My Ring Cycle Dream Cast

This is a response to the audience question in the past few Met Opera quizzes. Audiences were asked to cast their dream Ring and came up with pretty secure choices: Furtwängler, Melchior, Nilsson…

The Met quiz required that the cast be assembled from artists no longer active. I’m going to reserve the right to choose current/recent artists as well. In those cases where I’ve implemented the cop-out of multiple choices, I’ve forced myself to asterisk the artist I would choose if I had to.

I hope I can get John to weigh in but in the meantime, here’s what I’d do if someone died and made me Wolfgang (and gave me a time machine):

Role	Bonnie’s Picks
Conductor	Wilhelm Furtwängler
Director	Robert Carsen – anyone who can pull off the risky, gimmicky ending to Dialogues of the Carmelites with such dignity and profundity… Wish I could see: the Wieland Wagner Ring, or even the Siegfried Wagner Ring that featured a cubist Valyries’ Rock. Wish everyone could see: August Everding’s Rheingold, Scene One (the Chicago Lyric Opera production) featuring uncanny “swimming” by lip-syncing acrobats on bungee cords. Gorgeous set for Walkure Act 1, too.
Rhinemaidens	Lucia Popp and… I don’t know. Weird fantasy: someday there will be a feminist Ring featuring a trio of sopranistas & countertenors. Obviously, David Daniels would have to be Flosshilde. I’m thinking Michael Maniaci as Woglinde and Andreas Scholl as Wellgunde
Alberich	Gustav Neidlinger
Wotan	Friedrich Schorr – because he came just before recording technology got great as has consequently received insufficient attention. Try to find the 1942 Met broadcast on Naxos – seldom will you hear more regret in “Wotan’s regret.” There’s a highlight album including the farewell, and an abridged Siegfried with Lauritz Melchior showing off his Wanderer. Listen to Schorr on Rhapsody (Free: 25 tracks per month) Wotan’s Farewell Wanderer Scene
Fricka	Christa Ludwig* Also adore: Randi Stene on the Copenhagen DVD, a superbly Clintonesque Fricka Tichina Vaughan on the Stuttgart DVD, making effective use of the “big, black lady” archetype to let Wotan know what it means when “Mama ain’t happy.” Would love to see: Olga Borodina
Freia, Donner & Froh	I’ll have to come back to them…
Fasolt	Acting: Stephan Milling* on the Copenhagen DVD Singing: Rene Pape Out of the box: After hearing James Morris sing an emotional Prince Gremin this season, I’m thinking he could put together a decent Fasolt.
Fafner	Matti Salminen Philip Ens*
Loge	Nicolai Gedda – I know he decided to forego Wagner to care for his voice, but I’m haunted by the thought of what his Loge would have been like.
Mime	Heinz Zednik
Erda	Birgitta Svenden
Sieglinde	Astrid Varnay* Jessye Norman
Siegmund	Siegfried Jerusalem* – for the heroic Siegmund. Get the Janowski recording if you don’t believe me. Jon Vickers – for the Job-like, full-of-pathos Siegmund
Hunding	Lots of choices here: my favorites are Philip Ens*, Matti Salminen and (recently) John Tomlinson
Brunnhilde	Kirsten Flagstad Birgit Nilsson*
Siegfried	Lauritz Melchior
Gunther	Dietrich Fischer- Dieskau
Gutrune	Jeannine Altmeyer
Hagen	Matti Salminen – I was in the audience on opening night in 1989. I’ll never forget the sensation of his negative-space-filled cries of “Hojho!”
Waltraute	Christa Ludwig – on that same 1989 opening night something very un-Wagnerian happened – a spontaneous ovation for the departing Waltraute in the middle of the Act.