The Ring of the Nibelung (3): Siegfried

In this live recording of the third part of the tetralogy, Jon Fredric West’s Siegfried is joined by Lisa Gasteen as Brünnhilde. Jossi Wieler's direction of the opera is set among designs by Anna Viebrock. The production is marked by the unprecedented power of suggestion in the gloomiest of all comedies; one which makes laughter die in the throat, and yet the only truly negative figure to emerge from the opera is the Wanderer, Wotan. The third part of the Ring cycle focuses on Siegfried, the child of Sieglinde and Siegmund. His upbringing has been free, and he has never learned the meaning of fear. As he struggles to break free from his past and to forge his own destiny, the fateful possession of the Ring passes to him. He acquires his father's sword, kills the dragon Fafner, and wakes the sleeping Brünnhilde. As the Wanderer (Wotan in disguise) tries to bar his way, he brushes him aside and, in so doing, breaks his spear, thereby destroying his power. "Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito made together the funniest Siegfried I have ever experienced. Lisa Gasteen's voice was lovely and communicative… Wolfgang Schöne made a marvelous Wanderer while Heinz Göhrig created a more sympathetic Mime than usual. His singing was excellent." (Seattle Opera Magazine)