With the fourth part of the “Ring des Nibelungen”, the curtain descended on the central work of Richard Wagner. After “Siegfried, OehmsClassics presents “Götterdämmerung” from Hamburg with an excellent cast. Simone Young created a sensation with the Hamburg Philharmonic at the premiere; Claus Guth’s directing concept was well received by public and press.

The features of the 4-CD box are of high quality, as with the previous productions from Hamburg: alongside an extensive preface by Udo Bermbach, the booklet also includes the libretto in German and English.

REVIEW:

I was very taken with the Walküre from this same source, praising in particular the conducting of Simone Young. Again here, in the Cycle’s final installment, Young is impressive...her sense of dynamics, her feel for the one-on-one moments versus the crowd scenes, the tender versus the violent, seem to me to be ideal. The Waltraute/Brünnhilde scene is the most humanly interactive I’ve ever heard, and the summoning of the Vassals, with the Hamburg Chorus at its best, is as rousing as anyone might want. And if Young doesn’t quite reach the heights and depths of feeling that she does in Walküre, this is still a reading to be proud of.

John Tomlinson, also moving on in years, still makes a scary Hagen, perhaps not in the gigantic Gottlob Frick sense of the role, but in nuanced nastiness to be sure. Robert Bork’s Gunther is a bit of a vulgarian, but that’s fine; Anna Gabler’s Gutrune is appealingly desperate. Petra Lang’s Waltraute is excellent, as is Wolfgang Koch’s Alberich. The sonics are superb. Pictures of Claus Guth’s production in the accompanying booklet make you grateful for a lack of video presentation.

-- ClassicsToday.com (Robert Levine)

Every member of the cast has something impressive to bring to this production. Christian Franz is an expressive and believable Siegfried. Deborah Polaski is similarly secure in her pitching as Brünnhilde. I found her performance very endearing, her natural tone, even at the top, making her the focus of attention in all the scenes she sings. This allows the Immolation Scene to be all the more definitive, with the audience really feeling Brünnhilde’s transcending compassion. The small role of Waltraute is given a similarly endearing reading by Petra Lang.

The baddies are just as convincing. This might well be the first recording of John Tomlinson singing Hagen, and if it is, it is worth buying for him alone. Wolfgang Koch is similarly menacing as Alberich…

There is some great ensemble singing from the Norns, the Rhinemaidens and the chorus, and the orchestra is also on good form...this Götterdämmerung gets my recommendation on the strength of the singing…the principals are all more than up to Wagner’s many challenges, and equally surprisingly, the supporting cast is too. 

-- MusicWeb International