Wagner: Die Walküre, Act 1 / Domingo, Polaski, Tomlinson; Barenboim
The action of Wagner'sRingcycle begins, as singer-comedienne Anna Russell so wryly put it, in the Rhine River--"that's right,init." But newcomers who'd like to venture beyond the standard dose of orchestral excerpts may well find that the opening act ofDie Walküre(the second of the cycle's four operas) offers the most immediately appealing point of access into the world of theRing. This is, after all, the point where the cycle's first merely human characters take the stage. The process whereby protagonists Siegmund and Sieglinde fall in love and temporarily escape their doom inspired some of the most rapturous, incandescent outpouring of music to be found in all Wagner. This live concert performance from 1993 conveys both the urgency and compassion of the score with unremitting immediacy. As with hisTristanandLohengrin, Daniel Barenboim once again gives proof that he has matured into a formidable Wagnerian, from the taut tension of the stormy prelude and the quasi-chamber-music dimensions of the first scene to the brilliantly colored apexes of the love music. Placido Domingo is captured here in top form, portraying a convincingly youthful and passionate Siegmund. Although he throws away an occasional phrase, the stamina of his voice is downright thrilling, particularly in his desperate, sustained call to "Wälse." Domingo's multifaceted approach moreover conveys the hero's fear and vulnerability as well as the tenderly phrased lyrical warmth of "Winterstürme." Deborah Polaski matches her lover's large sound with heart-racing charisma; hers is less a beaten-down, introspective Sieglinde than a woman determined to escape an awful fate through the power of love. John Tomlinson's resounding bass etches an imposing and viscerally frightening Hunding. The engineering is excellent, with brooding, dark colors from the Staatskapelle's lower strings and woodwinds as well as brightly ringing brass. This may be all the inducement you need to discover the entireRing; for that, you might like to turn toGeorg Solti's classic recording.--Thomas May