I'm sitting here about to write an opinion on Wagner's Ring and wondering seriously if a) I'm mad b) if I'll finish it before the end of my life, and c) whether it will be of any use to anyone else whatsoever.
Nevertheless, my Ciao motto is "write what you know", and I know Wagner's Ring, and especially Solti's first, and benchmark, recording at least as well as the back of my hand.
I recommend this glorious early sixties boxed-set over and above any other, since you have some of the last links here with singers that studied with those who had worked with Wagner. The glorious Norwegian soprano Kirsten Flagstad appears in one of her final recordings as Fricka in Das Rheingold (when she sat quietly knitting at a piano rehearsal, the general concensus was that "the old girl's past it" until she began to sing...), Hans Hotter turns in an almost unbearably moving Wotan in Walkure, and Birgit Nilsson's fearless - and almost peerless - Brunnhilde tears through the heavy orchestration tirelessly (she was missing her cats terribly during recording, and Solti kindly borrowed a kitten to cheer her up). There is a real all-star cast throughout the tetralogy, with stars-to-come like Brigitte Fassbaender and Dame Joan Sutherland taking small roles. To give a sense of the historic relevance of this recording, both of these artists have also now retired.
However, the supreme performance is from the sadly missed Sir Georg Solti, whose breathtaking mastery and skill at pacing a phrase will never be matched by anyone else. His tireless energy and enthusiasm led to this project being undertaken in the first place, and it is somehow fitting that this now 40-year old set is his monument.
But first things first.
PRICE The best and cheapest way to get this set is from Britannia. The 14 CD set is often "given" away at £19.99 as an incentive for joining the classical section, and even if it happens not to be on offer at the time, it still tends to hover around the £59.99 to £70.00 mark. Even at the upper end, that's around £4.00 for each hour of music. You may also get good deals on eBay and the like, since this set has been around in this particular format for some time. Vinyl lovers may even pick up a bargain from specialist dealers, although anyone lucky enough to still own the originals is unlikely to let them go.
LOOK An attractive purple boxcase, very simply designed, with small reproductions of the original LP covers along the upper section. Inside are four separate box sets for the four operas (Das Rheingold, Die Walkure - the one with the famous bit, Siegfried, and Gotterdammerung), each containing CDs in paper slipcovers, and an attractive gold libretto, with the text in German, French, and English. There is a comprehensive synopsis, and some beautiful Arthur Rackham drawings. Again, the original LP cover is reproduced on the front of the individual boxes.
THE STORY I'll try and make this short, but as Anna Russell (the great comedienne and musicologist) once said, "it begins in the Rhine, IN IT, and ends twenty hours later - you guessed it - right back where we started".
We might be here for hours, so go and make a coffee. This is a basic overview of what happens, and why:
In Das Rheingold, the gold of the title is stolen from the Rheinmaidens who guard it (think Beverley Sisters underwater), stolen again by Wotan (Chief God), and used to pay for Valhalla (home of the Gods), which has been built by two giants. A curse is attached to the ring made from this gold, which Wotan chooses to ignore.
In Walkure, the Walsung twins (mortals fathered by Wotan), who were separated in childhood, meet by accident, and fall passionately in love. Fricka, goddess of marriage and Wotan's wife, is furious, and demands their execution. Wotan confides in his favourite daughter, Brunnhilde, and confesses that although he doesn't want to kill the Walsungs, his hands are tied. He makes the mistake of saying that she "knows his heart", and she takes this to mean that she should save the twins. She cannot kill the twins (Siegmund and Sieglinde), as they are her brother and sister. However, they are now doubly pursued, by Sieglinde's husband, and Wotan, resolved to do his own dirty work for once. A confused fight ensues, and Siegmund is killed. Brunnhilde spirits the pregnant Sieglinde (yes I know, quick workers weren't they?) away, together with the shattered remains of Siegmund's sword (important later). The Valkyries, in the middle of collecting dead warriors from the battlefield (for that is what they do) try to stall an angry Wotan to give Brunnhilde a fighting chance to get Sieglinde hidden in the woods. However, he eventually catches up with Brunnhilde, and for her disobedience, she is put to sleep inside a ring of fire, which can only be crossed by the greatest of all heros. He puts the ring of the title on her finger.
Onto Siegfried. He is the son of the twins, and has been brought up by Mime (brother of Alberich - remember him?), who wavers between wanting to protect him and to kill this child he found in the woods. Siegfried in very young, very handsome, very brave and very stupid. He forges a new sword from the shattered remains of his father's, and goes to seek his fortune. He finds his aunt, with whom he falls instantly in love (she is the only woman he has every seen, after all), and frees her. However, Wotan has taken all her powers, and she is now a mortal woman.
Gotterdammerung starts with domestic bliss, and Siegfried going to seek new adventures, leaving a decidely wifely Brunnhilde behind. Her sister, Waltraute (a Valkyrie) finds her, and urges her to surrender the ring, as the terrible curse is destroying the gods. Valhalla is falling into disrepair, the gods are growing old, and Wotan does nothing except stare into space and ponder the fate of his favourite daughter. Brunnhilde refuses, as the ring has taken on sentimental significance for her. Siegfried, however, has met another family, the Gibichungs, a hospitable bunch except for elder half brother Hagen. Siegfried is given a potion to forget his life, and is persuaded to marry Gutrune, Hagen's half sister. Poor cow, she has nothing to do with any of this, by the way. An enraged Brunnhilde appears, and denounces the witless bigamist. She plots with Hagen, and Siegfried is killed. In remorse, she rides her horse into the funeral pyre. The flames rise to engulf Valhalla, the gods are destroyed, the Rhine overflows its banks, and the Rhinemaidens joyfully grab the ring from the carnage. The curse is lifted.
Phew...
IS THIS A GOOD PLACE TO START WITH WAGNER? In short, no. Go for the romantic, lyrical, witty comedy Die Meistersinger von Nuremburg first. Then move onto Das Rheingold, which is one of the finest pieces of political satire ever written aside from anything else, then onto Tannhauser (about Venus, several knights, and redemption), and then perhaps back to the Ring.
WHAT ABOUT THE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS? To clear up a popular misconception, Wagner died before Hitler was born. They did not know each other. The music was hijacked by an evil dictator to somehow represent a pure ideal.
There is no doubt that Wagner was extremely political as a man, and held extreme and bigoted views.
However, the recurring themes in his operas are about love, particularly redeeming love, brotherhood, loyalty, and "doing the right thing".
ANYTHING ELSE??? Oh yes, if you can pick up a video anywhere of the accompanying documentary "The Golden Ring" do. Nothing else will every come closer to giving you an idea of what recording a vast opera is really like.
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