Wagner: Das Rheingold — Asher Fisch and the Adelaide Ring

This is a review I wrote for SA-CD.net and published there on the 12th of November 2006. SA-CD.net has since become hraudio.net and the old review pages went with it, so this is reproduced from the Internet Archive’s capture. It ran as a site review, and carries a joint copyright line with SA-CD.net.

The review is reproduced as it stood. Only the site’s own furniture around it — the star graphics, the “was this review helpful?” footer — has been dropped, and the ratings it carried are restated as numbers below.

Melba Recordings · MR301089-90 (2 discs) · hybrid disc · stereo and multichannel

Performance 3.5/5 · Sonics stereo 4/5, multichannel 4/5

This is the second installment of Melba Recordings’ staggered release of what will eventually be the first multi-channel Hybrid SA-CD set of the complete Wagner Ring Cycle, based on live performances from the first truly Australian production of the Ring, staged by State Opera South Australia in Adelaide in November-December 2004.

The first title released was Die Walküre in June 2006 and previously reviewed by myself on this site.

Das Rheingold is different from the other operas in the Ring cycle, considered by some to be an operatic prelude to the whole cycle rather than full-scale opera. It contains only one act divided into five scenes and is intended to be performed over two and a half hours with no intervals, so requires stamina from the performers and a good attention span from the audience. Quite a lot happens, setting the context for the subsequent operas, ranging from Alberich stealing the gold from the Rhinemaidens in the opening scene to nothing less than the Gods entering Valhalla accompanied by suitably dramatic music at the close.

Yet I have seen more than my fair share of disappointing performances. Because much of the material is expository in nature, there is a tendency for productions to lack energy. Fortunately the Adelaide 2004 production is not one of them, at least not on stage anyway. The opening scene features lots of stage movement with the Rhinemaidens wearing what appears to be diving outfits sliding with real water flowing down an angled stage floor. And in the third scene we get to see lots of action and movement on a partitioned stage representing the caverns of the Nibelungen.

On this recording, listeners can experience some of the magic that was present on the night of the performance. Unfortunately, the recording does not convey a lot of the visual energy, and I couldn’t help feeling whilst listening to the discs that I was listening to the soundtrack of a film without the benefit of the pictures.

As usual, the recording is technically faultless and superb. I get the feeling I can hear every note played by every instrument in the orchestra, and hear every last nuance in the voices. The overall sound is rather rich, deep, and luscious, and the voices is particular have a lot of body due to reverb. My only quibble is that the overall tone can sound just a bit boomy in the lower frequencies at times.

However, the performance lacks the excitement and the dramatic presence of the Solti version on Decca. Of course, the Solti recording had the benefit of being a studio production rather than a live performance, and producer John Culshaw took the opportunity to turn it into a sonic showcase, including adding artificial reverb to Alberich’s voice when he was wearing the Tarnhelm helmet and lots of sound effects, including anvils ringing and thunder claps. Although some have criticised the Solti Ring as being too “gimmicky” with it’s use of studio techniques, it does have two advantage over many recordings of live performances (including this one): a superbly balanced orchestral tone and singers that are not distracted by the requirements of on-stage movements.

The comparison between the Adelaide SA-CD and the Solti recording is clearly in favour of the latter in the first scene, where the Solti version has the magnificent horns blaring over the deep E-flat bass, which sounds majestic and yet ominous at the same time. In comparison, the horns in the Adelaide version sound rather muted and die down rather quickly, and the exchanges between Alberich and the Rhinemaidens sound rather wooden compared to the playful and yet cruel flirting that goes on in the Solti version. The SA-CD is also “marred” by the lots of “crackle” (which, believe it or not, is the microphones interpreting the sound of running water on stage) and footfalls, which effectively dispel the illusion of the characters swimming around in the Rhine. These kind of noises made sense during the live performance, but perhaps less forgivable in the context of a recording (although they are far less intrusive on the stereo mix compared to the surround).

Fortunately, the next scene, featuring Wotan and Fricka, was much better, probably because the cast could focus on the singing instead of stage movements. The orchestra also starts to pick up during this scene and sounds a bit more dynamic and a little less laidback and restrained.

The third scene surprisingly comes across quite well in the recording, and finally the last two scenes are acceptable, though lacking the intensity and the dramatic impact of the Solti version. Unfortunately, both Timothy DuFore (Donner) and John Bröcheler (Wotan) were a bit too relaxed in terms of pitch control in the “He da! He da! He do!” scene for my liking.

Once again, the surround version sounds more transparent and expansive than the stereo version, which in turn makes the CD version sound a bit glassy and anaemic. The surround mix is rather conservative, which is not surprising given that it’s a live recording. Some care has been taken to mix the Rhinemaidens so that they literally surround the listener in both the first and last scenes. I can hear the audience chuckling in at least two instances, during the first and third scenes, which I thought was a nice touch and a useful reminder that this is a live performance after all. Incidentally, the relative positions of characters on stage are preserved on both stereo and surround mixes which was a nice touch.

In summary then, this set is still worthwhile collecting, especially if you intend to own the complete cycle when it is fully released (15 discs), but is not beyond reproach. I can now understand why Melba chose to release Die Walküre as the first title in the collection. After hearing Die Walküre, one can accept some of the faults in this recording, but I suspect I might be less forgiving if this was the first title released.

The next title scheduled for release is Siegfried early in 2007 followed by Götterdammerung in the middle of the year. This review is based on an copy supplied by Melba Recordings in late October 2006 just after the official launch.