Wagner - Parsifal

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant interpretation\Pseudo-Tradional success.......2007-09-11

This Parsifal is conducted by the brilliant but little known Bayreuth\Wagner genius Horst Stein. Those familiar with Steins Die Meistersinger know to expect great things with this Parsifal, finally transferred to DVD-adding considerable quality to the old VHS. Stein, in both this and the Meistersinger(both traditional) is as unique and inspired as the Met\Levine versions are dull and boorish. Both are pseudo-traditional, which is why they make for good comparisons, as well as Jerusalems role as Parsifal and Weikl as Amfortas.
Lets begin with Gurnemanz. Hans Sotin does a marvelous job-On a personal level I adore Kurt Molls booming and uniquely cavernous voice best with Kubelik, second to only Hotter. But Moll sounds strained on the Levine CD and only slightly better on the DVD though Sotin is a far better actor. Most other aspects(with the possible exception of Kundry(Randova\Meier) of the Stein are superior to Levine. Jerusalem is in much better voice and as an actor(good knows we can barely call it that) but here he is much more believable and likeable and his voice still has the ability to oscillate without any stress(the last true heldentenor). Eva Randova is a good Kundry-though I am so tired of this character portrayed as nothing more than a writhing screaming "mime"esque thing we feel no pity or remorse for and can identify with even less. I have, to date, never been satified with any visual representation of her though on disc she has been well served.
Bernd Weikl has been the Amfortas of choice for over 25 years now and is in better voice with Stein-though no one will ever compare to the Phillips\KNA performance by London-though Morris was close-(just listen to the first phrase in praise of the morning-one of the most beautifully sung passages I have ever heard and an early inclination of how any interpretation will progress.
Bayreuth, of course, plays splendidly though actually the Levine Met of the early 90's were probaly better(that specific Bayreuth Orch had just dealt with significant changes and alterations and was still returning to form while the Met had become one of the most consistently reliable and flawless operatic orchs in the entire world-if not the best.
Most importantly, however, is how do the conductors fair?-and again, those who have heard Steins Meistersinger know what to expect-for those who havent-Stein is a Wagnerian of the first order-probably the best Bayreuthian no one has heard of. For those familiar with Levine, on the otherhand, know that his Wagner is very unpredictable in quality because it is so predictable. His Lohengrin is, in my opinion, excellent and his ring cycle is great besides hildegard behrens awful Brunnhilde and his Tannhauser is pretty good. However-they all have similar flws that are directly the fault of the conductor in terms of the flow, excitement, and feeling. I do not think anyone can argue though that he always produces a beautiful sound. But Levine conjues one of the most boorish and uninspired Parsifal DVDs I have heard. The tempos drag to almost unbearable speed, pushing the audience to its limit. This is one score that, though theoretically would seem to become "deeper" and more "profound" the slower it gets, but really it needs a natural impetus- a natural, springlike feel to make it succeed. There are moments that benefit from a introspective approach-though god help anyone who speeds through the Transformation music---but most vocal interaction benefits from a fluid approach.
Levine's CD is saved by an all-star cast(barely)I am a sucker for James Morris(amfortas) buttery inflection, but the DVD suffers because one must judge it entirely(visual as well as aural.)
In conclusion-this is the first choice of any Parsifal-especially for those who prefer a traditional approach. But also for seasoned Wagnerites who know the work. There is so much beauty to the performance and so much more drama it will stay with you for a long time. For those wanting a CD recommendation-I strongly urge you to buy the KNappertsbusch performance recently remastered or the Kubelik(with many similar cast members as both the stein and the Levine), or the Karajan, or Barenboim.
He Ho.

5 stars for the music.......2007-08-30

But less for the staging.. It's true that the staging here leaves the first place to the music which is great especially for a magnificent work like Parsifal. But as you know these bayreuth videos are captured without the audience and we are expecting quite rightfully more dynamics in the staging. It's very colorful and elegant with gorgeous set designs but very reluctant and lacks some dynamics especially in the second act. The singers are standing stonelike which is certainly deliberate but somehow disturbing.
But Stein, the great wagnerian, with electrfying conducting, makes us forgive and forget these flaws. Norbert Balasch who is the chorus master in all the bayreuth video productions, drives the choir to a divine level as usual. Singers are also first rate save for acting (Randova especially).
Sound quality and video directions are excellent for sure, all in all this is a great parsifal,conducted and sang by great wagnerians and it's from bayreuth, the wagner temple which makes this an indispensable video. But it's not the definitive one. I would love to see that performing crew with otto schenk's magnificent staging for met; That would have been the definitive one for sure.

A Conductor's Opera.......2007-08-19

Horst Stein is a great Wagnerian. I have an imported Japanese laserdisc of an all-Wagner concert that Stein conducted in Tokyo, and it is masterful. Although he only a guest conductor on the podium, he gets top-notch Wagner out of the NHK Symphony Orchestra.
In this video of PARSIFAL, Stein's face never comes on the screen, but the man is all over this piece of music. The staging is appropriate and self-effacing, the singers obediently stand and wait until the musical cue for them to start singing, but driving the performance is the flawless touch of conductor Stein.
Over in Berlin a few years later, Kupfer tried to upstage Barenboim, and the result is schizophrenic. With eyes closed the work is PARSIFAL in the forest; with eyes open the work is some kind of bank robbery in slow motion (it takes place in a bank vault, without a blade of grass, for heaven's sake).
Here in Bayreuth what you get is what you see. There is color, there are living things, people have an ambience with nature and there might be such a thing as a swan, maybe even a magical one, and when the Good Friday music comes, the result is the opposite of alienation. The director-driven stagings are all about alienation, aren't they? No opera is more antithetical to the whole project of alienation on stage than PARSIFAL. Director Wolfgang Wagner simply puts the elements onto the stage, and conductor Stein builds the synthesis.

Close to definitive........2007-08-04

Finally the quest for the holy grail is over: A performance/production of Parsifal on Dvd that is really worth investing in and really helps you appreciate that in fact Parsifal IS a great opera. Whereas the 1951-1964 staging of Wieland Wagner at Bayreuth is regarded by many as the best of the post-war Parsifal productions (at least from Bayreuth), this production on dvd is probably the best you will ever get to see. This is more the case now that Bayreuth itself is being used as a publicity centre for young opera-hating stage designers who wish to forge a career in film via generating the absolute maximum of notoriety they can muster through their perverted productions.

My knowledge of Parsifal is limited to the Nagano Dvd and the Levine/New York Met production (similar to the first reviewer here). I have seen a couple of live performances and have a few recordings on dvd (Von Karajan, Knappertsbusch (1962), Levine) as well as a few live productions including recently the abomination that is the anti-Wagner 2004 Bayreuth production. I can say that, regarding dvds, whereas the Nagano production suffers from: a) conducting that seems to me to lack feeling and, b) from being another silly modern stage, and while the Levine production is: a) sluggish with unimaginative tempi and, b) lacking in dramatic effect, this Bayreuth version is conducted with pace by Stein but is nevertheless replete with ethereal atmospheric effect induced by a really effective layering of the score, the staging is perfect - not cluttered, but scenic and in fact beautiful - and individual performances in terms of singing and acting are really first rate.

Ultimately this recording illustrates how fundamental it is to adhere, at least to a reasonable degree, to Wagner's stage instructions to maximize not only dramatic effect but, I believe, also to bring out the sheer beauty of the music. Stein, backed by an excellent orchestra, conducts well for sure but the fact that there is real synthesis between music and drama - the gesamtkunstwerk of which Wagner extolled - really does serve to facilitate both: the music seems more apt and imbued with significance, the drama simultaneously drives and is driven by the music. The music and the drama make sense when harmonized in this manner - a far cry from many, if not most modern stagings, such as a recent live production I saw that was set in an institution for the mentally ill; in what way is the prideful, sombre marching music of the knights befitting of a congregation of nutters in a loony bin!?!?! Ridiculous!

I have to say I hate modern productions and they are potentially killing off new generations of would-be Wagner enthusiasts. The difference in effect on a Wagner neophyte seeing this Bayreuth production as compared to seeing one of the dodgy modern translations would be palpable - it is essentially the difference between rendering the opera quasi transcendental and rendering it an absurdity. That modern stagers think they can outdo the work of a genius who made it his life-time obsession to perfect every last detail of his mature opera works is in itself absurd! Wieland Wagner is perhaps singled out as the stage director who most appropriately deviated from Wagner's and Bruckner's original stage design to produce something more minimalistic - arguably appropriate - and this staging might be regarded as a compromise of the two approaches. Not that the magic of a Bayreuth staging is impermeable to the contaminating filth induced by the egos and self-publicizing anti-Wagnerism of modern designers in the form of unsophisticated kitsch. The present Bayreuth production offers a post-apocalyptic setting that shows Klingsor, at the end of act 2, rather than being defeated by Parsifal, aiding Parsifal in killing Kundry with the sacred spear and then escaping in a spaceship to reappear in act 3 - Parsifal then basically kills everyone including himself at the end of act 3!

Now for some details:
As I have mentioned the staging is excellent and the dramaturgy pretty much faultless throughout.
Siegfried Jerusalem is absolutely excellent as Parsifal here. He is about 12 years younger than in the Levine/Met Opera Dvd version which I think makes all the difference since we must assume that 'der reine tor' is not a man well into his fifties. Furthermore, he seems to be vocally at his peak here; his voice is powerful and perfectly nuanced and controlled. His acting is appropriate for Parsifal who must come over as being naive but not an imbecile (by contrast I have seen Jerusalem play Siegfried, a character not dissimilar to Parsifal in many ways, as an imbecile in Dvd versions of Siegfried and Gotterdammerung).
Sotin as Gurnemanz and Weikl as Amfortas are also perfect both in terms of singing and acting. Sotin is much subtler than, for example, Kurt Moll in the Met production whose 'acting' appears to revolve around glancing at the conductor every five seconds for guidance. As Amfortas Weikl looks and plays the part and his interaction with the Knights in the two grail scenes has a real visceral edge to it lacking in other productions.
Randova as Kundry, for the most part, is also excellent. I would agree with the first reviewer here that her voice is perhaps insufficiently sweet to be convincingly seductive in Act 2. This is something of a fault and lacks the power of Waltraud Meier's performance in the Levine Dvd. You can understand Parsifal's struggle to remain 'pure' when confronted with the lyrical and visual treat of Meier but not quite so much with Randova although she is not exactly weak in this respect. The flower-maiden scene is done so well that this somewhat compensates for the relative lack of 'seduction effect'. Randova is very good, however, as the wretched alter-ego of Kundry, her screams of anguish seem pertinent rather than melodramatic.

Some small gripes. In the final scene Kundry is supposed to fall 'lifeless to the ground' - this does not happen here and I think it is a fault albeit not a debilitating one. The beam of light, used in other productions, that should fall on the grail when in the office of Parisfal is also lacking which I think somewhat detracts from dramatic effect and the significance of the work.
I can live with these omissions as I can with Randova's less than particularly seductive voice in the 2nd act because everything else is spot on.

So, in a nutshell, if you want a more or less traditional Wagner rendition of Parsifal that synthesizes music and drama as facilitated by truly excellent acting and singing engendering perfectly the atmospheric effect I believe Wagner would have wanted, then you MUST buy this. It is Wagner's gesamtkunstwerk at about as high a degree as you are likely to see - probably on dvd or any performance live now that the evil Wagner hating modernist stagers have saturated the opera world.

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Levine, Metropolitan Opera (Complete Ring Cycle)

Average customer rating:

Overall, the best "Ring" out there
Good enough, I'd say
Cinematic Wagner
Wagner's Opera, " The Ring " Cycle
Met's Ring Cycle

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Levine, Metropolitan Opera (Complete Ring Cycle)
Starring: James Morris (IX) , Siegfried Jerusalem , Ekkehard Wlaschiha , Christa Ludwig , and MariAnne Häggander
Director: Brian Large
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006L9ZT
Release Date: 2002-11-12

Customer Reviews:

Overall, the best "Ring" out there.......2007-07-31

As a veteran of 25+ live "Ring" cycles, this Met production remains my favorite. Reviewers giving this production 3 stars have evidently not suffered through such "Ring" abominations as those recently done in Vienna and Stuttgart, or the godawful Kirov "Ring" at the Met this summer.
Siegfried Jerusalem is a fantastic Siegfried, warm, likeable(which is difficult), nuanced, I could go on and on. It is hard to describe how many trainwreck "Siegfried"s I have seen, this one is pretty near perfect.
Any live production of "The Ring" is never going to be exactly what you have in mind. Actually, James Levine's conducting and innate understanding of "The Ring" IS what I have in mind...this is the best DVD of "The Ring" available.

Good enough, I'd say.......2007-06-20

This Ring Cycle does *not* deserve three-and-a-half stars, so I'm trying to up the average--I'd prefer to give it four-and-a-half, but there we go.

There are minor quibbles which have been mentioned: no horses, the fact that the twins aren't very, well, twin-like--they're all true, but not enough to take a star off, that's for sure. All the problems with it are so minor I hardly noticed.

James Morris' Wotan is truly amazing, and Hildegard Behrens, though not perfect, is a decent enough Brunnhilde. But Siegfried Jerusalem as Siegfried troubled me (I think I've been spoiled by Alberto Remedios--listen to the ENO Ring Cycle recording of "Siegfried" after this and you'll get my point). Matti Salminen is a wonderful Hagen/Fafner, and the music is of course excellent. The voices range from fair to awe-inspiring. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves opera, or legends, or (like me) both.

Cinematic Wagner.......2007-06-20

Wagner's Ring is perhaps the greatest work of art ever, certainly the most brilliant accomplishment in the field of musical drama. I found this Met broadcast to be an entirely satisfying interpretation. I understand that some "Ringies" are disappointed with the straightforward approach, the lack of symbolism, but there is already enough symbolism in the story, the characters and the music for a month of Sundays. Don't get me wrong, I like abstract interpretations of the Ring(see my review of the Barcelona production), but sometimes you just want to sit back and enjoy the Ring on its own terms, without any frills, just be immersed in the mythological images and, most of all, the glorious music, and this Met production is perfect for that type of Ring experience. Otto Schenk's vision is appropriately cinematic, literally capturing Wagner's mythological world as the composer probably envisioned it, uncluttered by any modernist touches. And the results are often stunning. The gods' introduction to Valhalla at the end of Das Rheingold is one example, Wotan and company standing in the foreground, with a gorgeous rainbow spanning the gorge between them and their new home, a castle as grim and foreboding as it is beautiful. The conclusion of Gotterdammerung is equally impressive, with Schenck taking the term twilight of the gods quite literally as the whole stage crumbles to ruin against the backdrop of the Rhinemaidens retrieving their lost gold just before humanity arrives on the scene to look on in awe at the dethroned immortals. Only a few scenes are visually disappointing, including a pedestrian Ride of the Valkyries(sans horses) and uminspiring special effects to back up Wagner's very inspiring Magic Fire Music.

Musically, this is a grand performance. There are too many singers involved in the Ring to mention everyone, so I'll focus on the majors. James Morris is Wotan, and his experience in the role is invaluable to this performance. His deep and haunting voice conveys both introspection and compassion, and anger when necessary, although the viewer gets the feeling that with this Wotan, anger is seldom more than an affectation, he is more of a noble and thoughtful character than a god of fury. His scene with Brunnhilde at the end of Die Walkure is earthshattering. The appropriately named Siegfried Jerusalem is an ideal Siegfriend, dashing, energetic, brash, immature and passionate, with a voice capable of being both stentorian and lyrical. Hildegard Behrens' Brunnhilde didn't overwhelm me initially, but by the Immolation Scene in Gotterdammerung I was completely sold. Though she sings beautifully, and with a lot of passion, she isn't the most strong-voiced Brunnhilde you will ever hear, and if this were merely a sound recording it might have bothered me. But she is as much a physical actress as a vocal one, and you aren't likely to see anyone get into the character of Wotan's valiant lovechild as deeply as she does. Finally, Matti Salminen is Matti Salminen. Among contemporary basses, he owns the character of the half-Nibelung half-human Hagen, possibly my favorite character in the whole cycle, a fascinating study of a personality bred toward evil. No one else's voice, or face, is so perfect for projecting Hagen's unique form of tortured menace. It makes we want to see him as King Phillip in Don Carlo, so someone please get around to releasing one of those productions on DVD!

Finally, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra under James Levine is outstanding. I sometimes find Levine's conducting of Wagner(as well as Puccini) to be too slow, but here there are very few moments where I felt he was dwelling on the profundity of the music at the expense of the drama, he achieves a nearly perfect balance of these two qualities. All the motifs are explored to the fullest extent, and the result is a soundworld unlike any other.

Buying a complete Ring Cycle is a big investment, so it really depends on what you're looking for. I'm a huge fan of these Met releases, so I may be a bit prejudiced, but I would recommend this one over others(bearing in mind that the only other one I've seen is the Barcelong Ring which is also quite good, though totally different). For me, this one is a perfect fusion of image and music. The Ring is a long listening and viewing experience, sometimes even in the best hands this can lead to some awkward and, let's face it, tiresome stretches, but especially if the music and visuals aren't on track. Here, though, Levine and Schenk and company have achieved something magical, appropriately enough, more than that they have created a Ring that FLOWS, logically, dramatically, from beginning to end. My praise couldn't be any higher.

Wagner's Opera, " The Ring " Cycle.......2007-06-11

The longest Opera ever written is also one of the best ever written. The players are superb, as are their performances.
If you ever have an opportunity to see a performance live, take it.

Met's Ring Cycle.......2007-05-14

For me, this is the best Ring cycle I am aware of - excellent singing, staging, acting, James Levine direction, etc. It is a traditional staging, which I far prefer, with top singing in each role. I am a great fan of James Morris as Wotan and was highly satisfied with all other major roles. If you enjoy a traditional Ring cycle, you can't go wrong with this production.

Average customer rating:

Music to Inspire
Jerusalem
Breathtaking
A New Experience for Me
Another great Gaither video

Jerusalem
Starring: Bill Gaither , Gloria Gaither , and Homecoming Friends
Manufacturer: Spring House / EMI
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007M23JM
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Customer Reviews:

Music to Inspire.......2007-04-07

This CD is definitely my favorite of all the Gaither CD's. It is filled with emotional (mostly joyful) selections. It is very inspirational and moving.

Jerusalem.......2007-02-01

This Christian song DVD is excellent, impressive and great because all the singers are singing and performing enthusiastically and devotionally.
The content of the singing is very good in the context of Jerusalem .
I apreciate the excellent Gospel singers. I've been deeply touched with it.

Breathtaking.......2007-01-18

An amazing and terrific show of music and worship. The scenario, old Jerusalem, is breathtaking, the singers, the songs, the orchestra...wow.

A New Experience for Me.......2005-09-19

I've never been to a concert in my life. I've never even seen a concert on TV. That is, until I saw this Jerusalem DVD. It shows an entire Christian concert that took place in the city of Jerusalem itself. Jerusalem looked like a really neat place, with modern highways and a few old, old buildings. I'm talking OLD. The venue for the concert is one of these OLD places.

There's a whole variety of songs featured here. Some are very powerful and moving, focusing the overwhelming grace of God, and then there are other songs that are just plain fun like, "Hey Moses, Take Your Shoes Off." I think my favorite is, "Can't Stop Talking About Him," which is a song that's more on the fun side.

Most of the songs are original, but there are a few classics like, "It Is Well With My Soul." I really like those.

I am pleased with this Gaither product. It's really good if you want to see a group of Christians experiencing joy through musical worship.

On a side note, I kept thinking through the whole concert that one of the singers REALLY looked like the stereotypical picture of Jesus, with the beard and long hair and big smile. His hair was probably much more grey than Jesus's hair was though.

Another great Gaither video.......2005-07-31

Ok, simply put, this DVD is awesome!
From the opening song, Jerusalem by the Hoppers, all the way to the very end, this DVD is jam-packed with great songs that will keep you singing for hours!
Personal favorites would have to be
Jerusalem - Hoppers
Can't Stop Talking About Him - Brand new song by the Gaither Vocal Band featuring their new singer Marshall Hall (who by the way, is awesome!)
Walking In Jerusalem - Featuring Buddy Greene and the Isaacs (awesome harmony, fun song)
And of course, no Gaither video would be complete if Mark Lowry didn't show up! He sings a hilarious song called Shalom, Ya'll that is both entertaining, and in some ways, very true.
A must have for any Gaither fan, or a great first-time experience!
Also check out it's sequel, Israel Homecoming

Wagner - Parsifal / Levine, Weikl, Mazura, Metropolitan Opera

Average customer rating:

Superficial Tradition meets boorish tempos
gorgeous music
ABSOLUTELY STUNNING - An Exerience of Music and the Sacred
'Waltraud Meier' and 'Siegfried Jerusalem',are the stars!!!!
Onward and Upward!

Wagner - Parsifal / Levine, Weikl, Mazura, Metropolitan Opera
Starring: Bernd Weikl , Jan-Hendrik Rootering , Kurt Moll , Franz Mazura , and Siegfried Jerusalem
Director: Brian Large
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006J9OV
Release Date: 2002-10-29

Customer Reviews:

Superficial Tradition meets boorish tempos.......2007-08-16

Levine and Parsifal just dont seem to mix. This is his second attempt at recording this piece, both with casts that would make most conductors salivate with envy, and yet both versions are almost identically wrong and tremendously boring. I would strongly recommend Horst Stein's which also has Siegfried Jerusalem especially if you prefer this anti-modern(which I do) setting. Stein is a very underappreciated Wagnerian who also turned in a Meistersinger far superior to Levine's. The singing here is fine, with special mention to Moll and Jerusalem though they are both finer elsewhere, though Kundry Meier is along way from what she used to be when with Barenboim she recorded the finest Kundry I have heard, though here she is quite obnoxious. For a great cd version, go with Knappertbusch, Karajan, or Barenboim and either one will be fine(I adore the Kna the best though the Barenboim is a close second) and for DVD versions go with Horst Stein(especially if you wanted this because it was a traditional setting)

gorgeous music.......2007-01-16

Parsifal is my favorite of Wagner's music-dramas. It has the most of all of them - Parsifal incorporates Catholic, Buddhist, and mythical themes into an overwhelmingly beautiful story infused throughout with a sense of devotion, piety, and worshipfulness.

The recording here is very good - Levine and the Met Opera Orchestra are in fine form as always. Siegfried Jerusalem makes a great Parsifal, Bernd Weikl makes a fine Amfortas (though I like Jose van Damm under Karajan better), and Waltraud Meier brings a wonderfully sensuous quality to the role of Kundry. Kurt Moll really steals the show though as far as singing is concerned, with an incomparable portrayal of Gurnemanz. The only complaint I can make about the singing is that Franz Mazura sounds really, REALLY old and doesn't successfully bring off the role of Klingsor.

The staging is very traditional - which seems to be hard to find these days - and the video quality is very good. The DVD menu allows for selections of running subtitles in several languages, including English.

ABSOLUTELY STUNNING - An Exerience of Music and the Sacred.......2004-07-05

For me anyhow - this is Wagner's greatest gift - even better than the the Nibelung. Having played excerpts form the opera in amauture orchestral venues -- I can say that this work is "Erlebnis" (Experience). At once Wagner captures the piety of medieval Europe (now but a dim memory in an almost completely secular place), the foundational reverence of the Holy Sacrament, and essence of Christian grace. All of this with combined with was has to be one of the most moving musical scores of German romanticism. And thank you Met. Opera and James Levine for both re-igniting TRADITIONAL Wagnerian vision/stagings (and not those rancid "revisionist" directions), and making such respectable again.

'Waltraud Meier' and 'Siegfried Jerusalem',are the stars!!!!.......2004-03-29

When I saw her name 'Waltraud Meier' listed,I said wow! I've seen her performance as 'Kundry' at 'Chor der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin',conductor Daniel Barenboim. She again reprises her role as 'Kundry',last time with co-star 'Poul Elming'(as Parsifal),this time with 'Siegfried Jerusalem'(as Parsifal). Very mind blowing,under 'James Levine',we should get as good a performance as we got from conductor 'Daniel Barenboim'. Your awesome Waltraud Meier!!!!

Onward and Upward!.......2004-03-10

Some years back,a popular PBS crime series "Inspector Morse" ended. The inspector in question was a lover of opera and classical music. He suffered a sudden fatal heart attack. As he lay at peace in the hospital bed, the opening bars of the prelude to Wagner's Parsifal played. Momentarily,I was transcended. This ethereal music always has this effect on me.
I find only 2 problems with the acting in this drama. Vocally,the production is a masterpiece. Waltraud Mier's Kundry wasn't wild enough and Franz Mazura's Klingsor wasn't menacing enough.That said,on to the good stuff!
The great Kurt Moll as Gurnemanz is the standout here.His voice is so perfect and beautiful.I wish he had recorded a Wotan.
He is a fantastic Sarastro in DG "The Magic Flute".
ActIII is the one I most enjoyed. The healing of Amfortas and the ascension of the former "fool" Parsifal to power were breathtaking. With Wagner,it's so much more about the music than the vocals. This music is glorious. The Met Opera orchestra deserves special thanks for this tremendous achievement.

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Pierre Boulez, Bayreuth Opera (Complete Ring Cycle, Parts 1-4)

Average customer rating:

TWO MAJOR DEFECTS MAR AN OTHERWISE SPLENDID PRODUCTION
The Best Video Staging of Wagner's Ring
Modern staging that makes sense

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Pierre Boulez, Bayreuth Opera (Complete Ring Cycle, Parts 1-4)
Starring: Matti Salminen , Fritz Hübner , Marga Schiml , Helmut Pampuch , and Ilse Gramatzki
Director: Brian Large
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009F2EPU
Release Date: 2005-10-11

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The first opera (the prologue) in Wagner's Ring Cycle, Das Rheingold, is a beautifully conducted and thoughtfully staged performance. As soon as the clouds of mist have dissipated, while the daring, long-held opening chord is still reverberating, the screen clears to show not only the River Rhine and the three maidens (dressed like prostitutes in this production) assigned to guard the gold hidden there. It also shows an enormous dam (not mentioned in Wagner's text). This is the underwater base of a hydroelectric plant, and its presence tells us two things immediately: that this production takes the story out of the vaguely medieval fantasy world in which Wagner had placed it, and that a basic theme of the four-opera cycle would be power. Alberich, the Nibelung, is willing to renounce the love of women, after stealing the gold from the Rhine, to become the ruler of the world. Another basic theme is greed. The cast is uniformly excellent. The approach of stage director Patrice Chereau carefully balances realism, symbolism, and fantasy. The two giants (Matti Salminen and Fritz Hübner) tower over the gods who are waiting to enter the newly constructed Valhalla; Loge (brilliantly played by Heinz Zednick) appears in a burst of flame; the subterranean lair of the Nibelungs looks something like a prison and something like a mass-production sweatshop. In contrast, the gods look like members of a rather aimless leisure class. Freia, the goddess of youth (Carmen Reppel), whose fate is one of the basic items in the plot, is presented as a lovely but helpless beauty queen. Pierre Boulez conducts this episode. like the entire cycle, with power and precision.

Wagner's ideas of "racial purity" reach a logical conclusion in Act I of Die Walküre. Siegfried, the tragic hero of the cycle, is begotten in an adulterous, incestuous mating of Siegmund (Peter Hoffmann) and Sieglinde (Jeanne Altmeyer), a twin brother and sister. No miscegenation here. Siegfried will not be seen until the next opera in the cycle. For now, the Valkyries (after their famous, musically spectacular ride) are asked to protect Sieglinde, his pregnant mother-to-be, until he can be born. His father is killed in a fight with Hunding, Sieglinde's brutish husband, with Wotan intervening against his will to help the wronged spouse. Wotan has been forced by his wife Fricka, who is the goddess of marriage, elegantly played by Hanna Schwartz. Her victory is a striking display of Wotan's diminishing powers. Brunnhilde, Wotan's daughter and leader of the Valkyries (Gwyneth Jones), disobeys a paternal prohibition, rescues Sieglinde and hides her in safety to wait out her pregnancy. For this, she is punished by losing her divine status and being left asleep for years, surrounded by a circle of magic fire, until a hero (Siegfried, who has not yet been born) will come to rescue her. This episode is extremely well-sung, with particularly notable work by Hoffmann, Altmeyer, Schwartz, Jones and Donald McIntyre as Wotan, while conductor Pierre Boulez and director Patrice Chéreau work smoothly together to define the opera's overall form and continuity.

Siegfried is the most eventful of the four Ring operas: the hero of the cycle grows to maturity, forges his father's broken sword Notung, kills the dragon Fafner and the dwarf Mime, takes the cursed ring, frees Brunnhilde from the spell that has kept her asleep, and falls in love with her. It is all presented, powerfully and as efficiently as the self-indulgent text will permit. Not seen in the cycle's previous operas are Manfred Jung (Siegfried) and Norma Sharp (the Forest Bird), the central figure of the cycle and one of the most peripheral. Sharp is lovely in her brief appearance. Jung is the most controversial bit of casting in the cycle; his voice and acting have been criticized, but they seem to be up to the standard for this role, Perhaps the criticism really applies to Siegfried, who is neither intelligent nor compassionate, but a naive youth who knows nothing of the world and has never seen a woman. Jung conveys these qualities effectively. Wagner's ideal hero turns out to be a bit of a proto-Nazi in his own naive way, swaggering arrogantly, killing the dragon Fafner and the dwarf Mime with hardly a second thought, and blithely assuming that he deserves all the good fortune that comes his way. Wagner may have thought he was inventing another sort of hero, but this Siegfried rather faithfully reflects his creator's personality. Jung's characterization faithfully follows the text of the opera and it is compelling for those who can take their Wagner without illusions, those who have come to terms, for example, with the self-centered, unsympathetic personality that emerges from his wife Cosima's voluminous and blindly adoring diaries.

According to director Patrice Chereau, "Götterdämmerung undoubtedly presents a world in which no values exist any more... a world in which it is difficult for anyone to believe in anything any longer." It is truly, as its title proclaims, "The twilight of the gods." Siegfried is tricked, drugged, and treacherously murdered by power-hungry humans, deceived into betraying Brunnhilde, who remains faithful without hope. An air of weariness and decadence pervades the action and much of the music (though the score includes two of Wagner's finest instrumental inventions: Siegfried's Rhine journey and his funeral music.) A new note is the introduction of a chorus of humans (effectively used by Chereau) for the first time in the cycle. The heyday of the gods is over; now, world domination is sought by a human family, the Gibichungs. The cursed ring is stolen from Brunnhilde, who has kept it as a token of Siegfried's love. Siegfried, who has taken the ring in disguise, has been drugged and deceived into wooing Gutrune, a Gibichung. Brunnhilde is forced to marry Gunther, another Gibichung, but still faithful to Siegfried she commits suicide on his funeral pyre. The fire spreads to destroy Valhalla. The ring, snatched from Siegfried's dead hand, is dropped into the Rhine, where it is restored to its rightful place, and the situation returns to the normality of the time before Das Rheingold. The Gibichungs, new to the cycle, are well-portrayed by Franz Mazura and Jeanne Altmeyer, and Fritz Hübner is impressive as the treacherous Hagen. Gwemdolyn Killibrew stands out as Brunnhilde's ally Waltraute. As always, Pierre Boulez conducts with a clear vision of the total work. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

TWO MAJOR DEFECTS MAR AN OTHERWISE SPLENDID PRODUCTION.......2006-07-02

I enjoyed this Ring cycle a great deal, but I had two huge problems with it. First, this Ring cycle rips all four installments out of their mythological context and sets them in the 19th century. The result is an absurd mish-mash of mythological and realistic elements that obscures the cycle's meaning and, above all, its magic. Take the great set-piece with Hagen's men in "Gotterdammerung." Hagen's vassals are here a citizen militia rounded up from the local proletariat. How absurd is the sight of these French-looking working class townspeople singing in German and wielding long, primitive spears while being instructed by Hagen, dressed in suit and tie, to "kill a boar for Froh, and sacrifice a goat to Donner, but slaughter sheep for Fricka"? What are these mythological gods doing in this setting, and why are 19th century working class people sacrificing to them? Or take Siegfried: in one scene he's dashing about with his sword and hunting horn while in the next he's elegantly strolling about in a tuxedo. The result is ridiculous. The sets are equal parts realism and surrealism, making for a confused locale. The hunting scene where Siegfried is murdered by Hagen happens in front of a drab, industrial-looking hydraulic dam. Are we in industrial France, in pastoral Germany, in the legendary world of mythology, or in some strange hybrid dimension that weaves in and out of all three? The result is neither one thing nor the other, very half-baked and confusing. According to Chereau, the director, he was working from two principles. First, being primarily a director of nonoperatic theater, he wanted to intensify the music drama's dramaturgical elements--which in my opinion he does splendidly for the most part. For example, the emotionally charged finale where Brunnhilde has the body of Siegfried burned and jumps into the flames is wonderfully staged; I couldn't have asked for better. (Although I did have some problems earlier in the cycle with the lovers rolling around on the floor, and with some excessively histrionic hand gestures that I found unnecessary.) But Chereau is led astray by his second working principle. He explains in the documentary (it's part of the box set and worth watching), "Wagner used mythology to tell the story of his time, the politics of his time." Starting from this (in my view dangerous) premise, Chereau brings out the latent political content that he (Chereau) claims is implicit in the text. I feel this is where Chereau, possibly under the spell of George Bernard Shaw's interprestation of the Ring Cycle, gets it terribly wrong. As I understand it, Wagner's main concern was in creating archetypes rather than "real" people in "real" contemporary settings. The Ring cycle is not "verismo." If Wagner wanted to set the Ring in his own time and place, he would have done so. Wagner wasn't shooting for "realism," but Chereau IS shooting for it (hence so many of the conflicting tendencies of his production). It's very unfair for Chereau to categorically state that Wagner's "real" intention was to tell the political story of the late nineteenth century, as though the mythology were merely a vehicle or an expendable by-product. On the contrary, Wagner wanted to do away with the usual settings of so much 19th century opera. Making the Ring about the class warfare and ills of the industrial revolution sinks the play into the morass of a politics that is certainly more Chereau's than Wagner's. While a reaction against the industrialization of society is surely implicit in Wagner's romanticism, Chereau inadvertently undermines it by replacing so much of the nature scenery with industrial realism. He has the Rhinemaidens literally crawling out of the gutter (as prostitutes), rather than simply letting them personify the Rhine. Another problem with this Ring cycle is the casting of Siegfried, who here looks more like a middle-aged Barney Rubble from "The Flintstones" than a young mythological hero. Manfred Jung, who plays Siegfried, has a great voice, but lacks the stage presence to pull off the role. The result is a Siegfried that is more comic than heroic, though I do recognize that I'm being a bit unfair to Mr. Jung as my objection to him has more to do with his appearance than with his formidable vocal talent. If this had been audio-only, I might not have objected to him. However, despite its setbacks, this production still holds its own, thanks above all to the strong cast and the inspired conducting of Pierre Boulez, one of the greatest conductors of our time. Except for Siegfried, there is no weak link in the cast. Gwyneth Jones, as Brunnhilde, brings an otherwordly quality that is just what the part requires. On a technical audio-visual level, this set is great. It's visually stunning and the sound isn't bad, although I've heard better done in the '70s. I used my amped Sennheiser 650 headphones and it sounded fine. If the production had stuck to a mythological setting and not tried to transpose it to the 19th century, making it about the class struggle between the aristocracy and bourgeoisie and then between the bourgeoisie and proleteriat, and if it had cast a better Siegfried, I would undoubtedly be giving this Ring cycle five solid stars. As it is, it's definitely worth watching and even owning, but remains muddled in artistic conception as far as its staging is concerned. On the other hand, many people like the updated setting, so it's a matter of personal taste and choice and not of production value as the quality of this production is undoubtedly high.

The Best Video Staging of Wagner's Ring.......2006-03-14

As much as this production detracts from the teutonic tradition that Wagner designed the Ring for, this centenniary production of the Ring with Patrice Chereau as the director, Pierre Boulez as conductor, and Brian Large as the very talented producer, is possibly the best in the market. No, it doesn't have a cast that has the dimension and experience of the Solti or Karajan rings, but without a doubt, it is the most visually engaging and dramatically correct rendition of Wagner's tetralogy. Others would say that the Levine Ring provides the most traditional and faithful production with respect to Wagner's score, and I have no doubts that the sets used in the Met are very beautiful. This set, however, changes the concept from a legendary setting of mountains and god-palaces to a more French social hierarchy environment. The interpretation makes sense, but it isn't only this which makes this Ring come to life. It is the involvement of a very talented conductor and a cast of marvelous singers which make this Ring a most memorable moment.

Donald McIntyre may not have Hans Hotter's great voice or James Morris' great bel canto interpretation of Wotan's role, but it certainly exudes a nobility and a richness absent from other recordings. Gwyneth Jones is a marvelous Brunnhilde. For her alone would I see this Ring day after day. It is note perfect, powerful, and very dramatic. I'd say that she has the best Brunnhilde overall of the ones I've heard.

Modern staging that makes sense.......2006-01-04

The first part of this Ring I owned was Gotterdammerung. In that production I noticed that the story, the impact of the drama, was made by the staging of Patrice Chereau and the acting prestations in the first place followed by the vocal performances of the singers. A kind of the other around considering the premise of opera. Having seen all four parts of the Boulez-Ring I stay with that first impression. Expecially Gwyneth Jones and Donald McIntyre are far better actors then they are singers. Their voices cannot bare the weight of the drama required in Die Walkure Act 3 (Brunnhilde and Wotan) and Gotterdammerung Act 3 (Brunnhilde)for example.

The staging, however, is superb. The great thing from this production is that Chereau, not just ripped Wagners Ring from the old German mythology, but replaced it with a world that looks like a combination of Jules Verne and ancient Greek in which an insight in the characters and their motives are given in a way that I did not see before. It is as accessible as an average arthouse movie. Many modern staging just seem to want to get away from the old bearskins and teuton heroism so much that nothing else is offered instead (except leaving the audience with Brunnhilde looking like Christiane F. for instance - Stuttgarter Opera). What I appreciated in the world of the Chereau Ring is it's own atmosphere and use of images and elements that are not just post-modern but also functional. The Wotan-monologue in Act 2 from Die Walkure and the love-duet from Act 3 between Siegfried and Brunnhilde are so cleverly directed that every line sung here is important instead of just asking time from the audience.

Another big plus for me is the conductorship of Pierre Boulez. Fast without rushing, modern with great insight, he lets the music do its work. Personally I prefer that very much over conductors who emphasis to much on the so called dramatic moments and by that destroying the natural flow of the music. With his approach Boulez shows us the richness of Wagners score, instead of converting it into something more one-dimensional.

This is a great Ring cycle and I think a great version to have if you are interested in owning a Ring on DVD.

Gnosis, the Secret of Solomon's Temple Revealed

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Very Entertaining
I've been searching...
Talk About Enlightenment
Horrible music
GNOSIS, THE SECRET OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE REVEALED

Gnosis, the Secret of Solomon's Temple Revealed

Manufacturer: CustomFlix
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000IMVO4Q
Release Date: 2006-09-18

Description

Philip Gardiner is a best selling UK author who has been researching the world of the esoteric for over 15 years. His critically acclaimed books include: "Proof, Does God Exist?", "The Shining Ones", "The Serpent Grail" and "Secrets of the Serpent, In Search of the Sacred Past". With his new DVD, "Gnosis: The Secret of Solomon's Temple Revealed," Gardiner proposes that not only didn't Solomon's Temple exist as we know it, but in fact had a much deeper significance. Gnosis, the Secret of Solomon's Temple Revealed- Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, reputed to be the source of the most esoteric knowledge in human history-has fascinated scholars, seekers and dreamers for centuries. For generations, scholars and researchers have tried in vain to discover the fabled Temple of Solomon, only to be confronted by one problem after another. From the Queen of Sheba and the arcane secrets of the Christian Gnostics to the Muslim Sufi and Hindu Avatars, Gnosis weaves a tale that is both profound and precise. Gardiner declares that the truth of Solomon's Temple has been known all along within the realm of esoteric understanding. Only one question remains: Is the world ready for the truth? Find the true secret of the Knights Templar and the mysteries of the ancients. Find the truth for yourself in Gnosis. This is the story that has been kept from the ears of mankind for too long. You cannot truly live until you have Gnosis. * Reveals the real secrets brought back by the infamous Knight's Templar * The truth at the heart of ancient Freemasonry * The truth behind the real Grail and the Da Vinci Code * Who were Solomon and Sheba? * The secret of Solomon's Temple * The ancient and sacred nature of our quantum existence Gnosis, the Secret of Solomon's Temple DVD, 57 minutes, RYE 1001

Customer Reviews:

Very Entertaining.......2007-09-11

Immortality and self empowerment...Author speaks of Gnosis as the method used by ancient cultures to ascend to the higher spiritual levels. Fascinating insights and quite entertaining film.

I've been searching..........2007-09-07

for a book or dvd that could really answer some of my deepest spiritual questions and wasn't disappointed with this film. Found it very reassuring and informative. Highly recommend.

Talk About Enlightenment.......2007-08-29

I don't think anyone has ever considered that Solomon's Temple might represent something more so than BE something physical. This would be very hard for our major religions to accept, but even if it is not true, Gardiner makes it clear that it wouldn't matter. The reason is that the journey and the meaning for things like Solomon's Temple is within ourselves and that's what this DVD is all about, personal empowerment.

Horrible music.......2007-07-16

I agree with all the music comments it's absolutely annoying and at times you can't even hear the narrator!

GNOSIS, THE SECRET OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE REVEALED.......2007-05-25

I THINK THE ACTIONAL DVD HAD ALOT GOOD IMFORMATION,BUT THE MUSICAL BACK DROP DEFEATED THE HOLD PURPOSE OF THE DVD,I PERSONALLY COULD NOT ENJOY IT AT ALL BECAUSE OF THE MUSIC, IT WAS TO LOUD AND THE SELECTION JUST DIDN'T BELONG TO THE DVD...

National Geographic - Secrets of Jerusalem's Holiest Sites

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National Geographic - Secrets of Jerusalem's Holiest Sites
Starring: National Geographic
Manufacturer: Nat'l Geographic Vid
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ASIN: B000KJU1EQ
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Description

Secrets of Jerusalem's Holiest Sites takes us on a journey into one of the most sacred places on Earth dating back to biblical times. It is the most hotly contested piece of real estate on the planet and its name alone is enough to spark riots across the Middle East. Known as the Temple Mount to Jews and Christians and as the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims, it is so sacred to all three religions that followers willingly die for it.

Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / Bernd Weikl, Siegfried Jerusalem, MariAnne Haggander, Hermann Prey, Graham Clark, Matthias Holle, Horst Stein, Bayreuth Opera

Average customer rating:

Berndt Weikl is a bore
Well-staged production, interesting protrayals.
Another strong but not quite satisfactory performance
Best Meistersinger Available!
A great example of what a good production is!

Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / Bernd Weikl, Siegfried Jerusalem, MariAnne Haggander, Hermann Prey, Graham Clark, Matthias Holle, Horst Stein, Bayreuth Opera
Starring: Richard Wagner , Marga Schiml , Manfred Schenk , Wolfgang Wagner , and Stein
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000EQHHJM
Release Date: 2006-06-13

Customer Reviews:

Berndt Weikl is a bore.......2007-09-02

Berndt Weikl is a bore. Siegfried Jerusalem is weak and a poor actor. MariAnne Haggander is pretty and Hermann Prey has celebrity value, but they don't redeem this tedious performance.

Go for James Morris and Ben Heppner at the Met. Or, if you really want to hear MEISTERSINGER as it should be, listen to the Bayreuth 1960 live performance, conducted by Knappertsbusch, with Wolfgang Windgassen and Josef Greindl.

Well-staged production, interesting protrayals........2007-02-26

I am lucky that I did not watch this DVD after the MET version.
Many say that Jerusalem is less good as Heppner. If you believe in the logic that a more massive figure produces better sound in terms of singing, that explains the difference between Heppner's Walther and Jerusalem's. However, there is a trade-off here - a massive Stolzing is less convincing visually than a tall and elegant figure.
Jersualem did not have the Prize Song done to 100%, that is true. However, it is very near to 100. So the trade-off between the two knights tilts in favour of the Bayreuth version.
The other trade-off is Haggander's committed but less vocally sound Eva with Mattila's uncommitted but vocally marginally stronger Eva. The two should score a tie here, especially taking into account the Act immediately preceding the Quintet, where Haggander is a more convincing Eva both vocally and visually.
Bernd Wiekl and Hermann Prey are the two stars of this performance. Both are very human, and vocally very adequate, with Prey slightly better than Wiekl, but the two pair up exceedingly well with balanced performance that set off spark after spark in their several encounters.
Then the visual aspect - the costumes and stage-setting are superb. The religious sense in the libretto is brought out exceedingly well in this production.
It is simply beautiful.

Another strong but not quite satisfactory performance.......2007-01-28

I am going to restrict my comments to a comparison of this performance with the MET version with Morris, Heppner, etc. because that's a logical and readily available alternative. I reviewed the MET dvd and also gave it 4 stars (liked the sets and staging except Act 1; Morris somewhat below par; Heppner and Mattila strong but did not "look" their parts). The Bayreuth production in many respects (frustratingly so) complements the MET performance -- strengths of one are shortcomings of the other. As for sound, the MET orchestra beats the Bayreuth players, Heppner tops Jerusalem, and Mattila tops Haggander. But Weikl tops Morris. The Beckmessers on both recordings are top notch--certainly the best combinations of voice and acting in their respective recordings.
As for staging, the MET's sets and crowd movements are superior in Acts 2 and 3. The MET has a nice construction of a Nuremberg street for Act 2 (Bayreuth has a more enclosed set); also the MET's Act 3 final scene is handled better (the Bayreuth final scene is positively claustrophobic -- it's as if the director were trying to stuff a telephone booth with college freshmen). On the other hand, the set for Act 1 at the MET is a disaster (an aisle outside the church nave) whereas Act 1 at Bayreuth takes place in the church nave so the whole congregation is visible during the great chorus after the overture. The Bayreuth performance has a touching closing in which the director Wolfgang Wagner joins the hands of Sachs and Beckmesser in reconciliation. But the MET has richer costumes and warmer lighting.
For a dvd performance I'm of the opinion that, when tradeoffs are necessary, the visual impact gets the nod over vocals (within reason of course). On that basis, I give the Master's wreath to the MET production (but I would substitute Act 1 from Bayreuth).

Best Meistersinger Available!.......2006-12-27

This is the best recorded performance of Wagner's Die Meistersinger.

Here's why:

Who is more likely to know Richard Wagner's conception for the opera, than his grandson, Wolfgang Wagner, who is the artistic director of this performance?

Next, imagine assembling some of the very best Wagnerian singers of the past quarter-century: Bernd Weikl as Sachs, Hermann Prey as Beckmesser, and Siegfried Jerusalem as Walter. They all sing and act inspiringly!

The staging, scenery, and costumes are perfect: it's like you're transported back to the Germany of centuries ago.

Richard Wagner was commenting on the rigidity and closedmindedness of the music critics of his day, and the character embodying those critics was Beckmesser, whose role is thus pivotal. Fortunately, this production's Beckmesser (Hermann Prey) is pedantic, sycophantic, officious and tedious--in a word: he's perfect!

The opera makes the point that minds must be kept open to new ideas, while still retaining an understanding of what makes "classical" classic.

The Johannestag festival music is some of the brightest and happiest, so much so that those who think Wagner is always heavy and ponderous, will scarcely believe their ears.

Finally, as icing on the cake, when the song contest is over, and the winner crowned, centerstage in the background, you will see Wolfgang Wagner himself, sort of "patching things up" between Beckmesser and Sachs--it's a wonderful touch by the artistic director, and I can't help but think that Richard Wagner would approve of his grandson's gesture.

A great example of what a good production is!.......2006-11-28

Wagner is not funny... Not even here, in his only comedy. Well, maybe a little funny... I mean Hans Sachs (Bernd Weikl) teaches Sir Walther Von Stolzing (Siegfried Jerusalem) to be a Mastersinger in one day and Sixtus Beckmesser (Hermann Prey) tries to sing a love song to Eva (Mari Anne Haggander) while Hans Sachs is hammering away on a shoe in loud disruptive rhythms. Well... It's funny for Wagner! The acting and set design are exquisite! A very real and human staging by Wolfgang Wagner (yes... related). The Bayreuther Festspiele is wonderful and artfully sculpted and detailed by Horst Stein without loosing the warm humanity of the music. I was going to purchase the James Levine MET production with James Morris as Sachs, but I kept seeing this one and decided to give it a try. I was very happy with my decision. I enjoyed every second of it... which is impressive concidering there are 16,020 of them! You may even laugh out loud... I think I did once or twice. A great choice that will yield years of enjoyment!

Wagner - Siegfried / Siegfried Jerusalem, John Tomlinson, Anne Evans, Graham Clarke, Daniel Barenboim, Bayreuth Opera

Average customer rating:

BARENBOIM'S AWE-INSPIRING CONDUCTING SLIMED AND SMEARED BY THIS TERRIBLE STAGING
Music Drama Marathon
Mesmerizing and superb!
REJOICE!!!
AMAZING!

Wagner - Siegfried / Siegfried Jerusalem, John Tomlinson, Anne Evans, Graham Clarke, Daniel Barenboim, Bayreuth Opera
Starring: Siegfried Jerusalem , Graham Clarke (II) , John Tomlinson , Günter von Kannen , and Philip Kang
Director: Horant H. Hohlfeld
Manufacturer: Warner Classics
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000F8ZNA4
Release Date: 2006-09-12

Description

This legendary production of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, directed by Harry Kupfer at Bayreuth Festival Opera and conducted by Daniel Barenboim, is considered one of the greatest productions of this titanic work ever staged. One of the most exciting aspects of this release is the format, which is genuine 16:9 widescreen from the original HDTV 1250 recording, one of the first Hi-Definition recordings made in Europe. There is also surround sound from tapes made at the original recording by UNITEL. Region Code Corrected. Will play in all US DVD players.

Customer Reviews:

BARENBOIM'S AWE-INSPIRING CONDUCTING SLIMED AND SMEARED BY THIS TERRIBLE STAGING.......2007-08-18

What a crying shame: One of the best SIEGFRIEDS ever recorded has been ruined by one of the worst atrocities ever presented to the public on any stage. Somebody had the bright idea of setting this in a junk yard--yes, a junk yard. And, to make matters worse, they gave the singers costumes to match! Siegfried Jerusalem is in fine voice playing his namesake, but it's impossible to take him seriously looking like a mechanic or junkyard attendant. Everyone is undermined here by Reinhard Heinrich, Hans Schavernoch, and Harry Kupfer, the three who staged this thing. As punishment, all three should be strapped to very uncomfortable chairs and forced to look at this ghastly mess--with no sound!--over and over again silently for about a week. Maybe then they'd learn. It's a real shame, too, because Barenboim conducts like a god, and the singers sing their heart out.

Music Drama Marathon.......2007-06-06

I have listened for years to the orchestral suites taken from Wagner's operas. Thanks to Netflix I now get to watch the actual operas. Netflix has the Boulez and the Barenboim complete ring cycles plus one or two of the ring operas with Levine and the MET. The Boulez cycle has modern sets and costumes with toned down music. Barenboim's features modern sets/costumes with traditional music. I enjoyed both renditions, but I really enjoy the traditional Wagner music that is not toned down. Barenboim does a great job with the music. The performers and their singing are excellent in each and the production/sound qualities are very good. The DVDs also let you chop up this 14 hour event into bite size chunks. The music by Barenboim is on par with my Stokowski and Klemperer Wagner Orchestra Suites lps (in other words, tremendous). Barenboim has much experience with this style of Classical/Romanantic music from the 1800s including two complete Bruckner (who was a disciple of Wagner) symphony cycles.

I greatly appreciate the English subtitles. Otherwise, it would be like watching South Pacific or the Sound of Music in German or going to Mass (in Latin) in the 1960s I have not seen a traditional performance of the ring so I cannot compare/contrast traditional with modern. Being able to watch plus the subtitles is a tremendous improvement over cds (or in my case) lps. Wagner's music dramas offer great music and a very thought provoking story lines involving issues of mortality and morality.

Mesmerizing and superb! .......2006-10-31

The hovering approach of this Gotterdammenung has been extraordinarily conceived; there is no wasted little detail, and the DVD allows to watch and to observe much more than words can say.

The death of Siegfried is a real breakthrough. And its enormous significance trascends the limits of the stage. The merciless depiction of these personages has to do with the actual world; that may produce a disturbing sensation but that's the way it was.

All the cast is fabulopus. Tomlimsom displays a memorable character as Wotan; and Barenboim from the podium is extraordinary too.

If you really want to be immersed in the mythic roots of this engaging and captivating cosmovision, do not hesitate to acquire it.

REJOICE!!!.......2006-09-28

Siegfried is now available formatted for North America. I wish Amazon would remove those reviews which state otherwise, because the situation has obviously changed. I hope no one will be put off buying this by fear of not being able to play it.

The Kupfer/Barenboim RING is, in my opinion, musically, dramatically and conceptually the best currently available. Bring on Gotterdammerung.

AMAZING!.......2006-09-25

I haven't seen all of this DVD yet, but what I've viewed is superb. This will surely be the best complete RING available on DVD once GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG comes out in December. I have an all-region DVD player, so I'm not having any problems with regions or formats these days. Highly recommended!

Average customer rating:

A piece of collection
No stars justified
horrible sound
"today is my moment"
Ultimately the best you could ever watch

Live in Jerusalem
Starring: Julio Iglesias
Manufacturer: Xenon
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00008OSDY
Release Date: 2003-06-03

Description

Classic performance from the peak of his career.

Customer Reviews:

A piece of collection.......2006-06-22

This DVD is only a great tv show of 1981. Julio Iglesias is a living legend, then, if you are a julio's fan, this is one more DVD collection

No stars justified.......2005-03-10

This DVD runs for 48 minutes, including the pre-show lead-up and sound check. The question is would Julio with a cast and crew of over 40 musicians and singers, plus technical support take the time and expense to go to Jerusalem and set up there to put on a concert of only 40 minutes. Not likely, so why only put 40 minutes of concert on the DVD ?
The sound is absolutely bad. The violin sound is rough and grating, not like the string sound in Julio's CD's. The only time we see a cello is during the sound check in the pre-amble. During the show we see the strings and harp only from a distance. Even the brass and saxophones make no impact. Only the rhythm section is kept busy, and even then the bass does not get heard.
Normally this reviewer would complain that in an orchestra of 40 with 18 strings, this is not enough strings, but in this case, the point is only theoretical - absolutely nothing is in balance.
We see so many close-ups of women crying - probably because they could not hear anything after taking the time and expense to go to this show, and shiver through what must have been an unseasonably cold evening in Jerusalem going by the number of blankets and coats seen in the audience.

The money and expertise used to produce this DVD could have been used much more effectively on other Julio material - so much is available, and still being created. If you want to present old history, at least do a better job of it.

horrible sound.......2004-11-09

i'm a great fan of Julio Iglesias, but this DVD should never have been released with an absolutely apalling sound quality as well as a poor selection of songs. I'm totally amazed any producer would put such poor sound quality on a DVD.

"today is my moment".......2004-09-08

Julio Iglesias was thrilled to sing in the historic Sultan's Pool Amphitheater in Jerusalem, in 1981, and felt that the day was "his moment", a peak in his career, and it truly is a glorious setting for a man in the prime of his life, and fullness of voice. He looks good in an exquisitely tailored black suit and tie, and his voice is smooth and delightful.
A unique song stylist, Julio has sold more records world-wide than practically any other artist; his music is relaxing and for those who like musica romantica, he is one of its greatest interpreters.
Though this concert was filmed over 2 decades ago, it does not seem dated (except for the hairstyles). These are Julio classics, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Julio is backed by a top-notch orchestra and 4 lovely singing ladies, the audio has been remastered and is very good, and total running time is an all too short 50 minutes.
The song list on the cover however, is missing two songs. The complete song list is:
"Con Una Pinta Asi"
"El Amor"
"Si Me Dejas, No Vale"
"33 Años"
"De Niña a Mujer"
Medley: "Moliendo Café" & "La Ragazza di Ypacaral"
Medley: "theme from Black Orpheus" & "Alma Llanera"
"Quiereme Mucho"
"Pobre Diablo"
"Hey !"
"Guantanamera".

Ultimately the best you could ever watch.......2004-03-04

Eventhough there are only 11 songs, but worth every minute of it, Julio Iglesias is a living legend, i reccomend everyone to purchase this piece of clasical treasure.
You will defenatley enjoy it if you are a fan.

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