This is the second installment in Chandos’ reissue of Reginald Goodall’s Ring Cycle, originally issued by EMI and sung in Andrew Porter’s excellent, immediately intelligible English translation. On the whole, Goodall’s conducting proves more shapely and specific in Siegfried than in Die Walküre. Although the string textures still lack the tonal heft and true bottom that characterize Solti’s Vienna Philharmonic, Goodall still elicits tenderly sustained phrasing in the score’s reflective passages, such as the Act 2 Forest Murmurs and Siegfried’s Act 3 musings atop Brunnhilde’s rock. The weighty, snarling brass playing throughout evokes a true sense of a mythic forest, whose secrets unravel in front of the young Siegfried’s trusting eyes. Barry Tuckwell’s gorgeous renditions of Siegfried’s horn calls, in fact, may well be worth the price of admission here.
Like Hans Knappertsbusch, Goodall’s slow tempos work best during long, conversational stretches (Act 1’s central scene between Mime and the Wanderer). By contrast, the conductor’s heavy hand drags Act 3’s Prelude into muddy tundra, leaving Norman Bailey’s Wanderer and Anne Collins’ Erda to fend for dramatic support apart from the podium. As Mime, tenor Gregory Dempsey acts with his voice without lapsing into caricature. Alberto Remedios’ fresh, heartfelt singing of the title role reveals a touchingly vulnerable side to this hero. Clifford Grant’s rich, imposing bass voice makes you wish that the role of Fafner were longer. Rita Hunter is radiant and secure in the Act 3 love duet, as she matches Remidios’ sweet, ardent tone. Derek Hammon-Stroud’s strong Alberich and Maurine London’s clearly audible Woodbird fill out this fine cast. In sum, Siegfried is probably the strongest entry in Goodall’s Ring, and receives its finest sonic incarnation in Chandos’ 24-bit transfer. [6/7/2001]
