Acknowledging that the world doesn’t need another recording of Walküre, I approached this set with trepidation. I needn’t have, despite some real problems. First the extraordinarily good news: The sonics are perfect at all listening levels, from the pppp timpani strokes in the Todesverkündigung to the free-for-all scream-a-thon in act three. Peter Seiffert’s Siegmund is manly, protective and strangely wise (in act II), and he sings beautifully almost consistently, a slight beat in the voice and one or two over-stretched fortissimo notes aside. Mihoko Fujimura sings Fricka with authority, a youngish, bright tone, and superb diction. Zubin Mehta’s leadership is joyously free of any eccentricities, his tempi are wisely chosen, his crescendi sensible, intense and exciting, his sense of the opera’s huge moments as correct as the very intimate ones. And his orchestra plays brilliantly throughout.
But some of the singing is a matter of taste. Waltraud Meier gets inside Sieglinde’s sad skin admirably, and one might think that since the role lies lowish that the troublesome top of her voice wouldn’t be an issue. Wrong. Most of her voice is now produced in an ugly, nasal manner, and the top is simply hideous–her big moment in act III is just this side of punishment. The top three or four notes of John Tomlinson’s voice have turned grotesque (his final f sharp in his entrance monologue gives the impression that he might start bleeding momentarily), but he remains a thoroughly imposing Wotan, proud of his favorite daughter, then put upon with Fricka, needy again with Brünnhilde, disgusted at the end of Act II, simply terrifying in his third act rage and later, just the right combination of sad, trapped and righteous. Gabriel Schnaut mumbles her way through Brünnhilde’s words from start to finish, and the quality of the voice is nothing to bask in, but she feels the part deeply and her timing, dynamic range, emphasis and general understanding of the part are excellent. Kurt Rydl offers a Hunding that sounds ready for a nursing home, albeit one with bars on the windows. The Valkyries, as Anna Russell used to say, are a noisy bunch. What to do? Great conducting, amazing sound, almost ideal Siegmund and Fricka, but some ugly sounds everywhere else. Up to you–you’ll know what to expect.
