Die Walkure 6-29-11 San Francisco Opera

I didn't care for the set design at all, except for the ending (more below). The Hundig hut was bland, though I did like the shadow of the tree on the front of the house. And Wotan's boardroom was boring, like it was the Ayn Rand version of The Ring.  Brandon Jovanovich was merely adequate as Siegmund (didn't convey Siegmund's heroism sufficiently) and places in comparison to Placido Domingo's Siegmund at the 2005 Chicago Ring we attended. The Valkyrie costumes were also a disappointment, making the warrior maidens look more like bi-plane pilots than the offspring of the gods. Also found the vocalizations of the Valkyrie chorus lacking on the "Hojotoho! Heiaha" section. On the positive side, the chemistry between Wotan and Nina Stemme's Brunnhilde was fantastic, I truly believed them as father/daughter, they had playful energy as well as demonstrating deep compassion for one another. Stemme is quite a different Brunnhilde in appearance, almost a 'modern' Brunnhilde, we'll see how she delivers as her character takes on greater complexities now reduced to mere mortality and without Wotan to Heidi Melton was excellent as Sieglinde, she had both the Nordic beauty and the vulnerable yet heroic qualities you're looking for in a Sieglinde. The 'Magic Fire' circle at the end was visually impressive, aided by a special effect of flames on the curtain, casting the illusion that Brunnhilde is indeed surrounded by a wall of fire. The pictures of real-life war dead was a clever twist on the Valkyries gathering heroes theme and the audience applauded when the pictures were held aloft by the Valkyries. Overall, this Walkure gets 3 out of 5 Notungs.