Is this the great American Ring? It may be: with the Met's maestro
James Levine on the podium, the alert and opulent
Met Orchestra in the pit, James Morris as a commanding Wotan, Gary Lakes as a virile yet vulnerable Siegmund,
Jessye Norman as a strong yet sensual Sieglinde, and
Kathleen Battle as a delightful Forest Bird, this certainly is the great American Ring. But is it simply a great Ring? Not quite.
Reiner Goldberg has the fresh voice of a Siegfried, but neither the depth nor the power of a great Siegfried.
Hildegard Behrens has the depth and power of a Brünnhilde, but neither the sensuality nor the sublimity of a great Brünnhilde. And while most of the secondary roles are well served -- Matti Salminen is a virile and vile Hagen, Heinz Zednik is a slimy yet sympathetic Mime, and
Siegfried Jerusalem is a wonderfully fiery Loge --
Goldberg and
Behrens are simply not up to their level. Nor can
Levine, for all his experience as a Wagner conductor, sustain the drama of the Ring over 17 hours, much less sound the metaphysical depths of Wagner's vision. The result is certainly the great American Ring and arguably a very good Ring, but not ultimately a truly great Ring. Now, as always, the aged
Furtwängler,
Knapperstbusch, and
Krauss Rings are the truly great Rings, and
Solti's Ring is still the best overall.
Levine's is merely the great American Ring. No libretto is included.