GHCD 2207/8/9
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Wagner's 1937
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Contents:
| CD 1 | ACT I | 73.15 |
| CD 2 | ACT II | 71:06 |
| CD 3 | ACT III | 65:40 |
The dwarf, Mime, has adopted Siegfried and brought him up as his own son. Now that the boy has grown into a strong young man, Mime is hoping that Siegfried will be able to slay the dragon, Fafner, who remains in constant guard over his horde of gold. Mime has designs on the all-powerful Ring, part of Fafner’s horde.
ACT I
Mime (Laufkoetter) is growing impatient at his inability to reforge the shards of the broken sword, Notung. His temper is further tested when Siegfried (Melchior) appears and smashes the reforged sword into pieces over an anvil. However when Siegfried learns that Notung belonged to his real father he demands, as he rushes out into the forest again, that Mime forges the pieces together again. Wotan (Schorr) appears disguised as the Wanderer and, much to Mime’s discomfort, settles down and promises to answer any three questions which Mime might care to put to him. But, as Wotan makes clear, Mime does not ask the one question for which Wotan could have given the most useful answer; that only one who knows no fear can reforge Notung, the sword with which fate decrees Fafner is to be slain. As Wotan departs, so Siegfried returns and is angry to find Notung still in pieces. In desperation Siegfried himself takes up the pieces, forges them together and with one powerful blow with Notung, splits the anvil in two.
ACT II
Mime’s brother, Alberich (Habich), who originally stole the horde of gold from the Rhine-maidens, and was then robbed of it by the Gods who used it to pay off the giants Fafner and Fasolt, is waiting outside Fafner’s cave. (Fafner has used the magic Tarnhelm from the horde to transform himself into a dragon.) Wotan arrives to warn him that Mime will soon be bringing a hero who knows no fear and who will attempt to kill Fafner. Alberich fails to instil any fear of the dragon into Siegfried, who settles down outside the cave waiting for Fafner to appear. As he lies there a small bird (Andreva) sings and Siegfried attempts to answer by blowing into, first, a pipe and then his own hunting horn. This latter wakes Fafner (List) who appears at the cave’s entrance. Siegfried stabs him through the heart with Notung and with his dying breath the dragon warns that Mime is plotting Siegfried’s downfall. The bird reappears to tell Siegfried to enter the cave and take just the Tarnhelm and Ring. Coming out of the cave with the two items, Siegfried is again advised by the bird to listen to Mime’s true heart rather than his flattering words. So it is when Mime appears to congratulate Siegfried on his brave deeds, Siegfried realises that Mime is planning to poison him so he slays him with Notung. The bird then leads Siegfried off to find Brünnhilde who is asleep on a high mountain surrounded by a ring of fire.
ACT III
After a gloomy discussion on the future between Wotan and Erda (Thorborg), Siegfried appears, led by the bird, and encounters Wotan apparently barring the way to Brünnhilde. Shattering Wotan’s staff (and thereby unwittingly destroying the world-order) Siegfried bursts through the ring of fire and sees Brünnhilde (Flagstad) clad in armour, sleeping on a rock. She does not wake when he blows his horn so he kisses her which causes her to open her eyes and see in Siegfried a light and beauty as wonderful as the morning sun. They revel in each other’s love and while Brünnhilde momentarily seems distressed that she has lost her position as one of the race of great warrior-maidens, she is comforted by Siegfried’s strength and purity.
Page revised 07.02.02
