Opus Arte Der Ring Des Nibelungen: De Nederlandse Opera (Haenchen) [DVD] [2013] [NTSC]

This 1999 production of The Ring was the first to be based on the definitive complete edition of Wagner's music. Pierre Audi's production for the Netherlands Opera blends the lyrical, mythical and philosophical qualities of Wagner's tetralogy into a profound unity. Amazing sets by George Tsypin and wonderful costumes by Oscar-winning Eiko Ishioka complement singing and playing of great intensity from the cast under the baton of Hartmut Haenchen, who leads an unusually flowing, texturally sensitive interpretation, creating a vigorous yet often intimate impression that comes closer than many modern performances to the scale of Wagner's original conception. Press Reviews "A blend of transparent stage direction, powerful images and colourful orchestral playing. Perfect. (Die Walküre)" (Trouw, NL) "Pierre Audi's Ring really shines! (Das Rheingold)" (Wagner Society) "In the timeless archaic costumes by Eiko Ishioka most of the cast reach great heights, especially Wagner specialists like Reinhild Runkel and Graham Clark. Henk Smit is an Alberich with a lot of dramatic power. An exciting start to a Ring with which De Nederlandse Opera will draw international attention once again." (De Telegraaf - Rheingold) "It is breathtaking to experience how well the technical and spatial possibilities of Het Muziektheater are being used; and even more overwhelming to see the focus on the individual in all this excitement. Het Muziektheater had a premiere without any equal..." (Het Financieële Dagblad - Die Walküre ) "Hartmut Haenchen builds on the New Wagner Edition and the Orchestra in outstanding form: a leaner, more elegant and ever thundering Wagner sound makes this production a rich experience." (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - Siegfried) "Audi and designer George Tsypin work with a varying series of thrillingly lit (Wolfgang Goebbel) acting areas, Hartmut Haenchen's orchestra(s) constantly visible in a manner reminiscent of Baroque theatre." (Gramophone - Götterdämmerung) Cast John Bröcheler (Wotan) John Keyes (Siegmund) Nadine Secunde (Sieglinde) Jeannine Altmeyer (Brünnhilde) Heinz Kruse (Siegfried) Henk Smet (Alberich) Kurt Rydl (Hagen) Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra (Götterdämmerung & Die Walküre), The Hague Philharmonic (Das Rheingold), The Hague Philharmonic (Das Rheingold); Hartmut Haenchen Stage Director: Pierre Audi Catalogue Number: OA1094BD Running Time: 1008 minutes Sound: LPCM Stereo & 5.1 DTS (except Der Fliegende Holländer: Dolby Digital 2.0 & 5.1 DTS) Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, ES, NE (Der Fliegende Holländer); EN, FR, DE, ES, CA, IT (Der Ring Des Nibelungen); EN, FR, DE, ES, IT (Lohengrin); EN, FR, DE, ES, DA, CH (Tannhäuser); EN, FR, DE, ES, IT (Parsifal); EN, FR, DE, ES, IT (Tristan und Isolde) Label: Opus Arte