After a very impressive Das Rheingold and a near-perfect Die Walkure, this La Scala Siegfried had much to live up to. It is a little bit of a let-down after Die Walkure being so good but generally does not waste what high expectations it had. No objections about the production values, apart from Fafner looking under-sized and nowhere near fearsome-looking enough(common in productions of Siegfried though). The sets continue to impress with a real mythical quality to them, this production is one of the better ones on DVD to give a sense of Mime's forge and Fafner's lair being in the same forest. The costumes, neither traditional or modern as such, look good and work within the setting, the projections are colourful and thrilling with a symbolic and mythical quality that was done even better in La Scala's Das Rheingold. The Magic Fire in Act 3 is splendid here, it was the only disappointment in Die Walkure looking on the under-budgeted side and here it was one of the best visuals of the production.
There are a few reservations about the staging. Scenes do work well, Wanderer and Erda's meeting is at times touching and that is more to do with Larsson than anything else, what is done with Mime and Alberich provide a good amount of thrills, Cassiers wastes no chances in showing off Lance Ryan's athleticism(like a 6-foot jump from a rock), he and Nina Stemme make something special of Brunnhilde's awakening in Act 3 and the dancers do show grace and flow. Others don't, Ryan and Stemme have very little to work from in their huge scene at the end of the opera, the encounter with Siegfried and Fafner lacks tension not just because of the dragon's look but that he changes into an under-sized giant when he expires, the dancers can be too intrusive and unnecessary(especially in Siegfried's confrontation with Mime when you question what was their purpose in this scene?) and Fafner's entrance in the horn call is far too anticipated, because his motif comes in to such startling effect it does dissipate the character's menace when we see him before during the call itself. More also could have been done with Siegfried's character journey, he is certainly heroic and youthful but maintaining sympathy for the character doesn't come through as much, at least he doesn't come across as an idiot however like the Weimar and Stuttgart productions managed to do.
It is an outstanding production musically. The orchestral playing is intense and heartfelt with really rich orchestral colours, from the beautifully played and rousing horn call, the ravishing strings throughout and the thrillingly thundering timpani accompanying the diminished chords in the Act 2 prelude. Daniel Barenboim's conducting continues to be enigmatic and in full command of the drama and intensity of the music. Again he is a very sympathetic conductor, though in the scene between Wanderer and Mime he could have made Wanderer's music a little more solemn than he did, but also an authoritative one where his experience in his conducting of the Ring Cycle and Wagner in general comes through loud and clear. The performances are very good on the most part apart from one. Terje Stensvold sings very nobly and with command of the music but he is rather static dramatically, Wanderer's much needed majestic authority has been done better elsewhere and it was strange that for a character so dominant that Alberich, Mime, Siegfried and Erda seemed to show more authority than him. Lance Ryan looks the part as Siegfried and provides a voice free of strain and intelligent musicality and shaping and his acting is heroic and subtle considering what he had to work with. He can be imprecise pitch-wise though, the lack of acting direction in the Act 3 finale does come across as too obvious and the chemistry between him and Stemme could have been far stronger(again mostly Cassiers' fault).
Nina Stemme continues to thrill as Brunnhilde though, her voice is rich and dark as well as beautiful, no wobbles or curdles at all, and her acting is full of compassion and abandon. Peter Bronder drips with oil as Mime and his singing bursts with colour without remarkably distorting the music. Johannes Martin Kränzle's Alberich was the highlight of Das Rheingold and is just as superb reprising here, Alberich is very malevolent here but also in a subtle way, allowing us to feel repulsion and pity for him, Kränzle manages to sing with a dark resonance too. Anna Larsson sings absolutely beautifully and is genuinely tear-inducing as Erda, while Alexander Tsymbalyuk is a menacing Fafner and much improved over the Fafner in Das Rheingold and Rinnat Moriah is suitably chirpy and bright-voiced as the Woodbird. Overall, falls short of being exceptional due to some staging reservations and a disappointing Wanderer but has a lot of good, even fine, assets, visual and musical. 7/10 Bethany Cox
There are a few reservations about the staging. Scenes do work well, Wanderer and Erda's meeting is at times touching and that is more to do with Larsson than anything else, what is done with Mime and Alberich provide a good amount of thrills, Cassiers wastes no chances in showing off Lance Ryan's athleticism(like a 6-foot jump from a rock), he and Nina Stemme make something special of Brunnhilde's awakening in Act 3 and the dancers do show grace and flow. Others don't, Ryan and Stemme have very little to work from in their huge scene at the end of the opera, the encounter with Siegfried and Fafner lacks tension not just because of the dragon's look but that he changes into an under-sized giant when he expires, the dancers can be too intrusive and unnecessary(especially in Siegfried's confrontation with Mime when you question what was their purpose in this scene?) and Fafner's entrance in the horn call is far too anticipated, because his motif comes in to such startling effect it does dissipate the character's menace when we see him before during the call itself. More also could have been done with Siegfried's character journey, he is certainly heroic and youthful but maintaining sympathy for the character doesn't come through as much, at least he doesn't come across as an idiot however like the Weimar and Stuttgart productions managed to do.
It is an outstanding production musically. The orchestral playing is intense and heartfelt with really rich orchestral colours, from the beautifully played and rousing horn call, the ravishing strings throughout and the thrillingly thundering timpani accompanying the diminished chords in the Act 2 prelude. Daniel Barenboim's conducting continues to be enigmatic and in full command of the drama and intensity of the music. Again he is a very sympathetic conductor, though in the scene between Wanderer and Mime he could have made Wanderer's music a little more solemn than he did, but also an authoritative one where his experience in his conducting of the Ring Cycle and Wagner in general comes through loud and clear. The performances are very good on the most part apart from one. Terje Stensvold sings very nobly and with command of the music but he is rather static dramatically, Wanderer's much needed majestic authority has been done better elsewhere and it was strange that for a character so dominant that Alberich, Mime, Siegfried and Erda seemed to show more authority than him. Lance Ryan looks the part as Siegfried and provides a voice free of strain and intelligent musicality and shaping and his acting is heroic and subtle considering what he had to work with. He can be imprecise pitch-wise though, the lack of acting direction in the Act 3 finale does come across as too obvious and the chemistry between him and Stemme could have been far stronger(again mostly Cassiers' fault).
Nina Stemme continues to thrill as Brunnhilde though, her voice is rich and dark as well as beautiful, no wobbles or curdles at all, and her acting is full of compassion and abandon. Peter Bronder drips with oil as Mime and his singing bursts with colour without remarkably distorting the music. Johannes Martin Kränzle's Alberich was the highlight of Das Rheingold and is just as superb reprising here, Alberich is very malevolent here but also in a subtle way, allowing us to feel repulsion and pity for him, Kränzle manages to sing with a dark resonance too. Anna Larsson sings absolutely beautifully and is genuinely tear-inducing as Erda, while Alexander Tsymbalyuk is a menacing Fafner and much improved over the Fafner in Das Rheingold and Rinnat Moriah is suitably chirpy and bright-voiced as the Woodbird. Overall, falls short of being exceptional due to some staging reservations and a disappointing Wanderer but has a lot of good, even fine, assets, visual and musical. 7/10 Bethany Cox
