Jaap van Zweden Conducts Wagner's "Die Walküre" (Act I)

[@mbabb]

When this was removed from KZbin several months ago I was devastated. Seeing it back is such a delight. Bravo!

[@karennorris7880]

Heidi is just perfection. Not only does she have this incredibly beautiful voice, but her acting is so convincing too. You feel the character right along with her. Of course, Jaap van Zweden is magnificent as always.

[@hrh4961]

Fond memories of a young, trim John Relyea more than 20 years ago in Santa Fe as Figaro in Mozart's masterpiece. Certainly has husbanded his voice well. Its matured into one beautiful, dark sound. Nice, also, to see he's kept his boyish figure.

[@TwinsunianT]

Excellent! Bravo Maestro Jaap van Zweden!

[@markpettis2896]

Heidi Melton is a great singer capturing seiglinde’s Strength and femininity so well Unlike many other portraying this role I’ve seen on KZbin Rest of the cast equally as good this is fantastic production thank you to all

[@mcs1949]

Wish I was there - Act I perfection! BRAVI!

[@christophehorton1070]

JR! WOW! LONG TIME, NO HEAR.

[@niccolodebernardi8532]

Timothy cobb can not only be a contrabassist, but he could also voice darth vader

[@josezarzo1]

bravi! great!

[@fabio-yl7md]

Wow what great orchestra! Magic and nice sound, the ouverture and the other parts are played exceptionally. Van Zweden is a good wagnerian

[@lohsemichael6398]

Großartig👍 und ein würdiger Siegmund für Bayreuth!

[@parsifal85257]

I can see Jaap conducting the MET someday soon. Especially the Ring Cycle, after what he did here with the Phil.

[@parsifal85257]

I hope it happens. Jaap has the Wagnerian flare that to my opinion only James Levine had with the MET.

[@wesmorgs1735]

@@parsifal85257 hey im new to this type of stuff, just wondering what was so good about what he did with the Phil here?

[@parsifal85257]

Jaap knows the Wagner sound , as does James Levine. Levine has had such a huge success conducting Wagner. He’s considered a scholar of Wagner. Jaap is following Levine’s technique and also some of his own, which works very well.

[@wesmorgs1735]

@@parsifal85257 awesome thanks for letting me know, ill. be sure to check out more!

[@jeffreymiller4814]

@@ethanbrown7208 Maestro Luisi conducted the Met’s Ring cycle more BEAUTIFULLY than any I’ve heard in the past 40 years. No relentless bombast or unending ritards. It was totally exhilarating even with just perfunctory singers.

[@beethzart79]

Thank you for this. It really helped

[@roolfsart383]

Bravo, Simon!

[@paules3437]

Also, I only watched part of this, but it seems like Jap vZ is a conductor who actual moves his baton on the beat and doesn't just wave his arms about. As a former orchestral member (ok, in high school, but still.. I went to a lot of professional concerts), I appreciated that. I've never understood how orch members can follow a conductors who makes dramatic gestures but want the player to play AFTER the end of his movement. Seems very capricious.

[@JussiTTvanVickTheOperaAddict]

"Tim" below is some auto-cyber generated nonsense! I couldn't get this to play on Facebook (and I just joined it so I could watch it!) so I was very glad to discover it was playing here.

[@zeevberar1663]

THANKS FROM TEL AVIV

[@paules3437]

24:19: taking a swig from a Poland Spring bottle. Classy.

[@paules3437]

Surely, the opening of Act 1 is the musical equivalent of Abraham Flexner's comment: "'For God, for Country, and for Yale is surely the greatest anticlimax in the English language. In this case, you have several minutes of some of the most exciting music ever written... and then it fades anticlimactically and the tenor sings, "Gosh, I"m tired. I guess I'll catch a little shuteye here." What??!! Why wasn't there some kind of battle or other conflict when Siegfried appears---something to fit the music which could continue exciting for a while and then, once the battle is over, could wind down, perhaps to something less mundane than "I need a nap." I think Wagner missed an opportunity here. Plus, what's a hausfrau like Sieglinde doing wearing a dress like that for domestic duties? Maybe she puts on her nice clothes when Hunding is out of the house just to feel special once in a while. But now I think of it, maybe she dresses for housework like that all the time in order to honor that sword stuck in a tree in the middle of her living room. (Thanks, Anna Russell!) And... bummer that van Sweden left Dallas Symphony for NYC.

[@seop-dm9bt]

33:45

[@paules3437]

Was Hunding out hunting in a toxedo??

[@hrh4961]

He heard there was a Gentlemen's Quarterly crew filming in the woods. Tuxedo

[@paules3437]

@@hrh4961 No, I meant "Toxedo"..... that's a very formal men's suit that is poisonous! hahahahahahaha Is it a coincidence that Hunding and Hunting are only one letter apart?

[@hrh4961]

@@paules3437 Hmmm. That's something to ponder.

[@eisengriffin5638]

1:25 2:50

[@trumpeterchris]

Yes!!! More comments like this!

[@bencopeland3560]

Tenor would make a better Mime than Siegmund

[@hectorberlioz1449]

Jaap is a great Wagner- conductor, he should be in Bayreuth....

[@homeofcreation]

He's even better at Mahler.

[@hectorberlioz1449]

@@homeofcreation but Wagner was a greater composer. Mahler stole and used a lot of Wagner. Only Wagner did do it to a better effect....

[@andrewsnow1933]

Carter brey is a great cellist

[@lastsaint7778]

He was clearly quite nervous for that solo.

[@marlinddimce1247]

Is she really a Wagnerian Soprano?

[@baritoneblazzin1965]

No...perhaps a sizeable spinto soprano. I've never heard the voice live so I cannot say definitely 100%, but judging by the recording- There isn't enough *metal* in the voice to be a true Wagnerian Soprano. Her voice is beautiful nevertheless.

[@draganvidic2039]

Modern WOBBLY one.

[@jeffreymiller4814]

@@draganvidic2039truly. This entire performance is unendurable, with a tenor who has a voice more appropriate for Mime/Loge and a pitchy, wobbly soprano who can barely sing a high A (and forces her voice to boot).

[@wotan10950]

I don’t even think she’s a soprano. The voice has beauty, but any note above the staff is a wobbly scream. She should really think about developing the mezzo part of her voice.

[@orientaldagger6920]

If by that you mean is she Jessye Norman, or Regine Crespin, or Leoni Rysanek then no. She is fine.

[@lukehomestead]

It’s a nice recording but I think the Tenor is not quite suitable for this Wagner roll

[@draganvidic2039]

I hope she has retired with that unbearable WOBBLE. It’s horrific to say the least. His voice is too thin and lacks a more masculine (and baritonal) quality.

[@lilalola33]

Unter einer Sieglinde erwarte ich rein optisch etwas anderes.Warum is`n die so fett ?? Aber die Stimme ist gut.

[@benschroth7717]

Blech. So slow.

[@jeffreymiller4814]

Ben Schroth I agree completely. It’s not just a matter of tempo, but also a matter of forward motion (of which there is very little).

[@jeffreymiller4814]

Ben Schroth Jaap VZ just announced he’s leaving the NY Phil. Shortest tenure in its history.

[@orientaldagger6920]

Slow and mannered...