Das Rheingold (Movie)

This is a beautifully conducted and thoughtfully staged performance of the first opera (the prologue) in Wagner's Ring Cycle. 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.

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1. Die Walküre (1980) (Movie) (8)
   

   Pierre Boulez...Conductor

   

   Donald McIntyre...Wotan

   

   Matti Salminen...Hunding

   

   Hanna Schwarz...Fricka

   

   Pierre Boulez...

   Ilse Gramatzki...

   Carmen Reppel...

   Marga Schiml...
2. Siegfried (1980) (Movie) (6)
   

   Pierre Boulez...Conductor

   Heinz Zednik...Mime

   

   Donald McIntyre...Wanderer (Wotan)

   

   Hermann Becht...Alberich

   Fritz Hübner...

   Ortrun Wenkel...
3. Tristan und Isolde (1983) (Movie) (5)
   

   Matti Salminen...König Marke

   

   Hermann Becht...Kurwenal

   

   Hanna Schwarz...Brangäne

   Helmut Pampuch...Ein Hirt

   Martin Egel...Ein Steuermann
4. Das Rheingold (1990) (Movie) (3)
   Siegfried Jerusalem...Loge

   

   Matti Salminen...Fafner

   Heinz Zednik...Mime
5. Götterdämmerung (1980) (Movie) (3)
   

   Pierre Boulez...Conductor

   Fritz Hübner...Hagen

   

   Hermann Becht...Alberich
6. Siegfried (1990) (Movie) (3)
   Siegfried Jerusalem...Siegfried

   Heinz Zednik...Mime

   

   Matti Salminen...Fafner
7. Tristan und Isolde (Movie) (3)
   

   Matti Salminen...König Marke

   

   Hermann Becht...Kurwenal

   

   Hanna Schwarz...Brangäne
8. From the House of the Dead (2007) (Movie) (2)
   

   Pierre Boulez...Conductor

   Heinz Zednik...
9. Götterdämmerung (1990) (Movie) (2)
   Siegfried Jerusalem...Siegfried

   

   Matti Salminen...Hagen
10. Wagner: Parsifal (2007) (Movie) (2)
    

    Matti Salminen...Titurel

    Siegfried Jerusalem...Parsifal