Neither Jay Hunter Morris nor Deborah Voigt as Brünnhilde quite attain the level of perfection that they achieved in the final act of Siegfried. Some of Morris's double takes are quite amusing although I think they would be better suited to a Hollywood romcom. Jay Hunter Morris's imitation of the woodbird was charming. I even enjoyed the long scene where Siegfried, essentially rehashes the plot of the previous opera. The Rheinmaidens are as ravishing as ever, although they appear to have lost their tails since Rheingold and Waltraud Meyer gives a barnstorming performance as the Valkyrie Waltraute. I loved the Norns scene that opens the opera and, because it is presented in such a dramatic and visual way I concentrated on the back story much more than usual. I never had that feeling during this production. In this 4½ hour epic there are scenes that I sometimes feel that Wagner could have trimmed since they just provide back story. He even manages to outglower Eric Owens's Alberich in the brief scene that the Niebelung father and son have together. Best of all is the wonderful portrayal of glowering menace from Hans-Peter König as Hagen. There is the voluptuous Wendy Bryn Harmer as Gutrune and the well-characterised performance of Iain Paterson as the diffident Gunther. There are some stunning performances too, particularly from the Gibichung trio. In one stunning moment, when the 24 slabs become the Rhine, Gunther appears to wash his bloody hands in the water and the whole river turns red.
It can be Brünnhilde's abode, a boat on the Rhine, the Hall of the Gibichungs. Robert Lepage's elegant set continues to impress with its endless transformations in this final part of the Ring.
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