the reforging of the sword, and of authority in his confrontations with the dragon and with Wotan. (The dragon itself is, as so often, an unfortunate compromise between realism and stylisation.) James Morris is extraordinary in Wotan's scenes here, his combination of injured pride and relieved joy when Siegfried demonstrates, by shattering his spear, that Wotan has entirely lost control of events is exemplary.
This is an opera whose many and various scenes are all preludes to its emotional core: the love duet which comes when Siegfried awakens Brunnhilde. Jerusalem and Hildegard Behrens convey both the innocence and the ardor of this duet; while Levine gets extraordinary playing from the Metropolitan Opera orchestra throughout, but especially here, where a chamber-like delicacy applies to much of the music.
On the DVD Siegfried on this disc is a recording of the 1990 Metropolitan Opera production and comes with both menus and subtitles in German, French, English, Spanish and Chinese as well as a picture gallery. Awkwardly it is presented in (American) NTSC format not PAL, and the visual ratio is standard TV 4:3. Better is the choice of sound formats--PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital and DTS digital--which provide a spacious acoustic that gives proper weight to the climaxes, and an appropriate delicacy to Wagner's subtler passages. --Roz Kaveney
Product Description
Sigfrido / Siegfried (2 Dvd)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I love this production, which I first saw on the television in 1990.
It is this performance that sold me on "Siegfried," which I used to dismiss unfairly--never having actually seen a production--as a crashing bore. Instead, I discovered a delightful fairy tale (albeit, perhaps not for children), with gnomes, dragons, "talking" birds, and a handsome hero who wakes the sleeping beauty with a kiss.
I especially enjoyed the performance of Siegfried Jerusalem, who not only portrays the archetypical hero of legend--handsome, bumptious, and more than slightly dense about life and love--but also looks the part. His reaction at discovering Brünnhilde's identity as a female is priceless. I am amazed at Jerusalem's staying power in a role that must be physically exhausting. And let his critics have a go at wielding a heavy hammer repeatedly in tempo, while singing a full-voiced "Notung, Notung, neidliches Schwert!" The music in that scene is nothing short of thrilling.
Heinz Zednik plays the gnasty gnome Mime--who gets no respect--with such panache that one almost feels sorry for him, and Ekkehard Wlaschiha is delightfully odious as his brother Alberich, whose green appearance predates that of Shrek. James Morris is outstanding as the wandering Wotan, a rather thankless role, since he subsequently drops out of the cycle (It is almost as if Wagner got tired of the character); and Dawn Upshaw's invisible Waldvogel is magnificent. Although some critics complain that Hildegard Behrens is past it vocally, she certainly looks the part of the ex-Valkyrie, newly awakened to love.
The DVD provides subtitles, which I certainly recommend using to enhance your enjoyment of the story and the music.
It is this performance that sold me on "Siegfried," which I used to dismiss unfairly--never having actually seen a production--as a crashing bore. Instead, I discovered a delightful fairy tale (albeit, perhaps not for children), with gnomes, dragons, "talking" birds, and a handsome hero who wakes the sleeping beauty with a kiss.
I especially enjoyed the performance of Siegfried Jerusalem, who not only portrays the archetypical hero of legend--handsome, bumptious, and more than slightly dense about life and love--but also looks the part. His reaction at discovering Brünnhilde's identity as a female is priceless. I am amazed at Jerusalem's staying power in a role that must be physically exhausting. And let his critics have a go at wielding a heavy hammer repeatedly in tempo, while singing a full-voiced "Notung, Notung, neidliches Schwert!" The music in that scene is nothing short of thrilling.
Heinz Zednik plays the gnasty gnome Mime--who gets no respect--with such panache that one almost feels sorry for him, and Ekkehard Wlaschiha is delightfully odious as his brother Alberich, whose green appearance predates that of Shrek. James Morris is outstanding as the wandering Wotan, a rather thankless role, since he subsequently drops out of the cycle (It is almost as if Wagner got tired of the character); and Dawn Upshaw's invisible Waldvogel is magnificent. Although some critics complain that Hildegard Behrens is past it vocally, she certainly looks the part of the ex-Valkyrie, newly awakened to love.
The DVD provides subtitles, which I certainly recommend using to enhance your enjoyment of the story and the music.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars
9 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hooked on Siegfried!
24 May 2011
By F. S. L'hoir
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
I love this production, which I first saw on the television in 1990.
It is this performance that sold me on "Siegfried," which I used to dismiss unfairly--never having actually seen a production--as a crashing bore. Instead, I discovered a delightful fairy tale (albeit not for children of short attention span), with gnomes, dragons, "talking" birds, and a handsome hero who wakes the sleeping beauty with a kiss.
I especially enjoyed the performance of Siegfried Jerusalem, who not only portrays the archetypical hero of legend--handsome, bumptious, and more than slightly dense about life and love--but also looks the part. His reaction at discovering Brünnhilde's identity as a female is priceless. I am amazed at Jerusalem's staying power in a role that must be physically exhausting. And let his critics have a go at wielding a heavy hammer repeatedly in tempo, while singing a full-voiced "Notung, Notung, neidliches Schwert!" The music in that scene is nothing short of thrilling.
Heinz Zednik plays the gnasty gnome Mime--who gets no respect--with such panache that one almost feels sorry for him, and Ekkehard Wlaschiha is delightfully odious as his brother Alberich, whose green appearance predates that of Shrek! James Morris is outstanding as the wandering Wotan, a rather thankless role, since he subsequently drops out of the cycle (It is almost as if Wagner got tired of the character); and Dawn Upshaw's invisible Waldvogel is magnificent. Although some critics complain that Hildegard Behrens is past it vocally, she certainly looks the part of the ex-Valkyrie, newly awakened to love.
The DVD provides subtitles, which I certainly recommend using to enhance your enjoyment of the story and the music.
It is this performance that sold me on "Siegfried," which I used to dismiss unfairly--never having actually seen a production--as a crashing bore. Instead, I discovered a delightful fairy tale (albeit not for children of short attention span), with gnomes, dragons, "talking" birds, and a handsome hero who wakes the sleeping beauty with a kiss.
I especially enjoyed the performance of Siegfried Jerusalem, who not only portrays the archetypical hero of legend--handsome, bumptious, and more than slightly dense about life and love--but also looks the part. His reaction at discovering Brünnhilde's identity as a female is priceless. I am amazed at Jerusalem's staying power in a role that must be physically exhausting. And let his critics have a go at wielding a heavy hammer repeatedly in tempo, while singing a full-voiced "Notung, Notung, neidliches Schwert!" The music in that scene is nothing short of thrilling.
Heinz Zednik plays the gnasty gnome Mime--who gets no respect--with such panache that one almost feels sorry for him, and Ekkehard Wlaschiha is delightfully odious as his brother Alberich, whose green appearance predates that of Shrek! James Morris is outstanding as the wandering Wotan, a rather thankless role, since he subsequently drops out of the cycle (It is almost as if Wagner got tired of the character); and Dawn Upshaw's invisible Waldvogel is magnificent. Although some critics complain that Hildegard Behrens is past it vocally, she certainly looks the part of the ex-Valkyrie, newly awakened to love.
The DVD provides subtitles, which I certainly recommend using to enhance your enjoyment of the story and the music.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
a siegfried that would make Wagner proud
28 Aug 2010
By vladimir
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
This is a production that would make Richard Wagner smile. I am so tired of the rubbish coming from Bayreuth and the rest of the Euro trash productions you see lately.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wagner - Siegfried / Levine, Jerusalem, Behrens, Morris, Metropolitan Opera (Levine Ring Cycle Part 3)
30 April 2011
By Bjorn Viberg
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
Wagner - Siegfried / Levine, Jerusalem, Behrens, Morris, Metropolitan Opera (Levine Ring Cycle Part 3) is a dvd recording produced by Deutsche Grammophon and Universal Classics and was recorded in 1990. The DVD comes with a very fine booklet that contains many photographs of the performance. Karl Dietrich Gräwe has written the music notes. Translated into English by Mary Whittall. I am huge fan of Wagner and consider him the king of the opera. His use of the leitmotif is legendary. Highly recommended. 5/5.
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4.3 out of 5 stars
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