Continuing on from Das Rheingold we come to Die Walküre.  There’s a lot of continuity with the earlier work.  It’s basically the same rotating set though in some scenes one of the “rooms” becomes a forest.  Another thing we see is characters who aren’t canonically “there” appearing in scenes.  So right at the beginning, when Siegmund and Sieglinde meet, Wotan is lurking and doing things like handing drinks to Sieglinde.  We’ll see more of this with Hunding’s henchmen appearing in various places, Wotan and the henchmen appearing when Sieglinde is describing her wedding and the Valkyries showing up at the start of Act 2.

There are a couple of other threads that I found interesting.  I think I figured out why Konieczny’s Wotan looks a bit mad.  He seems to be wearing asymmetric contact lenses.  I wonder how many people in the house could even see that.  There’s also a painting in the main room of Valhalla.  It looks like a Kaspar Friedrich painting of Valhalla on the lofty heights (just needs an Indian in a loincloth really). It showed up in Rheingold and got ripped.  It hows up again here; first unripped and then as an empty frame except right at the end when the unripped painting is back in place!

Otherwise it’s the same mostly literal stuff with the rotating stage.  The World Ash is rather impressively tree trunk like.  Nothung is a proper sword.  The Valkyries have shields and spears and armour and the rock in Act 3 is a rock.  There’s no chariot pulled by rams though.  In two places it does get a bit different.  During “The Ride of the Valkyries” the girls are chasing a scruffy bunch of “heroes” all around Valhalla.  The chaps are dressed in white night shirts and carry what look like plastic swords.  They really don’t look very heroic!  The other break in the pattern is the whole 40 minute long final scene.  It’s static almost to the end; no rotation, just Wotan, Brünnhilde and the rock.  Only at the very end does the stage rotate to take Brünnhilde off into the dark with Wotan back in Valhalla.

Once again performances are really excellent.  I think this is Camilla Nylund’s role debut as Brünnhilde and based on this I strongly suspect she will be one of the most sought after in the role in the next few years.  Her voice combines power and beauty and she can act.  Konieczny is again excellent.  He has power to burn and he conveys a real sense of Wotan’s mental dissolution as his plans unwind.  The final scene between these two is truly excellent; musically and dramatically.

Eric Cutler as Siegmund is very good too.  He’s athletic and sympathetic.  He’s also a powerful singer and a good actor; he’s especially good in the scene with Brünnhilde.  He’s not the most lyrical though.  I’ve heard more lovely accounts of “Winterstürme”.  Daniela Köhler is an excellent Sieglinde.  She’s sympathetic and ardent and does have a beautiful voice.  Claudia Mahnke, as Fricka, is once agin a regal presence with a compelling dramatic mezzo voice. Christof Fischesser is rather good as Hunding.  He avoids being the cardboard cut out villain. and comes across a man with entirely understandable motivations who actually acts honourably.  The Valkyries (including one Simone McIntosh) are a lively lot who all sing and act well.  Once again Gianfranco Noseda gets excellent playing from the Zürich Philharmonia, achieving a sound that is detailed, transparent and dramatic.

Technical details are all as in Das Rheingold so I won’t repeat them.

Das Rheingold
Siegfried
Götterdämmerung
Final thoughts on the Zürich Ring

Catalogue information: Accentus Music ACC60656 (4 Blu-ray disk boxed set)