Die Walküre

Met - 1, Kirov - 0

After this summer's very strange Ring production by the Kirov, I was leery to try Wagner again. Lucky for me, Lorin Maazel returned to conduct. I learned he hadn't made the short journey from his main job at the Philharmonic next door over to the opera house in 45 years! Wow! What an impressive return. I've never heard the orchestra sound better, and the pit was packed with so many instruments (four harps!) that I lost count at sixty. So, off to the story of incest, Wotan and the gods of Vahalla and the Valkyries, gotta love the Valkyries! While the Times didn't like Lisa Gasteen as Brünnhilde, I thought she did a rather good job. Overall the cast was good, with solid deliveries once a few got through some warm-up notes. The staging was brilliant and the fire-filled last act was spectacular. The lighting crew was better than anything I've seen on Broadway. Seeing Wotan silhouetted on the rocky outcrop by the changing light of twilight and sunset was spectacular. Ah, brass and percussions have never sounded so thunderous and grand as when written by Wagner and delivered by the Met. If only it wasn't five hours long ... too sleepy for one evening.