Right from the beginning
of the stormy prelude we get a feeling
that this is to be an exceptional performance
– and so it turns out to be. We are,
so to speak, drawn into the music, the
drama, and surrounded by it – even literally,
since this is the first instalment of
what is to be the first SACD Ring cycle.
There are no gimmicks about the recording,
it just mediates a live event as truthfully
as possible, giving the impression of
a spacious venue with pinpoint precision
and definition of the sound. There is
no highlighting of individual instruments;
everything is so well integrated. It
is a big bold sound with impressive
dynamic range. It says much for the
recording team that even the most explosive
climaxes are homogenous, well blended.
The balance between pit and stage also
seems ideal, voices always audible though
at a healthy distance. My listening
room is fairly modest in size and my
audio equipment is also fairly modest,
but I got an impressive sound of a size
and a quality that made me thank my
lucky stars that my house is well insulated
and my next-door neighbours live at
some distance.
Those opening bars
of the prelude set the seal on the performance
with their menacing ruggedness. No,
don’t misread me: there is not a trace
of ruggedness about the actual playing.
On the contrary the Adelaide Symphony
Orchestra is an impressive band with
silken strings and excellently balanced
wind. The ruggedness is in the music,
and so it should be since we come into
the action in the midst of a ferocious
hunt where Siegmund is running for dear
life. This is caught to perfection by
Asher Fisch, who all through the performance
has a firm grip on the proceedings,
never lets the tension slacken. At the
same time he is careful to show Wagner’s
exquisite chamber music qualities in
the many lyrical moments of this remarkable
score. The first Siegmund – Sieglinde
scene, to give just one example, has
an intimacy to challenge even Karajan’s.
Without making direct comparisons with
existing recordings from the last half-century
I would gladly place Asher Fisch among
the top contenders – and I have taken
Solti, Karajan, Boulez and Barenboim
into the reckoning. If there is a hero
on this recording it is Asher Fisch.
But there are other
heroes as well. There is not a weak
link among the soloists and it seems
that each and every one of the eight
Valkyries could have taken on any of
the main female roles. The first of
them to be heard, Elizabeth Stannard’s
Gerhilde, displays a glorious voice,
but so do they all. I complained about
‘wobblers’ when reviewing parts of the
Haenchen/Amsterdam cycle on DVD recently
but this mainly Australian team is remarkable
for the steadiness of the singing. The
first voice to be heard after the prelude,
Stuart Skelton’s Siegmund, is a major
find. I heard him four years ago in
Vienna when he stepped in at very short
notice for Gösta Winbergh who died
suddenly in his sleep. As Florestan
in Fidelio he showed himself
a Heldentenor. Two and a half years
later, when this Walküre
was recorded he was already a fully
fledged dramatic tenor with tremendous
power and expressiveness and also capable
of much sensitive lyrical singing. Just
listen to Den Vater fand ich nicht
(CD1 track 9). His voice reminds me
of the great James King: it is beautiful,
manly and steady and seemingly with
inexhaustible lung capacity. His cries
Wälse! Wälse! In the
"aria" Ein Schwert verhiess
mir der Vater (CD1 track 13) seem
to last forever. With Ben Heppner still
in healthy voice and Torsten Kerl steadily
making himself a name in the same repertoire
this Fach seems well supported
at the moment.
Deborah Riedel is an
impassioned Sieglinde and matches Skelton
excellently. Hers is also a large voice,
vibrant and beautiful and her glowing
Du bist der Lenz (CD1 track 17)
gives you goose-pimples. She has a whole
array of nuances at her disposal, as
witnessed in act II, Hinweg! Hinweg!
(CD3 track 3). Richard Green impresses
greatly with his black bass; his declamation
is excellent. I have heard few better
Hundings.
Elizabeth Campbell
is a youngish-sounding Fricka, something
to be grateful for when this role so
often is taken by elderly mezzos on
their way to retirement. A lot has been
written about Lisa Gasteen lately and
it is easy to understand why when hearing
her impressive Brünnhilde. She
delivers a high-octane Hoyotoho!
(CD2 track 2-3) and also sings with
great feeling and understanding of the
role. The long final scene with Wotan
reveals that she may well be the
Brünnhilde of this decade and
the next. I am already looking forward
to Götterdämmerung
which is due for release next year.
All of these singers
impress greatly but the question is
if John Bröcheler’s Wotan isn’t
the performance to overtrump all the
others. He is the Wotan of the Amsterdam
Ring which I have reviewed recently
and excellent as he was there he is
even finer here. He makes a furious
God, snarling, shouting, menacing and
so expressive that he is almost visibly
tangible even in this sound-only recording.
And in the final scene he is so fatherly
warm, so touching … singing more or
less to himself. Not even Hans Hotter
at the height of his powers was more
human. If I were asked to point out
the best selling-point of this set I
would play Der Augen leuchtendes
Paar (CD4 track 16). I wonder who
can resist his singing there.
This Walküre
was recorded during performances but
with a very well-behaved audience. Only
the applause after each act reveals
that they were there. The discs come
in an elegant hardback book with excellent
documentation and texts and translations.
In every respect this is a high quality
product that will have an honoured place
in my collection.
Göran Forsling
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra/Asher Fisch 
MELBA
MR 301091-94 SACD [4 CDs 63:17 + 49:10 + 42:12
+ 68:47] 
