The Plot:
As Part Four of the Ring Cycle opens, the Norns (Fates) discuss what has happened. They offer their own portents of doom for events to come. Siegfried and Brünnhilde emerge from hiding and vow their undying love for one another. He gives her the infamous ring and sets off on new adventures. Stopping in the settlement of the Gibichungs, he meets up with Lord Gunther. There, he is given a potion meant to make him forget Brünnhilde. Drugged, he deceives his former flame and takes back the ring. Gunther's half-brother Hagen agrees to kill Siegfried and when she discovers his deception, Brünnhilde also denounces our hero. She joins the plot to destroy him. During a treacherous hunt, death casts its pall over the entire proceedings. Brünnhilde demands a massive funeral pyre be built and, with ring in hand, vows to sacrifice herself to the Rhinemaidens.

The Blu-ray:
Richard Wagner gets a bad rap for reasons that have little to do with the music he composed. Since a certain deranged Fuhrer with a need for a Final Solution sonic backdrop made the 19th century man his mixtape, the far thinking artist has been more reviled than celebrated as something renaissance. It's a shame, really. Granted, his output is bombastic and way over the top, his characterization and complementing librettos about as subtle as a series of karate chops to the solar plexus. But Wagner was a visionary, a man who believed that music should be merely one facet in a Gesamtkunstwerk (or "total artwork") approach to production. He even built an entire opera house to incorporate his outsized ideas for bringing The Ring Cycle to the stage. This idea fits in perfectly with how director Carlos Padrissa envisions his version of Götterdämmerung. Sprawling, technologically complicated, and bloated with symbolism both obvious and insular, this take on the grand finale of Wagner's fractured folklore does have its issues, but when viewed as part of the composer's complex designs, it becomes something quite special.

The opening sequences of each act really illustrate the radical approach here. As the three Norns (similar to The Fates of Western myth) weave their rope of Destiny, as the Rhinemaidens sing for their lost treasure, Padrissa utilizes a complicated series of wires, harnesses, personal water tanks, and elaborate, obtuse costuming to offer a disturbing, otherworldly feel to the proceedings. This is especially true during Act Three, when the aquatic nymphs float in something seemingly inspired by The Cell. Indeed, a lot of this take on Götterdämmerung feels heavily influenced by Tarseem by way of David Lynch's Industrial Symphony No. 1. If you are unfamiliar with Wagner, The Ring Cycle, or the Norse legends being manipulated, it is very easy to get lost. About the only individual iconography that stays intact is that of Brünnhilde. Dressed in the traditional Viking helmet and metal breast plate, vocalist Jennifer Wilson turns the symbol into a pure singing force. She is so good that when her character leaves the stage for more pasty painted faced bald men adorned with Asian characters, she is sorely missed.

Elsewhere, Padrissa seems to be confronting Wagner's checkered contemporary history with some of his staging. Toward the end, when all stylized Valhalla is breaking loose, there is a real rally at Nuremberg feel to the tableaus. From the mob like chorus to the harsh spotlighting, it is clear that this version of Götterdämmerung wants to reference the Third Reich as well as comment on - and condemn - it. Certainly, some of the more arcane and obtuse elements cloud the interpretation, and the narrative can never quite escape its proto-Biblical bullspit, but as a way to make a modern viewer react to some antiquated ideas, this show really shines. About the only problem anyone will face when given a chance to experience this disc in the time factor. Wagner didn't believe in speed. The opening introduction with the Norns discussing the characters and what has and will happened to them takes nearly 30 minutes to unfold. The Rhinemaidens get about the same time to set up their situations. From arias that transcend mere time to become amazing aural blankets to performances that lift the obvious oddity of the design, Padrissa and La Fura dels Baus do a great job with this frequently flummoxing material.

The Video:
As part of its high definition make-over, Unitel Classics and C Major give Götterdämmerung a wonderful 1080i image that is lacking a little in the depth department. Indeed, even in the close-ups, there is a flatness to the picture that seems unusual, considering the clever camera angles and access to the actors. Perhaps it's the constant shifts in color, lighting moving from blue to green to red like something out of Puccini's Saw. It could also be the ample use of video projection and scrims, backdrops which allow for some startling CG and other visual F/Xs. Whatever the case, the transfer still provides impressive detail, excellent ambience, and a real live performance presence. What it lacks in dimension, this take on Götterdämmerung makes up for in wonderful eye-popping "wow" factors.

The Audio:
This is where the Blu-ray really shines. Mehta remains one of the world's greatest conductors and his interpretation of this material is mindboggling. Wagner is often cited for being bombastic and as subtle as a sledgehammer, but this interpretation of the score balances the ballistics with a somber emotional center. During the scenes between Brünnhilde and her Valkyrie sister Waltraute, the DTS HD-MA 7.1 mix is sensational. It captures all the tenderness, the feelings of loss and betrayal with a beauty that all opera should benefit from. All the speakers offer little sonic secrets - a random instrument from the back, a note carried from one channel to another. There is a real live feel to the presentation, a front row center experience that is almost impossible to capture with standard DVD. While the PCM Stereo track is serviceable at best, the expanded Master Audio is magnificent.

The Extras: Unfortunately, a basic 27 minute making-of cannot fully capture the magic of this production. While we do learn some basic information about the cast and crew, there is a lack of insight that defies the actual opera itself. Still, we do learn about some of director Padrissa's influences, so this featurette does help flesh out our interpretation of the often bizarre imagery.

Final Thoughts:
Recognizing that this is merely the fourth installment in a series of sensational operas (and interpretations of same), and recognizing that, at least for now, Götterdämmerung is the only section screened for review, and noting that other reviewers have raved about Parts One through Three, the call on this Blu-ray is relatively easy. Perhaps taken in total a Collector's Series score would be warranted. Looking at what we have here only, the Mehta/Padrissa/ La Fura dels Baus take on Götterdämmerung earns a Highly Recommended rating. Yes, it's purposefully odd and unusual. Certainly without the context of the other three shows you miss some important character and plot development. No, this is not for everyone, from its classical music foundation to the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari feel to the visuals. But if you give this production a chance, you will be rewarded with a wealth of allegorical ambition. Wagner may have a stained place in history, but interpretations like this one transcend his uneven reputation.

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