| Der Ring Des Nibelungen | 
| Actor: Wagner
Studio: Rhino / Wea
Category: DVD
List Price: $139.99
Buy New: $86.80
You Save: $53.19 (38%)
Buy New/Used from $86.80
Avg. Customer Rating:   (3 reviews)
Sales Rank: 53927
Format: Box Set, Classical, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: German (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 917 minutes
Number Of Items: 7
Discs: 7
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.5 x 2.4
MPN: 330556
UPC: 825646231720
EAN: 0825646231720
ASIN: B000QFBW6K
Release Date: December 4, 2007
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The simple remit for this performance of Wagner's DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN was to produce four operas from four stage directors. Staged in 1999 and 2000 the directors were allowed free range with their productions and didn't have to include elements to tie the four productions together. Staged in the Staatsoper in Stuttgart the performances won critical and public acclaim all over the world.Format: DVD AUDIO Genre:MUSIC DVD/LIVE PERFORMANCES UPC:825646231720 Manufacturer No:330556
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| Customer Reviews:
 Great . . . . if you can sit through the most boring parts. September 12, 2008
2 out of 14 found this review helpful
I knew that watching this would be a challenge. This is a story . . . and most of the story is told in a melody if it can be called that that is neither flattering to the ear nor interesting, in my opinion.
However, I also knew when I purchased this DVD collection, that the good stuff was worth waiting for. Certain passages, mostly orchestral, are as good as it gets, absolutely sublime.
The visual style of the DVD series seemed overly "experimental." I would have preferred a more traditional style for the stage production.
 I DOUBT YOU COULD GET A BETTER 'RING' ON DVD September 9, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
John deWald has given an excellent review, but I think a couple of additions could be made. I would suggest you read this in conjunction with his review.
By the time he had reached the Ring, Wagner had passed the bounds of opera. The Ring is more correctly described as music-drama, for in this work (and Parsifal) the dramatic element is as important as the musical element, an aspect that is hard to recognize from CDs. After years of listening to the work on CD, I finally saw this work via this performance (I was lucky enough to see it on a 100" screen and hear it through an excellent surround system; all of which helps give an impression of "you are there"). And it was at that point I realized I was experiencing something greater than what we normally class as opera.
Although this production had four different directors, they revealed a similar conception in understanding the work. And the performers and conductor tied it all together so that you are not really aware different directors were involved.
The presentation is abstract, and once you become aware of the nature of the work, you realize that is the only legitimate treatment for it. I have seen advice that for your first DVD Ring, the Met production might be easier as it is a more traditional staging. This statement suggests the director was apparently trying to treat the Ring as a traditional opera and did not properly understand what he was directing. Let me add, I normally dislike abstract settings, but in this case it is the only option and really works.
This production is justifiably famous. It has a cast of outstanding singers, with no weak link (and Wagner is very demanding on his cast). But they are all outstanding actors as well - essential for a production true to Wagner's intentions. The acting has strong focus on the emotional interactions between the cast and this is where DVD makes all the difference. Add a conductor like Barenboim who shows complete understanding and mastery of the work and there is little more you could ask for.
And that little more is the technical side of things. Apart from outstanding lighting, camera work and video direction, there is no sign of the age of this performance. It dates from 1991-2, but the 16:9 image is crystal clear with perfect color, and the 5.1 DTS sound is of demonstration quality. Balance between orchestra and singers is perfect as well. The impact of this production was of an intensity I have never experienced in a long life of exposure to music. I could only cope with one part a week.
In summary, if you want to understand and gain the full experience The Ring can provide, and in a virtually perfect performance, this set is the perfect choice.
Best Ring DVD; Highly Recommended December 30, 2007
31 out of 32 found this review helpful
Creating a filmed version of a work that was intended as a stage drama is never an easy task, and even the best recordings often disappoint on at least some (even if nonessential) levels. This recording of the 1991 and 1992 Barenboim Ring Cycle is, without a doubt, among the best film adaptations of an opera I have ever seen, and one of the undisputed highlights of my dvd collection. Whether because of the wonderful cast, superb orchestra and conducting, or enlightening design and direction, this production simply works. Despite being rather a traditionalist myself, I found the design of this production to be absolutely remarkable, visually arresting and intellectually stimulating to a degree that only the best are capable of aspiring to. The costumes and staging have a distinctly modern feel, yet they nevertheless manage to do justice to the sense of timelessness that keeps Wagner's masterpiece relevant almost 150 years after it was first performed. There is enough of tradition here to retain the sense of historicity that should be a fundamental part of any good Ring Cycle, respecting its foundation in ancient myth as well as looking simultaneously to the future. And of course, while I think this version is worth seeing solely on account of its virtues as a production, the music is itself marvelous. It is one of my favorite recordings of the Ring; I personally love John Tomlinson's Wotan, and he is beyond a doubt among the greatest virtues of the recording. It should be noted that his voice is not one that everyone loves equally in the role; however, I cannot imagine anyone portraying Wotan more powerfully on the stage, imbuing him with a stronger sense of the admixture of pride, power, and ultimate world-weariness that exemplifies the character, and I would recommend anyone interested in the Ring at least witness his wonderful performance. The rest of the cast is of a similarly high quality, with other highlights including Siegfried Jerusalem's excellent Siegfried and Anne Evans's brilliant and heartrendingly poignant Brunnhilde. The interplay between Tomlinson and Evans is especially striking; one really had the sense of two operatic giants on the stage--theatric spectacle at its best, and alongside Barenboim's lush orchestration, its most profound.
In summary, a masterful production of one of opera's most difficult works to conceptualize and stage well--highly recommended indeed.
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