Metropolitan Opera Archives

The matinee cycle of the "Ring" dramas came to a close on the afternoon of Feb. 26 with a superb performance of "Götterdämmerung." Not soon will we hear another such magnetic rendition of this greatest of music dramas, for every singer on the stage was at his or her best and the ensemble, both vocal and dramatic, was splendid. Mme. Flagstad has seldom sung better and one may forgive her omission of the high C in the farewell scene in Act I, on account of her magnificence in the second act. The Curse on the Spear was terrifying in its malevolence. Mme. Flagstad still treats the Immolation with less of drama than it might possess, but her singing of it was splendid.

Mr. Melchior's Siegfried was one of the finest he has done and Mr. List who replaced Mr. Kipnis as Hagen sang well. Mr. Janssen's Gunther was the best, vocally, we have had in a long time. Mme. Thorborg sang the Waltraute scene well, but it has been done with greater dramatic significance. The remainder of the cast repeated that of the former performance: Irene Jessner as Gutrune; Walter Olitzki, Alberich; Three Norns, Anna Kaskas, Elsa Zebranska and Thelma Votipka; Rhinemaidens, Eleanor Steber, Irra Petina and Helen Olheim.

Mr. Leinsdorf conducted splendidly and, save for some bad playing from the brasses on more than one occasion, the orchestra was excellent.

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Search by title: Götterdämmerung, Ring Cycle [70] Uncut,

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