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Name of the day
Nov. 5th, 2013 11:56 amPyramid Sellers is listed as playing the valkyrie Gerhilde in the 1990 Metropolitan Opera production of Wagner's Die Walküre. It's the only reference to her I can find on the web. Pseudonym? One would hope!
As I think I've mentioned before, I'm making my way through the DVDs of this production of the Ring. So far I'm having pretty much the same reaction to the individual operas that I had when I saw them live at the Seattle Opera last summer. I liked all of Das Rheingold and I liked the first two acts of Die Walküre (especially the scene in Act 2 where Brünnhilde first appears to Siegmund in the moonlight) while finding large parts of the third problematic (although I do like "The Ride of the Valkyries" at the beginning and the magic fire music at the end.) The problematic part of Act 3 is the long discussion between Brünnhilde and Wotan about why (or whether) she betrayed him by trying to protect Siegmund against his professed will. The substance of the argument itself is interesting, but I find it overlong and much of the music not so interesting. Still, there were a couple of moments where the vocal work of now Brünnhilde and now Wotan were very beautiful even in this section. Over all, however, I got pretty bored and fidgety again, and that's even though I watched the opera in two different sittings, split about midway through the second act.
As I think I've mentioned before, I'm making my way through the DVDs of this production of the Ring. So far I'm having pretty much the same reaction to the individual operas that I had when I saw them live at the Seattle Opera last summer. I liked all of Das Rheingold and I liked the first two acts of Die Walküre (especially the scene in Act 2 where Brünnhilde first appears to Siegmund in the moonlight) while finding large parts of the third problematic (although I do like "The Ride of the Valkyries" at the beginning and the magic fire music at the end.) The problematic part of Act 3 is the long discussion between Brünnhilde and Wotan about why (or whether) she betrayed him by trying to protect Siegmund against his professed will. The substance of the argument itself is interesting, but I find it overlong and much of the music not so interesting. Still, there were a couple of moments where the vocal work of now Brünnhilde and now Wotan were very beautiful even in this section. Over all, however, I got pretty bored and fidgety again, and that's even though I watched the opera in two different sittings, split about midway through the second act.
