We round up the reviews for Barrie Kosky’s production of the second of the Ring cycle shows.
The Guardian: **** “If Romaniw’s incisive Sieglinde is the standout – the Welsh-Ukranian soprano is gaining a more magnetic, energised presence on stage with every role – there are formidable performances all round: Stanislas de Barbeyrac’s thoughtful but ardent Siegmund; Elisabet Strid’s gleaming Brünnhilde, her glow dimming only at the end; Marina Prudenskaya’s powerful Fricka; Soloman Howard’s gun-toting cop Hunding, imposing if slightly unfocused of pitch. Maltman’s baritone is full of velvet heft; though the sense of line falters in his quietest lines, the rest are thrillingly done, his voice soaring even when the orchestra seem to be playing at full tilt.”
The Arts Desk: ***** A little too much smoke and fog apart, the stage pictures nearly all work in Rufus Didziwus’s spare but bold designs. The ravaged world ash tree, oozing gold in Das Rheingold and here blood after Siegmund’s brutal slaying, plays a crucial role in the denouement(s) of Act Two; another blasted tree, within which Erda goes to sit and into which Brünnhilde vanishes, dominates the stage in Act Three, variously captured in Alessandro Carletti’s phenomenal lighting”
The Telegraph: **** “In this second instalment of their new Ring cycle, Barrie Kosky and the Royal Opera deliver an astonishing rendering of Wagner’s masterpiece.”
The Stage: **** “Royal Opera’s new conductor laureate Antonio Pappano achieves a personal Wagnerian triumph.”
The i Paper: **** “pyromaniacs won’t be disappointed by designer Rufus Didwiszus’s memorable solution, which leaves the audience with a closing image resonant enough to carry us through to the next chapter in this sober, slow-burn Ring Cycle.”
The Standard: ***** “Rufus Didwiszus’s louring sets, lit strikingly by Alessandro Carletti to produce some stunning stage images, are sparse in the extreme. The ample meal devoured by Hunding (sung and acted with immense power by Soloman Howard) and a ravenous Siegmund is the most lavish thing to be seen in the ashen-grey hut of Act 1; the remaining acts likewise eschew extravagant detail.”
Die Walküre continues to play at the Royal Opera House until the 17th May.