| Wagner - Das Rheingold / Levine, Morris, Jerusalem, Ludwig, Metropolitan Opera (Levine Ring Cycle Part 1) | 
| Director: Brian Large
Actors: James Morris, Siegfried Jerusalem, Ekkehard Wlaschiha, Christa Ludwig, Marianne Haeggander
Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.98
Buy New: $18.56
You Save: $11.42 (38%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $16.69
Avg. Customer Rating:   (14 reviews)
Sales Rank: 35659
Format: Classical, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Languages: German (Original Language), German (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 163 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: 073036
UPC: 044007303696
EAN: 0044007303696
ASIN: B00006L9ZU
Release Date: November 12, 2002
Theatrical Release Date: 1990
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Similar Items:
| • | Wagner - Die Walkure / Levine, Behrens, Norman, Metropolitan Opera (Levine Ring Cycle Part 2) | | • | Wagner - Siegfried / Levine, Jerusalem, Behrens, Morris, Metropolitan Opera (Levine Ring Cycle Part 3) | | • | Wagner - Gotterdammerung / Levine, Behrens, Jerusalem, Metropolitan Opera (Levine Ring Cycle Part 4) | | • | Puccini - Turandot / Franco Zeffirelli - Marton, Domingo, Mitchell, Plishka, Cuenod - James Levine, MET (1988) | | • | Wagner - Tannhauser (remastered) |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Not quite perfect November 17, 2008
There's a lot good about this, but it doesn't quite gel. James Morris sounds great but he doesn't act well--throughout the negotiations with Loge and the giants he sounds like he's faking it and his expression of fear while being threatened by Alberich is comical. Siegfried Jerusalem seems totally bored by his role from start to finish. Ekkehard Wlaschiha has fine focus and a beautiful top but I don't feel sorry for his Alberich. Maybe he's doing this deliberately, some people think it's more faithful to Wagner to make Alberich purely disgusting but it's overdone here. (Both Morris and Wlaschiha do much better acting in SIEGFRIED.) The best acting here IMHO is done by Matti Salminen, Heinz Zednik, Marianne Haggender and Christa Ludwig. The worst is Jan Hedrik Rootering who let's just say sounds like he might need some viagra to enjoy Freija if he got her.
Much better acting in the Boulez video if you can stand the funny "industrial revolution" setting and hilarious giants-on-wheels.
 A performance as lofty as its subject. August 1, 2007
Das Rheingold is my favorite of all of Wagner's Ring. An opera such as this (especially an opera by Wagner in general) is not meant to be experienced by DVD alone. If one watches this, one has to keep in mind the limits of stage filming and recording. The echo of the singers' voices can be heard a few times, and in some cases they sound as if they're way off into the distance even if they're just barely off of the stage, due to limits of microphones. But I cannot judge them or blame them for this: This was only 1990, recent yet at the same time old for sound quality.
Due to its inferior recording (though it was probably the best available at the time), none of the singers' incredible voices were given justice. Only sometimes did some singers shine due to their location on stage in relation to wherever the microphones were.
Fasolt and Fafner, played by Jan-Hendrik Rootering and Matti Salminen respectively (Salminen appears again in Gotterdammerung as Hagen)showed up best in this whole performance. The sonorous tones were breath-taking. Even if the bass on the stereo is all the way down, glass would probably shatter. Alberich played by Ekkehard Wlaschiha also sounded spectacular in this recording. I was stunned by Birgitta Svenden's performance as Erda; it's a shame she had such a small role with the incredible voice she has.
James Morris's award-winning performance as Wotan was not given justice in this recording's quality sadly, nor was Christa Ludwig's performance as Fricka (which almost sounds terrible in this performance but in reality it's the recording's quality).
As for the acting skills: for the most part everyone was spot-on. Throughout the entirety of the cycle, Morris's performance is the apotheosis of Wotan's slow inner downfall as the Ring continues. He begins so proud, but finds himself trapped in a corner he made himself, and finally becomes his own worst enemy, cursing his stupidity by the end of Siegfried.
The set designs were unbelievable. The only way the visual effects could have been more convincing would be if this were produced as a movie instead of a stage performance. Opera is a fine blend of all arts, not just singing and music. The set and costumes are very important as well, and our artists for both did an amazing job.
I would highly recommend seeing Das Rheingold in person. But if you need a DVD performance, this I believe is the best one out there for you.
SO MUCH RIGHT . . . YET SO MUCH WRONG WITH THIS PRODUCTION June 16, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
THE GOOD
--Traditional mythological staging.
--Pristine sound, if at times a little unevenly balanced.
--Clear visually. Well directed for TV.
--Matti Salminen and Jan-Hendrik Rootering are excellent as Fafner and Fasolt, respectively.
--Birgitta Svenden sings Erda beautifully.
--Alan Held and Mark Baker are great as Donner and Froh. Held's "He da! He da! He do!" is stupendous.
--Decent Rheinmaidens despite their less-than-flattering costumes.
THE BAD
--Christa Ludwig is not at the height of her powers here. Her singing is mediocre and her acting is even worse. It was hard to keep a straight face watching her. As soon as she appeared and started singing, the production went down a notch for me. However, she improves considerably in the the next installment of this Levine Ring Cycle.
--Although other reviewers sing the praises of Siegfried Jerusalem as Loge, I have to disagree. I'm a fan of Mr. Jerusalem's Lohengrin (for Abbado), but in my opinion he's horribly miscast as Loge. Loge is a wily, sparkish spirit of fire. The music Wagner wrote for him is light and Ariel-like. By contrast, Jerusalem's voice and whole demeanor is earthen, heavy, and verges on the leaden. He plods and treads rather than flies. I much prefer Heinz Zednik's Loge in Boulez's Ring cycle.
--I'm not a fan of James Levine's Wagner in genral. In this case, he conducts like someone who thinks his audience will get bored if he doesn't hurry up. He's often too bubbly and effervescent. However, sometimes he rises to the occasion, such as when Alberich calls his slaves, who bring up the gold so it can be paid as ranson to Wotan.
In sum, this production is a mixed bag, with several weak links in the cast. Although I like the fact that this is a traditional staging, I recommend Boulez's "Das Rheingold" over this one.
James Morris (Wotan) and Siegried Jerusalem (Loge) rock!- a review of "Das Rheingold" October 6, 2006
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
I had this on VHS and decided one day to show it to my 5 year-old daughter. She likes princesses and fantasy and what-not and I was wondering what she would make of Alberich and the Rhein Maidens. Well, she LOVED them -- and this video became an instant hit. So much so that we recently forked over considerable dough and purchased the full DVD Wagner set.
As to the criticism of the costuming, I can only say that I always liked it and that my princess-daughter thought it was 'just right'. [Princesses' do know these things - lol.]
Five Stars. Lovely production. Great sound quality. Some of Wagner's best stuff. Das Rheingold also features a story line and music that children like.
Notes for Parents: Opera is loaded with innuendo, violence, and other non-child friendly material. Das Rheingold by opera standards is pretty tame, having only a little "V".
The costumes could steal the scene January 9, 2006
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
Interesting story of Rheine maidens teasing poor Alberich (Ekkehard Wlaschiha) while protecting gold that can be turned into a ring. The ring in return gives the bearer the world.
Mean while Wotan (James Morris) has had a fortress built by giants in exchange for his sister-in-law Freia. Evidently he was planning on getting out of the deal with the help of his friend Loge (Siegfried Jerusalem). So can Loge work something out and will it involve the ring?
This is the version I grew up with and have seen them when they came to town. I waited for a commercial release of this fine production. One of the added DVD extras is pictures of what now are hokum getups that the previous productions wore. Of course they were a product of their time.
Hopefully one day someone will make a movie of the story; until them this rendition has remain the best representation in costume and sound. I even have the sound recording for the car.
Wagner - Siegfried / Levine, Jerusalem, Behrens, Morris, Metropolitan Opera (Levine Ring Cycle Part 3)
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