* Notes *
Saturday's performance of Götterdämmerung ended the second Ring cycle this season at the Met. The orchestra was consistent, immaculate for the most part, though with some sour notes in the brass. The singing was all at a high level. The opening Norn scene was striking, each voice differentiated from another, and each beautiful. Christian Franz (Siegfried), sounded a bit better than in the previous opera. Though strained, he did create a light, pretty sound just before he drank the love potion, and with the Rheintöchter. Katarina Dalayman's Brünnhilde was appealingly warm and human. She struggled less here than in her initial appearance in Die Walküre, and her sound was creamy and rich. John Tomlinson was authoritative as Hagen, though a bit thin in some of his higher notes, but in general his voice had both heft and resonance. The chorus sounded together and very strong.
The set was actually visible for most of the evening, and even the costumes were not entirely grey or brown, so they contrasted with the stage. Again, the choreography consisted of a great deal of pacing, though Brünnhilde did point dramatically and threw things. The set changes were loud, and were clearly audible because the music in between scenes was rather soft. However, the overall effect was good, the kitschiness of the production does not get in the way of the music, and the admirable musical values carry the performance.
* Tattling *
Many watch alarms were heard, and there was a particularly annoying one during an important rest. One watch alarm rang nearly a dozen times.
There was much aggressive hushing during the first overture, which happened again at the end of the opera, as the audience applauded before the music was done. This is undoubtedly prompted by how the curtain is lowered, several seconds before the orchestra stops playing.
