Trailer

Wagner: Das Rheingold - Boulez, Chéreau (1980)

Music

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.

Updated May 21 2020

Releases:

GB -

1980-08-12

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Keywords:

opera epic

FACTS

Runtime: 143 mins Rating: 5.8

Cast

Helmut Pampuch

Mime

Siegfried Jerusalem

Froh

Pierre Boulez

Heinz Zednik

Loge

Donald McIntyre

Wotan

Matti Salminen

Fasolt

Hanna Schwarz

Martin Egel

Donner

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Wagner: Das Rheingold - Boulez, Chéreau (1980)

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