| | |  | DENMARK | Home » » The Copenhagen Ring: The Complete DVD Set | | | | | | | Description: | | WAGNER:COPENHAGEN RING - DVD Movie | | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Stig Andersen, Irenie Theorin, Gitta-Maria Sjoberg, Johan Reuter, Stephen Milling | | Director:
| Kasper Bech Holten | | Format:
| AC-3, Box set, Classical, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen | | Language:
| German | | Subtitle:
| Chinese, English, French, German, Spanish | | Number of Discs:
| 7 | | Studio:
| Decca | | Run Time:
| 920 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| August 12, 2008 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 19 reviews |
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23 of 26 found the following review helpful:
 Blood, Booze, BrutalityDec 23, 2008
By harmless drudge
Reactions to this Ring production have been varied; see other posted reviews. As with most "modern" productions, there are liberties taken with the settings, costumes, and interactions among the characters that may be stimulating or irritating to the viewer. Rheingold takes place in the early 20th century (1920s?). The maidens cavort about dressed as "flappers" in a nightclub; Alberich drinks like a fish; the gold is personified as a young adult male swimming in a lobster tank. The first scene introduces three motifs that recur throughout this production: booze (all the major male characters drink frequently -- no doubt a comment on their weakness), blood and brutality (besides the scripted deaths additional characters are bumped off, always in a graphic, brutal manner). This is not a "PG" Ring. As a Ring lover, I found most of this production entertaining and often provocative. One effect of living in our time with video and audio recordings readily available is that a performance of the Ring is not a particularly unusual event. To be special productions have to introduce novel interpretations. So far, thankfully, the music and libretto have not often been violated; that leaves the setting, costumes, and stage action as the domains for creative directors. The major conceit in the Copenhagen production is the the idea that Brunnhilde seeks out the history of her predicament between Acts 2 and 3 of Gott. The earlier operas become something of a flashback; she appears periodically (often during scene changes in the earlier operas) pouring over diaries and souvenirs (from Valhalla's library?) that recount the history of the ring. Although great effort went into achieving this effect, for me all of this effort doesn't add or subtract much from the production. And it certainly doesn't make the production a "feminist" Ring cycle. The power relations are the same as any traditional production. (How could they be otherwise without changing the libretto?) The men are clueless (Siegfried), short-sighted (Wotan), and evil (Hagan) as they make the decisions and wield power; wisdom rests with the women (Erda, Fricka, and eventually Brunnhilde) -- but that's just as true in traditional productions because that's what Wagner wrote. There are a few touches that suggest a "feminist take" such as the sword pulling scene in Act1 of Walkure. Brunnshilde's discovery of the history of the ring hardly makes the production a feminist one. I have focused on this point because several reviewers suggest some radical feminist interpretation; by and large I didn't see it. In addition, Brunnhilde is not so ignorant of the ring's history as this production implies; she gets much of the story from Wotan in the Act 2 monologue (Walkure) as well as from Waltraute in Act 1 of Gott.
Normally, I would not reveal a surprise ending but other reviewers already have; Brunnhilde appears at the beginning of Gott. visibly pregnant and delivers the child during the immolation scene; this makes for an uplifting, warm conclusion but hardly fits with Wagner's intent that the race of gods are destroyed at the end of the cycle (Brunnhilde and Siegfried are not "pure" humans)
Each succeeding opera in the series moves the action closer to the present era. For example, in Gott. Siegfried returns from wooing Brunnhilde for Gunther in a Mercedes. For the most part, modernizing the production works and the similarity between the brutality displaced by Hagan and his minions to that we have observed in recent years in Bosnia, Iraq, and so forth is striking and can be unsettling (that's a compliment). For me the most chilling scenes were the theft of the ring from Alberich in Rheingold and Hagan's watch in Gott. Speaking of Hagan, many reviewers have applauded his acting but found his voice a bit weak. Nevertheless, the evil 3 (Hagan, Alberich, Mime) were among the best singing actors in the production. Most of the cast did a fine job; not as brilliant as some of the classic audio Rings, but certainly more than competent. Altough old timers like myself often wax nostalgic about Nilsson, Traubel, Varnay, or Flagstad, none of the aforementioned grand ladies (or comparable grand men of the past) could act (or more accurately were required to act) like the singers in this production. I thought all the singers did a great job of acting and a very good job (more variable here) of singing. The cast and production was worthy of any of the "great" opera houses.
The quality of the film is excellent; sharp images; vivid colors. My only complaint is that because it is shot like a movie with multiple cameras and perspectives, the camera often jumps around excessively and there are too many way-too-close closeups. Wny film makers think viewers enjoy seeing the pores of the actors and the fillings of open mouthed singers is beyond me.
Before closing, I want to single out the production of Siegfried. Often, this opera is considered the most difficult to bring off successfully. In this production, the set was great and, for once, the opera moved along without dragging.
I've rambled too long, so to close, I recommend this Ring along with the recently released, but quite different, Amsterdam Ring to stand along with the Barenboim, Boulez, and Levine efforts. It certainly may not "click" with some viewers (hence the wide range of opinions posted here), but it is never less than entertaining and thought provoking.
35 of 43 found the following review helpful:
 The best DVD production of the RingSep 02, 2008
By Chyron
This Ring is different from all other Rings on DVD and is mostly successful in what it aims to bring. It is wonderful to have this pinnacle of operatic spectacles in a staging worthy of the subject, a stage with `actors who can sing' as Wagner wished it. The singers do act as if in a movie and the DVD has been filmed as a dramatic movie, not as a static stage performance though a live stage performance it of course is. This may at times be a bit tiresome as images and image angles may seem to switch a bit too often but most of the time by far this cinematographic approach pays off well and enhances the drama without disturbing the operatic enjoyment. The result is an experience unlike the live experience in the opera house itself but I'm inclined to say the choice was well made. After all, a film on DVD is not a stage performance even if it is based on one.
Staging and acting, all of the visuals are evidently extremely important in a DVD release and the Copenhagen Ring gives you decors to relish and acting on a very high and convincing level indeed. As in the Boulez Ring, the acting closely follows the music and specifically the text though it may sometimes appear to stretch the imagination a little too far. The film quality in itself is superb and so is the sound.
Speaking of sound, the orchestra is more than up to the task. No one I think expects this orchestra and this conductor to give the best-ever performance of Wagner's Ring on record. It is however more than adequate to deliver a good reading that never disappoints and often impresses.
There are moments when the singing (never less than adequate, often quite good) struggles without really succeeding to rise above the orchestra. It is noticeable and thus it is a blemish albeit a small one and more forgivable in a live performance than in a studio recording.
A few remarks on the side : Hagen acted splendidly but his voice was less impressive. Siegfried in Götterdämmerung was not that strong either. Brünnhilde was great.
There was one scene that I thoroughly disliked : the Norns in the introduction to Götterdämmerung really knew how to irritate me, making by exaggerated playacting a parody out of what could have been an original idea (casting the Norns as members of the audience), it simply does not fit in the whole and to me it stands out as a black spot on this otherwise quite excellently directed Ring.
I feared for even worse when the curtain rose on Siegfried and Brünnhilde's farewell scene and uncovered a sight that awakened horrified memories of Konwitschny's Götterdämmerung (for those who watched it in the Stuttgart Ring) : you will see Siegfried donning an apron to start doing the washing-up (à la Konwitschny) but then Brünnhilde gestures him not to be silly and to take it off again, and the story starts at last to unfold again in a Wagnerian mould. So was this only a director's joke ? If so, I find it out of place in a production such as this one.
In short, this is a very good production and a very good DVD release with some weak moments that do not fundamentally alter the overall impression of a rewarding experience. If it weren't for the Norns, I'd give it overall five stars despite of a number of imperfections here and there. The first three parts of the cycle deserve five stars, the fourth only four (without counting the Norns) or three (when counting the Norns).
Should you watch this Ring ? Yes, absolutely.
9 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 A MIDDLING RINGJun 14, 2010
By Paco Rivero
"Henry"
Notwithstanding all the positive customer reviews, the truth is that neither the conductor nor most of the performers evince much talent for Wagner. The one notable exception is Stig Andersen, who plays both Siegmund and Siegfried. He is the main reason why this silly sci-fi/horror themed Ring is worth watching.
The production begins with a gory "Das Rheingold." Wagner's romanticism largely falls by the wayside, but of course that is the case with most contemporary Rings. (Can it be doubted that ours is a thoroughly unromantic age?) Now, there is something to be said for emphasizing the dark side of Wagner's work. The composer himself spoke of the "ghostly fifths" that he found so eerie as a child. He often recalled the thrilling Wolf's glen scene in Weber's Der Freischutz, which made such a frightening impression on his young imagination. He even described some of his own music for the Ring -- specifically, music he wrote for the villian, Hagen -- as "demonic . . . annihilatory syncopations . . . a concert for toads, crows, and ravens." One of the problems with this Copenhagen Ring, however, is that the conductor, and subsequently the orchestra, fails to evoke this frightening side of Wagner even while the mise en scene tries to emphasize the story's horror. Moreover, without the redemptive, counterbalancing force of Wagner's almost metaphysical romanticism -- the art-as-a-religion seriousness that he advocated -- you end up with a staging so lopsided that it can no longer be taken seriously as Wagnerian. You wind up with what amounts to a B-grade horror movie, one that doesn't take ITSELF very seriously. In short, you wind up with camp. This is a very juvenile, campy Ring cycle.
It all begins with an event that is not in Wagner's libretto: Brunnhilde is looking through her father's attic, trying to find out from dusty books and packed-away mementos how she ended up betraying and basically killing her soul-mate, Siegfried. One of the mementos she finds is the Nibelung's ring (for some reason they turned the ring into a bracelet here, but I will continue referring to it as a ring; incidentally, the reason why at the end of this staging Brunnhilde doesn't return the ring to the Rheinmaidens is precisely because it appears as one of the mementos that she finds stored away in a box in Wotan's attic). The insertion of Brunnhilde in the attic is unwarranted on so many levels that it is easy to come up with a steady stream of objections. Brunnhilde is supposed to have killed herself after she betrays Siegfried, so she can't still be around at this point in the story. Also, she has no need to "find out how it came to this" since all that she needs or wants to know is revealed to her at the end of "Gotterdammerung" (this is emphasized by Wagner himself). Moreover, Wotan can't have an attic since Valhalla is supposed to have gone up in flames, along with Wotan himself.
Of course, the heart of "Das Rheingold" is not Brunnhilde -- she isn't even supposed to be in this part of the Ring -- but her father, the god Wotan. But the Wotan in this production is so weak that all the theatrical energy ends up coming from the demonic dwarf Alberich, who is here portrayed as a mad scientist. As Alberich, Sten Byriel's singing is horrible in the first scene of the opera. Thankfully, he improves significantly during scene III (even if he is occasionally drowned out by the orchestra) and remains pretty solid for the rest of the cycle. Interestingly, the point at which he improves is precisely the spot at which he puts the tarnhelm on to make himself invisible. When he sings "Dem Haupt fugt sich der Helm" his voice suddenly deepens, his whole demeanor changes and, aided by some fine playing from the orchestra, we finally witness the magic that Wagner can achieve. In keeping with the sci-fi theme of this Ring cycle, when he changes shape for Wotan and Loge, Alberich turns into a weird, mutant worm. After Wotan and Loge capture him, he is tortured and his arm is hacked off. The scene is brutal yet effective thanks to Byriel's dramatic singing and acting. Unfortunately, once he leaves the stage all the drama goes with him. Wotan, Fricka, Loge, Donner, Froh, Freia, the giants -- all of these parts are sung with more aplomb in the Boulez and Barenboim cycles. The Copenhagen cast isn't bad; they just aren't great Wagnerian singers. Much of the reason for the failure of this Copenhagen production rests with the conductor and stage director, who totally fail to create an atmosphere of high drama, of massive wills (of gods and giants) coming into titanic conflict. Instead, we get a bunch of ordinary people milling around the stage, seemingly with very little purpose for being there. Nothing much appears to be at stake when absolutely EVERYTHING should be at stake. Where is the high-strung emotion that Wagner demands here, just as he demands it in Tristan und Isolde?
For me, "Die Walkure" is the low point of the Copenhagen Ring. It starts out strong with Schonwandt doing a great job conducting the prelude. But Stig Andersen (Siegmund) is hampered by being paired with Gitta-Maria Sjoberg's disastrous Sieglinde. Ms. Sjoberg is blessed with a gorgeous voice, but she is not cut out for this part. She would have been much better as the Woodbird that speaks to Siegfried later on in the cycle. Her sweet, warbling voice would have been perfect there. In any case, the role of Wotan, sung by Johan Reuter in "Das Rheingold," is now handed over to James Johnson. His long scenes with Fricka and Brunnhilde are nothing short of enervating, not a good thing. Irenie Theorin gives an inconsistent performance as Brunnhilde. At times she is very good, especially toward the end of the cycle. When I compare Theorin's Brunnhilde to Gwyneth Jones's or Anne Evans's, Theorin comes out losing. In my opinion, in this "Die Walkure" only Andersen reaches any level of greatness.
The cycle improves somewhat with "Siegfried," mostly because Stig Andersen takes center stage and has a decent -- if by no means spectacular -- Mime to work with. His voice blends more smoothly with Bengt-Ola Morgay (Mime) than it does with Sjoberg. It is exciting to listen to Andersen sing as he forges his sword. Act II is aided by the return of Byriel as Alberich. In his scene with Johnson, Byriel's singing and acting leaves Johnson's Wotan in the dust. The dragon is depicted as a grotesque creature with huge tentacles coming out of a hole in the ground. Siegfried jumps into the hole and the stage rises so that we can follow him under ground. As the floor rises, an underground cave (where Fafner is controlling the monster from a console) is revealed -- a very cool theatrical effect. In Act III, Johnson delivers his best singing as he calls on Erda. He remains strong through the next scene opposite Andersen. The long, concluding duet between Andersen and Theorin is good, but by no means extraordinary.
Finally, we come to what is, musically speaking, the best part of this cycle. By the end of "Gotterdammerung," Stig Andersen, despite some bad acting and a lackluster first act, will have sung one of the best Siegfrieds available on DVD, and the orchestra will have soared. Theorin delivers a phenomenal finale -- at least compared to some of her earlier singing, where I found her tone at times somewhat shrill. Another stand-out is Anette Bod's Waltraute. The chorus of Vassals belt out their part so well that they rival the chorus in Clemens Krauss's Bayreuth recording of 1953, which is the best chorus I've heard. Most of the rest of the cast is solid, with Byreil returning as Alberich, and Guido Paevatalu delivering a tolerable Gunther. Peter Klaveness's voice grows weak occasionally, but I like his dark, quavering tones; they suit Hagen's character. In keeping with the campy sci-fi, most of the stage-craft remains silly, but the worst aspect is that the video editor decides to add absurd slow-motion replays of, among other things, Brunnhilde aimlessly wandering through her father's attic. And of course the Rheinmaidens never get their gold back. But the music is so good in this "Gotterdammerung" that the weaknesses seem mere trifles.
A minor point of annoyance: the Copenhagen audience does not stop coughing throughout the production.
On DVD, the Boulez Ring remains my favorite, with Barenboim probably coming in second. The much ridiculed Stuttgart Ring can justly claim a fantastic conductor of Wagner, as well as much better singers than Copenhagen. There are actually several parallels between the Copenhagen and Stuttgart Rings. The director of the former obviously took many ideas from the latter (for instance, Fafner bellowing through the loudspeakers). Judging by comments made by other reviewers, most people who have seen both Rings seem to prefer Copenhagen over Stuttgart, but here is my case for favoring Stuttgart: I rather watch the Copenhagen Ring, but I much rather hear Stuttgart -- and ultimately opera is about using your ears, not your eyes. If you want a solid Ring on DVD, you can't go wrong with Boulez: Wagner: The Ring of the Nibelung ( Das Rheingold / Die Walküre / Siegfried / Götterdämmerung) (Boulez/Chereau Ring Cycle).
11 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Eurotrash - but good EurotrashJan 23, 2009
By Doug Urquhart
'Eurotrash' is an odd, rather dismissive term. It's bandied around by critics of non-traditional productions of classic operas, particularly if the director's interpretation differs from that of the reviewer.
I'm going to modify this slightly. After all, the latest Bayreuth production of Meistersinger fits the above definition, but it isn't Eurotrash - it's just trash.
For the purposes of this review, let's define 'Eurotrash' as a production where the director feels that
- His views are more important than those of the composer
- The audience are far too jaded to appreciate a traditional production
- All those gods and heroes aren't particularly relevant to our modern age - let's introduce some good honest mediocrity; everyone can relate to that.
- Opera doesn't have to be inspiring, just provocative
- Keep it shallow; these days people don't understand 'deep'
- When all else fails, make fun of your audience
However, and this is very important, if the director actually understands the source material, and has the integrity to make the best possible interpretation (within his world view), Eurotrash isn't necessarily a bad thing.
By this definition, the Copenhangen Ring is an excellent example of Eurotrash, and would be a worthy addition to the collection of any Wagnerite who hasn't yet acquired a specimen - far better than the Stuttgart travesty, and actually quite entertaining, in an irritating kind of way.
There are some quite bizarre aspects of this performance. The most obvious is Kasper Bech Holten's decision to portray der Ring as a comedy!
Loge is a sleazy, chain-smoking lawyer, always looking for a light (he's the God of Fire, and doesn't have a light(har har))
When Wotan is quizzing Mime, he keeps glancing at a kichen knife, trying to influence Mime's choice of questions. You know, the same way that Harry Kupfer did it, but less subtle.
The Norns are portrayed as Wagnerites, sitting in the audience. When they talk about the past, they wave a copy of Wagner's autobiography. When Norn III complains that her view of the future is obscured by the actions of humans, the Norns hold up a picture of the director, with a placard denigrating 'regietheater'. (Ego showing a bit, old chap)
And for the hard of understanding, when they return to Mother, they show a picture of Cosima.(Laugh? I nearly started!)
And throughout, the characters drink like fish. When Siegfried finally catches up with Wotan on the mountain, he's sitting there surrounded by empties. Is the constant drinking a Danish thing? I vaguely remember Hamlet saying something of the sort.
There is some unnecessary gore, which seems to be a Eurotrash standard. Was it really necessary to remove Alberich's arm? Surely a spot of vaseline would have done the trick.
Add to this the obligatory, uninspiring, provincial drabness and squalor (maybe Eurodrab would be a better term than Eurotrash). Why oh why do European directors think this is a good thing!!!!
In its defence, this isn't actually a bad production.
There is a consistent dramaturgical vision, unlike Stuttgart. There are some liberties, including the presence of Brunnhilde in Rheingold, the death of Alberich, the non-death of Hunding, and of course, the ending..... but these don't detract from the composer's intent, I think.
With the exception of Susanne Resmar's Erda, sung with a strange, almost yodelling tone, the standard of singing is perfectly adequate, if not exactly stellar.
The acting, and general interpretation of the roles, was good. Stig Andersen ably stood up to the challenge of playing both Siegmund and Siegfried. James Johnson managed to preserve the dignity of Wotan despite the rather unpleasant makeup and costume. Michael Kristensen's Legal Loge was hilarious.
The orchestra was adequate, if occasionally out of its depth.The singers were drowned out a couple of times; perhaps Michael Schonwandt could take a few lessons from Barenboim. Tempos were fast, but they matched the general shallowness of the approach.
And as a bonus, there's a discussion between the director and the Queen of Denmark (who is a keen Wagnerite). How cool is that!
If you have all the traditional productions, and would like to see how the other half lives, give this one a shot. It won't be particularly inspiring, but you might find it entertaining.
If you think the Chereau Ring is controversial, give this one a miss.
And look out for the sequel: Son of Siegfried
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Itchy editing; otherwise validJun 29, 2011
By isabelle a
No, it's not traditional or definitive. No, it's not Boulez. But for a second tier effort, it's quite acceptable. And some sellers here have it for $55. For me the biggest problem was the incessant editing & close-ups. The video team apparently wanted to make it cinematic, but this is a staged opera, not cinema. Many of the close-ups feature distracting sweat, spit, & stage make-up/wigs which would be unnoticeable from a theater seat. This kind of tight & rapid editing also destroys the spatial relationships of the singers. Plus, in some segments, loud coughing from the audience. Since there will never be a second DVD of this production, greater care should have been taken to get the presentation right.
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