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KA-POW!!!
Like Thor's mighty hammer blow, that was how this disc hit me, a
Ring initiate and probably on my way to being Wagner's newest
convert; AND maybe soon to be taking that One Great Step every classical
music enthusiast inadvertently must think about - Buying Solti's
Ring (a.k.a Wallet-dämmerung)
The
disc begins with the epic "Entry of the gods into Valhalla" from
Das Rheingold. Donner (equivalent of Thor) summons a great
storm to clear the atmosphere, and then - þING! goes his hammer,
sparking a bolt of lightning followed by rolling thunder. The clouds
part to reveal, to heavenly music, a rainbow bridge. Throughout,
the Vienna Philharmonic demonstrate vast ranges of colour, dynamic
and supreme dramatic nuance, courtesy of the late Sir Georg Solti's
inspired direction. Wotan (equivalent of Odin), chief of the gods,
sings a poetic greeting to Valhalla before inviting the gods to
enter. Loge, god of fire, refuses to join them, while in beautiful
offstage acoustics the Rhinemaidens lament of the loss of their
Rheingold in quite melodious fashion! Legendary as Solti's Ring
may be known, it must be heard to be believed, and this opening
track makes a most impressive introduction to this introduction.
The
Ride of the Valkyries
Abridged libretto, updated for 1990s by Chia Han-Leon
Gerhilde:
Yo! Here, Helmwige, bring your horse here.
Helwige: Yo! Coming up!
Ortlinde: Park your stallion next to my mare - he'll
enjoy grazing with her.
Waltraute: Who's that hanging from your saddle?
Helmwige: It's Sintolt the Hegeling.
Schwertleite: Oops. Then you'd better park elsewhere
'cos Ortlinde's mare is carrying Wittig the Irming.
Gerhilde: Yeah, Sintolt and Wittig hate each other.
Ortlinde: Tsk, tsk - my mare is already being jostled
by the stallion. The warriors' quarrel antagonises the horses
too.
Waltraute: Yo, Siegrune! Where have you been, woman?
Siegrune: There was work to do - are the others here?
Incoming Valkyries: Yoo-hoo! We're here!
Present Valkyries: Yo! Welcome!
Incoming Valkyries: Yo, gals!
Present Valkyries: Yo! Come on in and park your mares
in the woods - keep them apart until the dead men finish bickering.
Welcome! Welcome!
With
apologies to Wagner and Wagner-fans.
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But
wait! Hark, what do I hear in the distance? To the insistent and
thunderous buffeting winds of the horns, the Valkyries ("Choosers
of the Slain") gather on a rocky mountain summit, preparing to ferry
the bodies of fallen warriors to Valhalla ("Hall of the Slain"),
to feast, fight and await the day of the gods' final apocalyptic
battle, Ragnarok. We are about to witness the famous Ride of
the Valkyries from Die Walkürie. As the Valkyries approach,
they converse in what must be Valkyrian occupational chit-chat,
greeting each other with their ringing "Hojotoho!"s and bird-slaying
helden-song. Particularly stunning is the shockwave-vibrato executed
by Berit Lindholm as the valkyrie Helmwige, as she hollers at the
top (in more ways than one) of her voice during the first big climax.
Continuing
with their perfectly ordinary Nordic discussions, these magical
flight stewardesses, powered surely by the mightiest BMW/Rolls Royce
aeroengines, gossip about the companionship preferences of their
B-52 horses and their body count of the day (i.e. the warriors they
"picked up" today - ha ha). Wow, it's like women coming back from
shopping...
But
I jest. The tremendously HUGE firepower of these heldensopranos
are wondrous to behold. Surely, after hearing them, the listener
cannot but pay much more respect to those old B&W photos of not-particularly-slim,
chainmail-clad, horned and enhelmed, and spear-armed supersopranos.
I imagine that just by singing with their maximiser voices alone,
these Überwomen could down F-15s and disrupt communications satellite
orbits. Did I mention these women must be huge?
Next on the line-up is the Magic Fire Music from Die Walkürie
- Wotan summons Loge to conjure a circle of fire to imprison the
valkyrie Brünnhilde for protecting Siegmund against his wrath. To
the flaming tremolos of the strings and the wavering fires of the
woodwinds, the orchestra paints a vivid picture of the burning ring
arising. Tempering his anger at his favourite daughter, Wotan has
decided to merely send her into deep sleep within the fires. Only
he who stands brave before Wotan's spear can pass through the flames
to reach Brünnhilde. Magically, the fire music softens dreamily,
depicting Brünnhilde falling into slumber.
Siegfried
- the universally recognised name always invokes a reaction of heroic
admiration. No really, just say the name to anyone with an inkling
of the arts. A friend of mine once attended a production of the
opera, didn't understand a single word, but was bowled over anyway.
But probably most people may not realise that our hero is the bastard
son of the siblings Sieglinde and Siegmund. Never mind. In the dramatic
Forging Scene, Siegfried is seen in creating a new weapon
from the smelted remains of Wotan's magic sword Notung. In between
scolding the original for breaking and urging the bellows to blow
harder on the fires, Siegfried's sings with almost delirious intensity,
symbolically employing his mighty voice in the act of creation.
Wolfgang Windgassen is a match for Wagner's mighty music. Listen
for the sizzling cymbal roll as Siegfried plunges the red-hot steel
into water; or the authentic hammer clashes depicting Siegfried
hammering the metal into shape; and the brassy finale when Siegfried
cleaves the anvil he has created his new sword with.
Doing
an about-turn, Siegfried/Windgassen now sings wistfully and sadly
for his lost mother in the tender Forest Murmurs. A soft
breeze seems to waft through the dawn-lit woods as laments on her
dying to give him birth. Hopeful that the birds will give him some
answers (they do later), Siegfried makes a flute from a reed and
pipes in dialogue with the birds. This is a relatively short, 5-minute
piece, but atmospherically and serenely delivered by the Vienna
forces.
Götterdämmerung
- The Twilight of the Gods. Siegfried has been killed - our tour
of Wagner's epic drama continues with the grim-heroic procession
of Siegfried's Funeral March. This orchestral interlude showcases
the various leitmotifs used by Wagner in the Ring to symbolise various
dramatic elements. 
The March opens with a low murmuring section, before, with almost
weary pain, the Death motif is pounded out on brass and timpani,
with basses growling in support. The Sword and Siegfried motifs
are laid out in heroic splendour, celebrating and inscribing in
those gathered the nobility and tragedy of their circumstances.
The Vienna Philharmonic is distinguished by their truly dark and
grim tone of music-making, matching the mood perfectly.
Left:
Siegried & Brünnhilde - illustration by Julek Heller, from the book
Knights (Julek Heller and Deirdre Headon).
In the single longest sequence on this disc, the famous apocalyptic
Immolation Scene, Birgit Nilsson (always our favourite) is
the defiant heroine Brünnhilde, ordering for a funeral pyre to be
built for her lost love. After paying her final tribute of love
to Siegfried, she curses Wotan and the Ring, which she retrieves
from Siegfried's hand and puts on her own. Finally, Brünnhilde sets
fire to the pyre before entering it herself to join her love. Valhalla
is consumed, as the world is readied for new generations. The ring
thus comes full circle, and I assure you, this disc will have you
coming round back to track 1 again.
Der Fliegende Inkpot
Ring of Drama
CHIA
HAN-LEON often mistakes Ikea furniture names for names of Valkyries.
He recently bought Morgondal, queen-sized.
If you wish to
Add a Comment to this article, please email your comments to classical@inkpot.com.
516:
1.7.1999 © Chia Han-Leon
Readers' Comments
From: albert lynd (clynd@worldnet.att.net / Wednesday, April 21, 1999 at 06:07:57)
A wonderful introduction to The Ring and how it should be interpreted. Sir Georg knows the soul of this music!
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